Hi All,
I have a question regarding the shower seat. I noticed that in my 2019 22 Sport RB, the seat in the shower flexes down approximately 1/2” or until the thin wall fiberglass laminate flexes down far enough to make contact with a hard support surface.
In the photo below, I touched the top of the seat laminate in the shower without pressing down.
In the next photo, I pressed down firmly until it came to rest up against a firm surface underneath the shower seat laminate.
I noticed this from day one when I purchased this airstream new.
I have also reported it to the dealer and they said it was normal and nothing to worry about.
Are all shower seats in airstreams like this? Shouldn’t there be a firm support underneath the shower seat to prevent it from flexing so much?
Has anyone every had any problems with the seat cracking or with a development of small hairline cracks that look like spider webs toward the edges of the seat?
I work for a fiberglass boat manufacturing company and I’m familiar with fiberglass seat constructions. The fiberglass can either have a thick wall that is able to support any weight it is required to carry or in the case of a thin-walled fiberglass laminate, a firm support structure, such as foam or wood, is placed directly underneath and in contact with the laminate to prevent it from flexing.
This prevents the laminate from flexing of breaking and could last many years without damage.
Anytime there is a void between the laminate and the firm support structure, the laminate will inevitably tend to develop fatigue fractures that look like small spider webs in the glass finish. This is an indication that the laminate has been flexing back and forth. Depending on the frequency of use or over time, the fiberglass will eventually crack and allow water to seep through.
I would be most grateful to know if anyone has noticed this same type of issue and if they found a way to correct the problem either on their own or by Airstream.
Bathroom shower seat
Linear Mode
