DRE's New FWC Project
- Thread starter elmo_4_vt
- Start date
Bombsight
Observer
Looks like a quality rig.
I have a '16 Hawk ordered (not a flat bed mount) for a 2016 GMC 3500HD Sierra Denali.
Do all Hawks have under bed storage?
Cabinet construction? I've read some negativity about the drawers.
LED Light output?
Anything you'd do or have done differently?
Thanks ....& happy camping!
I have a '16 Hawk ordered (not a flat bed mount) for a 2016 GMC 3500HD Sierra Denali.
Do all Hawks have under bed storage?
Cabinet construction? I've read some negativity about the drawers.
LED Light output?
Anything you'd do or have done differently?
Thanks ....& happy camping!
I believe only the flatbed models have the under bed storage. (Which is VERY nice. So nice to not be living out of duffel bags!)
Yes, the drawers suck. No slides, etc. (I am a semi-pro cabinet maker and re-do every Hawk I buy.)
FWC's standard LED's are very "industrial" on their light output.
I love FWC quality. Not so wild about their lack of options and zero-refusal to consider any custom options.
What should you do differently? Pull the bed off your new GMC, put a custom aluminum flatbed on it with under boxes and change your order to a Hawk Flatbed model.
Trust me, you will thank me later. I went your route in 2012, then after three years did exactly what I suggest in the sentence above in 2015 with my 2012 Ram 2500. Just trying to save you the extra step and expense.
Yes, the drawers suck. No slides, etc. (I am a semi-pro cabinet maker and re-do every Hawk I buy.)
FWC's standard LED's are very "industrial" on their light output.
I love FWC quality. Not so wild about their lack of options and zero-refusal to consider any custom options.
What should you do differently? Pull the bed off your new GMC, put a custom aluminum flatbed on it with under boxes and change your order to a Hawk Flatbed model.
Trust me, you will thank me later. I went your route in 2012, then after three years did exactly what I suggest in the sentence above in 2015 with my 2012 Ram 2500. Just trying to save you the extra step and expense.
Frankly, up to now I just live with their bad drawers. We are supposed to be roughing it, you know. However, one the loooong, deep cabinets I do install deep, full-length extension sliding trays. makes a world of difference. I'll look for photos of my previous efforts. (Just getting ready to tear into my new Flatbed Hawk.)
Maybe I'll do a photo shoot of the progression... nah, that probably won't happen!
BTW, IF you are going to be taking it on and off I doubt you want the FB version. (I can't imagine ever lining up all six holes, bolts and 4" x 6" 1/4" aluminum plate washers on mine!)
And hey, we really liked our slide-in Hawk till the FB came along. Oh, and I would definitely get the front dinette model. I (laboriously) converted over my rollover bed model to a side dinette and it was much better. But IMHO the front dinette is the way to go for most people.
Steve
Bombsight
Observer
I held out for a bit, asking for an AC/shower/porta-potti option along with the front dinette model ... but eventually had to fold. Nobody could say if or when it will ever happen.
I really wanted the front dinette shower option along with AC. Instead, side dinette with AC is what I had to go with. Necessity is the mother of indoor shower invention.
Mat Mobile
Adventurer
DRE, I really like your project! We're still saving up for a similar project (Toyota Tacoma based) while we're still gathering information. I especially like your flat bed.
I also wanted to ask you one favor: how does the indoor shower work? Any pictures (please keep it family friendly!)?
I haven't found any pictures on the FWC website.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I also wanted to ask you one favor: how does the indoor shower work? Any pictures (please keep it family friendly!)?
I haven't found any pictures on the FWC website.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
elmo_4_vt
Explorer
The inside and outside showers are identical, so I'll show the outside to keep from having to connect the drain hoses.
The outside shower is the white square top left:
The inside is right above the one cabinet:
The shower hose has a tabbed male fitting that "clicks" into the fixture, then the dial can be turned to mix the water. All the way to cold is off. As you turn counter-clockwise, the cold ramps up, then mixes in the hot, then the cold turns off w/ full hot:
The shower head also has a on/off valve, but mine leaks a little, so it will just be for use during a shower to save water:
The only other piece of the puzzle is that one the ceiling, there are a bunch of small white hooks for the shower curtain, and one larger hook for the shower head. The shower curtain then tucks down into the floor drain:
You can see the floor drain and the hooks here:
Don
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I actually did develop an inside shower for the slide in Hawk using a "shower pan" I had made out of PVC fabric which is the same stuff they made my whitewater raft out of. It was about 2' x 3' with sides about 18" high and filled up the area between the side dinette and the stove cabinets. I held it up with velcro. I installed hooks in the ceiling where the aluminum tubing is and ran shock cord there that held up shower curtains that fit down inside the shower pan. Finally, I installed the Whale unit that has the hose with the faucet that converts into a shower unit and just pulled it up and hooked it into the ceiling. Result? An inside hot shower!
This is much more complicated writing it all out than it was setting it up. It all worked well except I found the Whale faucet was pretty fragile. If doing it again I would go with a different faucet. Now out new Hawk flatbed model has the same unit that Don does a very good job of explaining and photographing.
Steve
AF6GL
New member
Somewhere. But I hate and despise posting photos on here. However, just for you folks I'll try.
I AM really proud of the concept I came up with. It is VERY nice to shower inside instead of out in the high mountain camps we frequent. (Invariably a nice, brisk breeze would spring up just as Sioux lathered up outside! Lemme see if I have photos...
Mat Mobile
Adventurer
Thanks for the demo DRE!
What worries me is the proximity to the seating storage. Even moving the cushions aside, I'm guessing they open from the top so if there's water splashing, it would splash/drip into the storage.
Anyways, it would not prevent me from buying a FWC but it does have me scratching my head. Or maybe it's just a small OCD manifestation.
Well, I'm glad I got that off my chest. No need to see a shrink now.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What worries me is the proximity to the seating storage. Even moving the cushions aside, I'm guessing they open from the top so if there's water splashing, it would splash/drip into the storage.
Anyways, it would not prevent me from buying a FWC but it does have me scratching my head. Or maybe it's just a small OCD manifestation.
Well, I'm glad I got that off my chest. No need to see a shrink now.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I envy you your full-length underbed storage, Don! Also how is the gas tank filling? We had our filler hose in the same location and it was a nightmare getting fuel in. (I even built a plywood ramp to use at gas stations.) Evidently this is a common issue with flatbeds. So I finally took it back last week to the fabricators and they rerouted the hose and filler cap to the space between the camper and the cab and hung it off the jack bracket. In the process it raised the fuel inlet about 15".Notice that this is one of the first with the full length underbed storage. Very happy about that for, of course, the storage, but also the thermal break between the bed and the bottom of the camper. Hopefully I won't get as much condensation there that I've read about.
Don
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Steve
elmo_4_vt
Explorer
No need to head scratch... The shower curtain goes from the ceiling to the floor and gets tucked under the grating (I think anyway, I haven't actually unfolded it yet to 100% set it up). So it's very humble with space, there's not much chance of it splashing about.
Don
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