A couple of Mods to our Sportsmen Showstopper

I am also 6'3" and was looking to extend the end of the bed similar to what you did, I like your mod and will probably do the same thing! Thanks for the picture. We purchased the upgraded mattress with ours so I will use a 7" foam piece on the head end to "extend the mattress" the additional 7 inches. What are the legs you used?

We just put in a very similar TV mount last weekend, found a stud using a stud finder and used 1 1/2" screws to mount it so we didn't go into the fridge. Didn't really notice any kind of real backing there except for the stud I found.

Thanks for the parts description for the legs, that will work perfectly!
Good idea for the area under the lower bunk, I can see where the HW heater could be damaged by anything stored there. I am doing something similar under the master bed so we can keep the outside storage separated from the items placed under the bed.

This past spring I finally got around to implementing a couple of Mods I have been thinking about.
In a previous post, I described how I extended the bed frame to accommodate my height (the "short" RV mattress had my feet hanging out over the end of the bed). This Mod worked fine for an interim fix.

The lack of places to sit in the TT was one of the things my wife and I wanted to address. Sitting in the slide out dinette was OK for having a meal but was not conducive for watching TV (The TV is mounted on top of the pantry so one of us always had the TV behind us)

Another issue I had with the bed was the under bed storage. I don't know how others use this storage space but I found lifting the foot of the bed to access storage to be very inconvenient and difficult. The two gas springs KZ had installed did not even begin to hold the lid open.
I was able to correct both problems with one Mod.

I removed the portion of the bed platform at the foot of the bed. I then built a new platform that incorporated the previous bed extension and added two drawers in place of the open storage.



As part of the new bed platform, I incorporated a bench to sit on. To make this bench seat usable I built a hinged platform for the mattress that is held in the up position by 2 120lb gas springs. Now, when we want to watch TV, I lift the mattress to the up position and lift the bench backrest into place add a couple of cushions and we are good to go. When its time for bed we reverse the order.


These Mods added less than 70 lbs to the total weight of the trailer which in my case is acceptable due to what I have gained.
So far this has worked well for us.

larryo, could you put some kind of rubber strip or sleeve over the plywood edges? It looks like you could end up cutting yourself or cause an abrasion when moving around.

Maybe a Rubber U-channel?

One of the things I didn't like about our Sportsmen Showstopper was the U shaped dinette in the slide-out. For me, trying to seat four people in the dinette for a meal was inconvenient and uncomfortable. In addition, the table top was small (26" x 27").

Upon looking at the design of the dinette closer, I discovered that if I removed the seat cushion, the panel underneath (under the window) and the vertical partition between the two sides, I would then be able to install a larger table.
Fortunately, the floor covering, side wall covering and the panels for the two side benches extended under the old seat. Therefore, I decided would able to install a second table leg and a larger table top with minimal effort.
It turned out that the most difficult part was finding or making a table top that was the correct size. I needed a table top that was exactly 26" wide (so i would work when I wanted to convert the dinette into a bed), 3/4 " thick and approximately 42" - 45" deep.
Initially I did not find a table top that exactly fit my requirements, So I considered ordering a custom made top (very expensive), buy a table top that was oversize and modify it to my dimensions (also expensive and final quality questionable) or make a top myself.
I decide to do one final internet search and happened to come across a site that had a table top that was the correct size (26" x 43" x 3/4" thick) and the price was reasonable. I ordered a table, which included a table leg and upper/lower fittings (it turned out leg that came with the top was too short for my application so I had to buy a longer leg). Total cost of the conversion was less than $125.

I think it turned out great. The only thing I lost was the small amount of storage that was under the seat by the window and I didn't use it anyway because it was so inaccessible.

That light kit looks pretty cool! Did you wire it to the fuse box or straight to the battery?

That dinette conversion is a great idea. I also have a showstopper and would like to do the dinette conversion but I can't seem to find a table top with those dimensions. Do you remember where you ordered yours from? This family of 4 I'd tired of that tiny table.

I didn't like the standard table so I built a new one for my 2018 191BH.

Lynnmor, I don't use any plans, I just get a thought and go into my shop.Then I start looking at what I have to build with and then start.To tell how I did it, well no I can't.The old one is just there for now until I decide what to do with it. I live in Pa. so if you want to buy it we can talk.my e-mail is in here. Subject it camper table so I don't trash the e-mail. E-mail is newyear58@gmail.com