We joined the FWC family this last February when we picked up a Raven Shell from another member. We came from the roof top tent crowd and though RTT aren’t bad, you can stand up in one, you can’t sit at a table and enjoy a meal or game, and you certainly cannot drive away, without significant hassle.
During the first few month we experimented with potential layouts that would serve our needs. A lower bench that converted in to a bed was first created by using plywood supports spanning east to west. With the addition of a small card table, it was decided that we needed a comfortable dinette that converts into a bed, and the full-queen needed to be enlarged to a full-king.
Our shell interior was equipped with a battery cabinet and heater. We wanted to stay true to the silver spur look, make something that could be completely removed without damaging the original shell or leaving numerous screw holes.
I decided to build a 4 person dinette that would convert into a twin sized bed, increase the upper bed size to a full-king, and add some battery charging and monitoring equipment. This forum has been an amazing resource for mods/build outs, and I appreciate everyone’s input and help.
I opted for 3/4" birch plywood to make the bench and table, and ½" birch plywood to create a larger upper bed extension. I did not find silver spur style laminate, but found Wilsonart ‘Pressed Linen’ laminmate to be a close cousin. I used 5 full 4'x8' sheets of laminate, and a full gallon of rubber cement. I used black iron on edge banding, finish washers where screws were visible, ordered 5.5 yards of dovetail greystone fabric from FWC. Purchased 3" firm padding, cut to various sizes, from www.buyfoam.com, sourced black vinyl - zippers - thread locally (joann fabric). I purchased a lagun leg from lagunusa.com, and purchased the king bed extension side rails from FWC. I used (4) 12" offset piano hinges for the lower bench support, and (4) friction lid supports for the back bench support.
My shell interior is approximately 78"+ wide. It was constructed with 16" deep seating/ledges, with electrical compartment (driver side) and storage (passenger) being accessed from the top of the seating/ledge. The height from this seating/ledge surface to the floor is approx 21-1/2". And the metal finish edging used along the seating/ledge was secured with rounded head screws. I needed to increase the seating surface depth enough to accommodate a finished 18" deep seat pan, with 3" of foam cushioning on the bottom and the back. All bench components would need to be capable of accessing the electrical and storage compartments, so the seat pan and back would need to be hinged. When converted, it would all have to lay flat to make into a bed.
After finding the most comfortable chair in my house, I measured the seat height, back angle, heigh from seat to floor, and researched some ergonomic figures on line, I opted for a seat pan/ seat back angle of 100-105°, finished seat pan depth of 18" and a finished seat back cushion height of 18". In order to accomplish the seat back angle, I had to have the base of the seat back be secured at approximately 5" away from the wall, and not move when pushed against. I constructed a single 5" deep laminated piece that I fixed nearest the wall as a support. The lower seat pan bases were mounted to the campers seating/ledge using (2) offset 3/4" piano hinges 1" away from the 5" blocks. This allowed the bench back to fit into the groove between the hinges and the block, thus, locking the seat back base in place. I used the friction lid supports on either side of the seat back base to keep them from moving while in motion. The upper seat back was constructed to rest along the bed extension rails. I constructed a lower bench support that attached to the lower camper side wall using small 90° brackets. The lower bench support consisted of two vertical pieces, a face and a top. The lower support height was equal height to the side seating/ledges and extended inward 9". I constructed a large single bulkhead/false front wall that spanned the width between the side seating/ledges and was just lower than the front window. I mounted the lagun leg to this false front wall to provide table support as well as support he lower side supports that connected to this, instead of the front camper’s front wall. The bench back panels measure 39"x 24" x 3/4", the seat pan panels measure 39"x24'x3/4, and the table measures 33"x29-3/8". The table is large, it rotates 90° and moves well. I made it 3" narrower than the bench to allow the lagun leg to remain in place when converted to a bed (but it can easily be removed as well). When the bench is flat, it spans the width of the Raven and the cushions fit tightly. A full XL Twin 78"x39".
I jumped down the rabbit hole to create cushions. Again, I wanted to keep the factory look, and I quite like the pattern of the dovetail. I examined the factory cushions, removed the pad, measured the seams, researched sewing box cushions and jumped. I found sailrite’s videos to be informative. https://www.sailrite...x-Cushion-Video
My skills improved through the sewing project, but it was a bit of a task. I made 6 additional cushions, two seat back, two seat bottom, and two bed extension cushions. If there is anything bad about my project it is that I now am flush with cushions. Cushions for days. The cushions measure (2) 21x39 (seat pan; 18" finished depth +3" to allow the loss of 3" with the seat back resting on top); (2) 18x39 (seat back); and, (2) 16.5x39 (bed cushions). I used dovetail greystone / side zipper / black vinyl plate / 3" firm foam pad.
Converting the full-queen bed to a full-king required longer bed rails, additional bed cushions, and a larger bed platform. I used ½" birch and laminated the top, and lacquered the bottom. I removed the old extension platform (remove thermal pack and bed rails first or it’s a bugger) and traced it onto a sheet of plywood after adding 17" to its depth. It fit like a glove and slides smoothly. I can finally sleep N-S on a true king.
Lastly, I tackled some electrical. I had originally run the 10ga wire from battery to camper, and learned that I could benefit from more current. I ran 6 awg from the alternator to the camper using anderson connectors in the truck bed. Installed a dc/dc charger - Victron 12/12 30 non isolated, using 60a fuse/circuit breakers, and installed a Victron bvm 712 battery monitor. I changed out one of the 12v usb chargers for a usb-c charger.
Overall, I am very satisfied with the finish and functionality of the build so far. I did make a removeable foot rest platform for the dinette so legs aren’t aimlessly dangling. It seats and sleeps 4 comfortably, and checks all of our boxes. In the bed position, it provides a lot of storage space when traveling. Given that it is a Raven, I don’t have much bare floor space left, but I can still move about easily. I’m diggin the Raven. Oh yeah, I shortened and relocated the three cubby storage too...
