Homemade bedboards and platform removal

[northerntaff]

A few weeks ago, I had a PM from new forum member Mrs Muffinhead. She was asking about how we'd made the Bongo more usable for a family of four, considering the potential difficulties the roof hatch can cause with communication and checking on kids whilst sleeping etc.

I promised to take some photos for her, and now I have I thought I'd put them up as a post so that the info's there for anyone else to use.

Please note this was not my idea originally I've just copied from someone else on here...I'm good at that

We made the bed boards last year from 18mm plywood. They're obviously strong enough for the kids, but they're fine for me too (6' and more than 13st ). They are in three sections all 1100mm wide. Two the same depth 580mm (to go at the front and middle) and then a smaller one at the back 420mm.



I removed the original panel above the cab to ensure the boards all lay down together smoothly, and as you can see the first board is notched at the top to go around the tent support arm thingies. (note - when the boards are in storage in the roof space and not is use this board has to be slid back to allow these arms to fold down).



Each board is drilled in the edge to allow the next piece to fit together with dowells. I also added little self adhesive rubber pads on the edges of the Bongo roof floor (!) so that the boards weren't resting on the metal or trim.



Once the boards are in I use a little wedge to stop them moving...



Then it's mattresses on top



Having used these in the past by storing them in the roof whilst going away it has limited using the roof space for other things - i.e. sleeping bags, pillows, duvet, and of course it takes a bit of time to set up. So last weekend I decided to take the platform out such that the boards and beds, sleeping bags and pillows can be left up there ready. All I have to do is slide the whole thing back around 6" to allow the front tent supports to go down flat. It was easy to take the platform out, and of course can be put back in easily, so it's not a permanent thing.

Remove the grab washer and pin...



Take out the gas strut bolts (sorry about the pic quality)



Unclip the light plug (sorry about the pic quality again )



The result is suprisingly a lot more room to get up and down, less hassle on set up and a nice little shelf area!

[dvisor]

A few weeks ago, I had a PM from new forum member Mrs Muffinhead. She was asking about how we'd made the Bongo more usable for a family of four, considering the potential difficulties the roof hatch can cause with communication and checking on kids whilst sleeping etc.

You know, I thought I was the only one having a problem communicating with the kids. What with the platform, 2" mattress, and sleeping bags, we couldn't hear the kids, and they couldn't hear us. It's a real problem, especially when our 6 year old has a nightmare, and can't get to the access hatch because her 11 year old brother is dead to the world. We've taken to using walkie talkies!

[northerntaff]

A few weeks ago, I had a PM from new forum member Mrs Muffinhead. She was asking about how we'd made the Bongo more usable for a family of four, considering the potential difficulties the roof hatch can cause with communication and checking on kids whilst sleeping etc.

You know, I thought I was the only one having a problem communicating with the kids. What with the platform, 2" mattress, and sleeping bags, we couldn't hear the kids, and they couldn't hear us. It's a real problem, especially when our 6 year old has a nightmare, and can't get to the access hatch because her 11 year old brother is dead to the world. We've taken to using walkie talkies!

Walkie Talkies...now why didn't I think of that !!

This set up also lets some warmer air from the oil filled rad to get up there, and even when they're both fast asleep we can still stand up and have a look up there. (Mrs NT has to do this at least once every night !!)

[mikeonb4c]

Very neat work there

I'm still trying to understand it all. Does it mean you now have a (removable) plywood ceiling in the Bongo? A clever arrangement whichever way you cut it. It seems to me it could be modified to give a completely new way to get in and out of the Bongo roofspace (for example if there was a foldable piano hinged section at the foot end of the bed then you could have a full length bedbase but one person could get out at night at the bottom end of the bed (headroom permitting) without disturbing the other as much as would be the case with the standard hatch

[northerntaff]

Thanks Mike...and yes you're right. In effect the whole of the ceiling can be taken out in seconds and is in no way permanent.

As our set up has been designed for the kids we've left a gap, but that's a brilliant idea to add a hinged piece at the end for access and full length, adult use. Although I don't like taking all the original features out of the bongo, I have to say the removal of the platform/ceiling really has made a huge difference to the space when the roof's up. I think the angle of the roof would allow a hinged section to come up, and of course you could do it a couple of different ways.

The downside is that when all the abords are in place, you can't of course get the benefit of the sunroof in the back, but I'm willing to compromise on that to have more things ready and set up on arrival at a camp. All that said though, the boards can be stacked in two's and shuffled around to allow the sunroof to let light through into the back.

[mrs_muffinhead]

Brilliant, thank you so much!

Our little man is only 14 months so no way he'd be able to get up there and sort out the standard mattress himself!

My husband boarded our loft last weekend and I've deemed his work to be of suitable quality so now I'll let him loose on the bedboards - Wicks at the Weekend I think!!!

Don't think he'll be able to get it done before bank holiday Monday though so think I'll send hubbie up in the roof for the time being and I'll sleep downstairs with my son.

(I'm talking as if I already have the Bongo....we actually haven't bought it yet but are going to look at one of Friday which we hope to drive home in...keep your fingers crossed that by the weekend we will be happy Bongo owners)!!!

[francofontain]

Where did you get the stickey rubber thingies?

[mikeonb4c]

[quote="northerntaff"]The downside is that when all the abords are in place, you can't of course get the benefit of the sunroof in the back,[quote]

My lot usually want it closed anyway but I reckon the idea could be accommodated with your design and my suggested mod by simply storing the hinged section folded back, in a position where the sunroof area was in view (or in your case just storing so the gap was under the sunroof). There'd need to be some way of restraining the sections from sliding forward under braking or backwards under acceleration, but spacer pieces could take care of that.

[northerntaff]

Where did you get the stickey rubber thingies?

They're from Hyper Value...don't know if you have one of these near you, but in essence they're your cheapy shop. They are in a pack of different sizes and shapes but all of course do the job regardless Sure you'll find some at somewhere like Wilkinsons etc

[dvisor]

Where did you get the stickey rubber thingies?

They're from Hyper Value...don't know if you have one of these near you, but in essence they're your cheapy shop. They are in a pack of different sizes and shapes but all of course do the job regardless Sure you'll find some at somewhere like Wilkinsons etc

I guess you could just glue a strip of non-slip matting on the underside at both ends of the ply. That way the grip stays with the ply wherever you manoeuvre them. Should also help stop them moving too much when stacked.

[Jolly Rogers]

This looks really good

http://www.clearcutconversions.co.uk/co ... ation.html

[northerntaff]

Yeah not bad and a good spot JR...not as good as mine though

[dvisor]

So what stops the kids falling through the gap then? (Mine squirm around in bed and I can guarantee that one of them would end up on the floor). We used to camp in a hi-top and had ply bed boards with an opening at one end. I woke one night to see my daughters leg hanging over the edge. I ended up stretching a cargo net across the opening on hooks, which did the trick nicely, and still easy to remove in case of an emergency.

[northerntaff]

So what stops the kids falling through the gap then? (Mine squirm around in bed and I can guarantee that one of them would end up on the floor). We used to camp in a hi-top and had ply bed boards with an opening at one end. I woke one night to see my daughters leg hanging over the edge. I ended up stretching a cargo net across the opening on hooks, which did the trick nicely, and still easy to remove in case of an emergency.

Well the gap isn't massive, but of course they could fall out on our 'eads. They have been fine everytime we've used them. Worse we've had is sleeping bag falling on us after the little'un wriggled right out of it.

I guess some are wrigglier than others?

[francofontain]

Where did you get the stickey rubber thingies?

They're from Hyper Value...don't know if you have one of these near you, but in essence they're your cheapy shop. They are in a pack of different sizes and shapes but all of course do the job regardless Sure you'll find some at somewhere like Wilkinsons etc

Haven't seen a hypervalue 'value' since I left Wales!Best get Mam onto it