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View Poll Results: Product Input: Shower type
Fiberglass shower with fiberglass seat (currently installed in Montana) 47 71.21%
Fiberglass shower with flip down cedar seat (seat like show in plastic shower picture) 13 19.70%
Plastic / PVC shower. It's all about the look and I like it best. Example shown in picture. 6 9.09%
Voters: 66. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 01-17-2021, 04:36 PM   #1
mootana
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Product Input: Shower type

Hello MOC!

It's me again, asking for your input on showers.

Recently fifth wheel brands have been installing a plastic shower wall that looks very much like tile......but it is PLASTIC / PVC. The material is not repairable, or replaceable.

Several people shopping for a new fifth wheels have been drawn to this plastic shower. And actually, have purchased other brands due to this great looking shower.

I've dug my heels in and have continued to install a residential fiberglass shower. Knowing that fiberglass is repairable and last a very long time.

Am I being stubborn? Should I be considering the new great look with plastic / PVC walls?

I've included a picture of the plastic style.
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Old 01-17-2021, 04:55 PM   #2
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Sam,

Form vs function will always start a debate. I believe the current shower is very functional and trouble free. If the new plastic holds up it will likely carry the day.
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Old 01-17-2021, 05:16 PM   #3
kowbra
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mootana View Post
Hello MOC!

It's me again, asking for your input on showers.

Recently fifth wheel brands have been installing a plastic shower wall that looks very much like tile......but it is PLASTIC / PVC. The material is not repairable, or replaceable.

Several people shopping for a new fifth wheels have been drawn to this plastic shower. And actually, have purchased other brands due to this great looking shower.

I've dug my heels in and have continued to install a residential fiberglass shower. Knowing that fiberglass is repairable and last a very long time.

Am I being stubborn? Should I be considering the new great look with plastic / PVC walls?

I've included a picture of the plastic style.
Sam,
I saw these new showers online and thought it was a great idea. But, when we saw it in person, we found the same negatives as all of the other plastic panels -they look cheap in person, but even worse they feel cheap as they are not fully laminated so move as you wipe them down.
I really like the cedar seat idea and it looked good and solid in person, but I've never seen one in a proper fiberglass shower.
So I voted for the current one, but I might be open to the second one if I knew what it looks like.
Do you have any photos of the fiberglass shower with cedar seat?

Thanks,
Brad
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Old 01-17-2021, 05:26 PM   #4
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I've seen these new units in passing but to me it was more a glitzy gimmick than improved function. The fold down cedar seats are "pretty" but problematic in the long term especially for an RV and they way they are constructed.

Just finished an expensive bathroom remodel in our main house. One of the topics was some sort of cedar bench inside. After visiting with the contractor at length about the pros and cons if doing it, the longevity, problems they caused etc. I went with granite benching in the shower....IT won't age, pull out of the walls, cause leaks etc.

Something I don't recall from my brief "looking" at this type shower is whether the shower pan is integral or the sides just sit down into the edges. I'm a fan of integral floor pans simply for simplicity, less chance of leaks and ongoing maintenance. Thanks again.
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Old 01-17-2021, 05:52 PM   #5
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To me pretty is as pretty does. I’ll take the better unit and worry about what it looks like in 10 years.
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Old 01-17-2021, 06:03 PM   #6
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ANYTHING that is BIGGER!!!
The plastic one with the flip up cedar bench looks like it is 5' x 5'. Is that correct?
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Old 01-17-2021, 06:31 PM   #7
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DW loves the full bath tub in our unit and I like the fiberglass shower. The folding seat looks like it might be nice to have but I don’t trust the longevity of it. The permanent cast seats will never leak and never break. My vote goes to fiberglass the way it is now.
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Old 01-18-2021, 06:05 AM   #8
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Which will hold up better?
DW would most likely like the plastic shower. I might get a override if I told her it would leak and not last as long


As for stubborn.........
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Old 01-18-2021, 06:23 AM   #9
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Sam,
I built one of these seats for the shower on our trawler and went with SS brackets that folded the seat down (not up). These created a shelf bracket style support from below rather than full cantilever. I secured thru about 1.125" of solid bulkhead and it was very solid. I was leery of the full cantilever option then, when I was doing the install and could see "what's behind the curtain". We voted for the status quo - it was a selling point to us.

PS - inspection of our new rig happens today.
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Old 01-18-2021, 11:02 AM   #10
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The reparability of fiberglass is a consideration. However, I believe most people don't go into it thinking that a shower would even need repair and would first go with esthetics. I like the shower that is in our MHC but I do not like the built in seat. It makes the shower feel smaller than it is because of limited floor space and it takes up valuable real estate in the shower. That is why I would go with this new design with a flip up/down seat. I can get it out of the way and have more room in the shower or have it there if needed. I would go with the functionality of this new style shower over just fiberglass vs plastic. If I could get rid of the seat in our current shower I would.
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Old 01-18-2021, 11:13 AM   #11
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What Route66Rambler said!
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Old 01-18-2021, 02:33 PM   #12
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I really like the look of this shower. I think I am the odd one out, but I don't like the seat in the current Montana showers (it takes up too much space) although I do still prefer the one piece construction and it doesn't look like this would be.
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Old 01-19-2021, 04:58 AM   #13
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I like the one piece fiberglass less chance of leaking.
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Old 01-19-2021, 05:23 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Daryles View Post
ANYTHING that is BIGGER!!!
The plastic one with the flip up cedar bench looks like it is 5' x 5'. Is that correct?
The shower size with the plastic walls is 48x30
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Old 01-19-2021, 05:42 PM   #15
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On leaking-it’s two pieces compared to one piece fiberglass.

With the plastic wall a cheap plastic pan can be used. Only select cleaning chemicals can be used on the plastic.

Plastic wall is normally glued to the interior wall. It can release and become wavy.

Just some thoughts
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Old 01-19-2021, 05:45 PM   #16
mootana
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Originally Posted by RipNC View Post
Sam,
I built one of these seats for the shower on our trawler and went with SS brackets that folded the seat down (not up). These created a shelf bracket style support from below rather than full cantilever. I secured thru about 1.125" of solid bulkhead and it was very solid. I was leery of the full cantilever option then, when I was doing the install and could see "what's behind the curtain". We voted for the status quo - it was a selling point to us.

PS - inspection of our new rig happens today.
I agree. Does anyone even use the seat? Shower vendors tell us you can’t delete the seat, women sit to shave their legs.

I’ve recent saw showers with small corner platforms to rest your foot on to shave. Any thoughts?
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Old 01-19-2021, 06:09 PM   #17
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Sam,


You can never go wrong with one-piece "real" fiberglass. Repairable and functional. Fake plastic tile has no place in a luxury line camper.


Hint....it does not belong in the kitchen either!


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Old 01-19-2021, 06:15 PM   #18
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We just ordered our 4th Montana. We have not ordered new units because they wore out, but because needs and technology changed. We have never had a shower leak. We would vote for whatever lasts and doesn’t leak. We have a very similar shower at home - because they just work and you never have to worry about it.
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Old 01-19-2021, 06:16 PM   #19
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Sam the "seat" in ours isn't used to "sit" on but it is indispensable for washing/shaving legs. It was one of our requisites for a new shower. I have no use for plastic sheets glued on a wall in any shower....cheap.
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Old 01-19-2021, 10:31 PM   #20
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I like the looks of the plastic shower but we still like the fiberglass one piece. The problem we see with the plastic is the change in temperatures from the freezing cold as we go down the road in the wintertime to the blazing heat of summer. The biggest problem with any showers that have had the pan crack is that there was not enough support put under the pan and around the drain to support the weight of someone over time. In sticks and bricks they either use quickset cement or expandable foam for support and the foam idea would be the best for Keystone if they aren't using it already. I caught all kinds of static from the ladies at the Fall Rally several years ago when I mentioned eliminating the bench in the shower but I do like the idea of the fold down seat or the small shelf in the corner for the ladies to sit down on or put their foot on while shaving their legs. I just think the full corner bench is taking up to much space.

We actually would like to see a fiberglass shower without the seat or with a fold down seat and have shelves built into the corners so be able to put soaps, shampoos and etc on them. The present "seat" only shortens the shower and is only a storage space for us.
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