43 replies to this topic

[Mark W. Ingalls]

All--

I've been working on and off for months on a major tear-down and rebuild of our 2000 Hawk. I had replaced the original couch|bed earlier with a prototype that helped me to see how a proper couch|bed should work. Also, I wanted a galley that used space better, allowed us to make coffee with the top bunk extended and eliminated the stepped counter top over the fridge. The following photos depict the progress so far...



This view shows how the galley looks now. You'll notice that the sink and cooktop have been relocated. Also you'll see that the icebox has been lowered and moved toward the side wall of the Hawk to create a flat counter top and more room at the entrance, where floor space is important. The storage space has all been converted to full-extension drawers. We removed the original water tank and used that valuable space for more drawers. The drawers latch with pushbutton latches, as seen in the next photo:



When the drawer is closed, it can be latched by pushing the button to simultaneously actuate a catch and recess the drawer pull. Pushing the button again unlatches the catch and deploys the knob, as shown here:



By relocating the sink and cooktop, I am now able to make breakfast in bed for my beloved Edna:



A few other details bear mentioning. We replaced the faucet with the white one you see here. We decided to go for the extra weight and expense of a solid countertop. We removed the bulkhead beneath the icebox to increase valuable floor space inside the camper.

[the fisherman]

Every time I see one of these posts, I say to myself, why didn't they do that in the first place. Now I want to drop my refer for the added flat counter space, keep me posted.

[Mark W. Ingalls]

The next photos show how the new couch mechanism works. The original was really just a quick mock-up so I could see how the dynamics worked. Three things became apparent as we lived with the mocked-up couch. We liked the way it worked for the most part as a bed, but we wanted more floor space when it was folded. With the couch folded, we wanted some tilt in the seat; a dead flat seat was just not comfortable for lounging. Every inch of available floorspace we could eke out with the couch deployed as a bed made going to the potty in the middle of the night or working at the galley while everyone else was asleep just a little easier.

Based on take-offs from the original couch mechanism, I saw some ways to optimize the design. I also made it a little more visually appealing, since I was hoping to keep this revision for longer than a year. I am showing the bulkheads and struts without the seat cushion attached to help visualize the movement.

Folded up in the couch position...



One strut deployed to the bed position...



Finally, I decided to add a transom to try and cut down wear and tear on the aluminum door frame and the rubber door seal. I plugged the counter-bored screw holes with square pegs, which is a signature of sorts for my life amongst round holes...



The alert reader may ask, "Where do you store the potable water?" We calculated that we could wedge a 100L Plastimo pillow tank in the space between the front of the Hawk and the bed of our F250 and have about 12 gallons of potable water available. I didn't take a picture of the stowed tank.

There a pros and cons to the pillow tank. On the plus side, you can easily remove the empty tank for cleaning. Also, weight distribution is improved. Obviously, there is more storage and floorspace inside the Hawk. On the minus side, I haven't figured out how to gauge the tank yet. And I am unsure of the long-term reliability of the tank. I can always fall back to mounting a rigid tank inside the Hawk on the floor, but not without giving the pillow tank a good try.

[Mark W. Ingalls]

Every time I see one of these posts, I say to myself, why didn't they do that in the first place. Now I want to drop my refer for the added flat counter space, keep me posted.

Note also that a small three-way will still fit the space and there is also sufficient room (about 2-1/2 inches) behind the icebox for utilities.

I failed to mention that I also lined the inside of the icebox cabinet with an extra layer of 1/2 rigid foam insulation. I also lined the propane box with the same foam on the five interior sides. This was a big hidden source of heat loss in the winter.

I also failed to mention that I saved all the pieces of the old galley and weighed them. The new galley, including the solid surface countertop, is about 25 pounds heavier. I think it was worth the weight penalty.

[K6ON]

Mark..
The galley looks GREAT... You guys keep costing me money..every time I see something as neat as that galley, I start tearing things apart hoping to come up with something half as nice. Great work:thumb:

[ScottBailey]

Mark,

Your camper looks great. I can't wait to see final pics of the couch!

Next time I'll be ordering a Cougar shell... Well, OK, only after I retire and have more $$$ for woodworking tools.

let me say it again: your cabinetry looks great!

SB

[Star152]

Wonderfull work Mark!!!!!!! is the counter Corian? can not wait for the final pics........

[Mark W. Ingalls]

Thanks for the kind words, fellows. The pictures don't show the gaps and unevenness.

The counter is a product made by LG. I bought a remnant, so it didn't cost 'much'. I had to take the color I got, but it worked out OK.

[Tomas Tierra]

Now I want to drop my refer for the added flat counter space, keep me posted.

Don't drop your refer! It will burn something:D


Absolutely ingeneous work on the couch Mark! and a very nice counter top.

[EdoHart]

That looks great.

Question, where did you get those drawer catches?