Chinook RV

Thought I would post this since I was pretty happy with the way it turned out. My rear compartment had the old wet MDF panels and gave up a lot of storage potential because it stopped at the rear ABS piping making the depth of the cabinet very shallow. I made a 4” riser which allowed the shelf to sit over the ABS piping, gaining all the depth back to the shower wall. I really wanted to store a BBQ there and try to use the rear compartment door as a cooking shelf. Everything was constructed with 90 degree stainless angle brackets so it can be disassembled in case of water damage or I have to access anything behind it at any time. Simple lightweight carpet, fixed with spray glue. Plywood heat shield re-purposed from the old dinette seat bench tops which have been removed. Still need to test this to make sure it works okay. BBQ is less than 10 pounds so the shelf easily supports it. Nice organization. Still might add a few other changes, will update if I do.... Dano

I also redo mine, but with a "step" over the pipes so that the floor still the same level. I really like the carpet covered sides (mine is bare plywood) and build in shelf. You will have a copycat soon

Hey cool! I did mine as a mock-up in the same way as chin_k -- that is I removed the back (front) wall that was wasting space, and then built a little hutch just over the pipes. That doesn't make a nice level big bottom floor like you have, but it just so happens that the things I wanted to put there (kayak/entry mat/kayak gear) worked out with the little step. I just made the step out of some boards I had lying around and kept the stock sides and (carpeted!) floor. Used a piece of rigid foam insulation as the "back wall" against the shower.

But then I have just kind of left it (the danger of mock ups). Your post inspires me to make it better this winter. I think I may keep my "stepped" design because my kayak paddle does need that little bit of height gained by having the main floor lower. But I had just bought some of the "trunk carpet" last spring (to so something in my car) but haven't used it yet - I've never used that stuff at all. So, time for a learning curve! It really makes everything look so tidy.

On the first round I did do a couple of things: I noticed that where the black pipes go through the floor to the tanks, they just went through a hole in the carpet, which was then siliconed to the pipes. Yeah, that's gonna keep mice out. So I cut the carpet away around the pipes and got rid of the silicone blobs. Then I made little plywood "collars" (kind of like the metal ones you used to see around steam/radiatior pipes as they went into the floor) and attached those with sealant. They are removable if necessary, but I imagine more mouse proof than siliconed shag carpet I also had decided to remove the black tank flusher (at least for the time being as the pipes were damaged) and I covered that hole with a plywood plate/screws on the compartment floor.

Anyway, I'm inspired!

Oh, one thing to keep in mind if you have that compartment open while camping: That does lead directly into the living area (behind the shower), so if a mouse or rodent hopped up there (or mosquitoes) they could conceivably find their way in. I got all excited about making a fold out tray there (because the older compartment doors flipped upward and another member made an inner tray that folds down like yours), but decided I'd rather not leave that compartment open "unattended." I may just be over-worrying though.

Thanks for taking the time to share that mod. I bet quite a few of us will be tinkering on that over the winter.

Steal away! I used these stainless steel L brackets which were really nice. A bag of 50 was $11.99 including shipping which I thought was a pretty good deal...https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07D8S ... UTF8&psc=1
Dano

Dano:
Did you change the hinge? I just noticed that my storage door opens up, while yours opens down to allow to use for your grill. I have to look at how the hinges work to see if that can be easily changed. I hate it when everything just tumbles out of the storage whenever I open the door up

Great mod, this goes on the list......

chin_k wrote: October 8th, 2018, 4:29 pm Did you change the hinge? I just noticed that my storage door opens up, while yours opens down to allow to use for your grill.

I doubt he changed it. It's possible but starting around... 2002 or so?... the hinges on both the "tire locker" and the battery/stuff storage doors were changed so they hinged the opposite way. On mine (and yours), the tire locker hinge is at the top, and the storage one at the bottom. When they changed it they reversed those.

I can see plusses and minuses to both. On the side storage, the hinge on mine gets sand and stuff in it, plus the door can touch the ground. On the other hand, I don't need a hook to hold it up, nor do I have do look "under it" to see what's in there. On the tire locker, it's completely out of the way (but then if you don't latch it it can fall on your head, not that I'd know about that).

It *could* be changed, but you'd have holes and things to deal with. At least if you have a striped Concourse like mine, if you simply flip the door around, the stripe won't match up. If you move the latches and hinge, you'll have the latch holes to deal with.

If you do want to make a grill table like that, how about stealing an idea from another member here too? I forget who it was, but their Chinook had the "opens upward" tire locker door like we have. What he did was build an inner table that was just about the same size as the door (but obviously slightly smaller), and then after the main door was latched up out of the way, the inner (plywood) door hinged down (like Dano's main door). A plus to that is you are then grilling on a plywood inner door, not the foam/fiberglass main door. Maybe you could even attach the grill to the inside of the plywood second door so it just folded down and Presto! (Maybe that'd be messy though, and not as versatile.). That inner plywood door/table idea is the one I was going to copy, but then I decided I don't just want that door open while I'm camping since it leads into the living area (via the area behind the shower/kitchen).

I think I might have saved that photo....

I didn't change the hinge Chin_k, no...came that way just like Blue said. Guess I just got lucky...Thanks 68Camaro, much appreciated...Dano

Ah, thanx for the explanation and confirmation.

Blue, if you still want to do the grill locker, you can enclose the entire area so that no rodent can get inside, correct? I see that Dano got it covered 4 of the five sides already, so maybe a fine hardware cloth on the top if you want something easier to work into different shape?
My portable grill comes with legs, and so far, I have no need for it. I think I remember a Baja Chinook with factory-installed grille on the back, but maybe I have photoshopic (vs photographic) memory.

BTW, on the door falling onto people, I think the bigger problem is the side mirror. People of certain stature can run into it without seeing it, not that I'd know about that...

That's a good suggestion on closing off the compartment. I'll have to think about that. But there is so much! I keep my torque wrench in that narrow area under the shower (just inboard of the back of the supposed sewer hose holder), so I'd have to somehow close that off, plus the rest of the under the shower space (carpeted, natch, doesn't everyone want carpet under their shower stall?). Then there is the top (leaving a way to get at the plumbing valves, but that could be done. What makes it a bit more complicated is that my various bits of gear stick up into the spaces in between the pipes and whatnot, so it wouldn't be just a "flat" top.

Hmmm. I'll have to take another look at it this winter when I'm doing projects. It would be nice to close it off, but it might be more than I want to bother with. I don't grill, so really it was just going to be a way to have a convenient shelf, and in thinking about it more I might prefer something that sits on the back bumper. That way I don't have to be "on guard" for all my kayaking and other gear falling out of the open tire locker.

BUT, if I were going to grill or something there, where I'd have the compartment open plus food, I'd for sure put that hardware cloth "seal" at the top of my list.

That whole area is going to get another good look this winter. Although it's admittedly not at the top of my list. So we'll see how the project season goes