Fold out bench

[Adam NWI]

I'm planning on changing out my dinette table for a bench in the back of my fish house that folds out into a bed.  I can either buy one of the jackknife couches or build one homemade.  I need it to be at least 78" long, so it would be comfortable to sleep on and most of the ones I've seen are much shorter than that.  Does anyone know of a good jackknife couch that length or have pictures they would share of how you built your own?

Thanks in advance!

[Moon Lake Refuge]

Couple 72 and 76 inchers out there but you pay a premium for them.  May be easier to find a cheap used futon frame on one of the list sites and mount it to a platform.  You could use a futon mattress for the top.  Thats likely what I'll be doing with ours when I rebuild.  ours works fine for now it just binds a little from time to time so I want to put in something a little more professional feeling.

[rlsd]

I think that Leech or Hawg have one in their house that was homemade. I suggest making one out of aluminum tubing and using a two piece cushion design. I thought about doing one similar in my build, but ended up going with the straight 30". I would suggest doing a dual 18" design. It gives you ample but space and a nice back rest. Do you have pictures of your current dinette setup?

 

 

[Hawg]

I would never have a dinette again. look at all the storage that can go under this and the ultimate can cooler you can make on the ends. Just be sure to buy GOOD foam or nothing is comfortable. That little extra length makes sleeping much more spacious also.

[Adam NWI]

I went ahead and made a homemade bench in the back.  I used 1x1 square steel tubing for the bed frame.  I would have liked to have used aluminum, but I have the steel on hand.  It actually didn't come out as heavy as I thought it would.  Here are the before and after pictures.

I still need to put in the tongue and groove paneling, but other than that it's pretty much finished.

The best part is, it allowed me to add another hole.   Last year on trips, I'd have my buddies crowding me up front on the bench all day long because no one would sit at the dinette.  Now they can have the front because the best seat in the house is in the back.

[Adam NWI]

On 11/8/2017 at 9:15 AM, Hawg said:

I would never have a dinette again. look at all the storage that can go under this and the ultimate can cooler you can make on the ends. Just be sure to buy GOOD foam or nothing is comfortable. That little extra length makes sleeping much more spacious also.

I like your foam can coolers!  I went back and forth for a couple days trying to decide if I wanted wood armrests or removable foam ones.  I finally decided to go with the wood, but I may do a removable center foam armrest.  Where did you get your foam from?  My cushions are all bought pre-made

[leech~~]

Very nice work!   At least if you get rear-ended you will make them pay!

[bobbymalone]

On 11/8/2017 at 9:15 AM, Hawg said:

I would never have a dinette again.

The idea sounds solid, but the actual finished product not so much.  I've never once found a dinette in a fish house that I felt was actually designed for people to sit at.  Yours didn't look too bad.  Some of them you really have to squeeze into and out of and when you're in there you can't turn 90 degrees.   And I'm a pretty thin dude.  

 

[Hawg]

foam factory online, get the good stuff.

[riverwader]

Adam, did you make that bunk?  I am hopefully getting my shell this week and have been searching for other options for a toy hauler bunk.

[Adam NWI]

11 hours ago, riverwader said:

Adam, did you make that bunk?  I am hopefully getting my shell this week and have been searching for other options for a toy hauler bunk.

Yes I made it.  I assume you are talking about the top bunk.  It's made from 1x2" aluminum rectangular tubing and unistrut strut channels and trolleys.  The part number on the trolleys is P2750.  It goes up and down easily with one person.  LipRipper came up with the idea and has more details on his latest build page.

[riverwader]

Awesome thank you