Does someone have a photo of the dinette in the extended position which allows seating for four? And can you really seat four average-sized Americans there? ::) Oh, and how difficult is it to slide out?
Looking at ours I would say yes, average sized, but there isn't going to be a bunch of elbow room.
Jon
Yes, you can really seat four average size Americans once it is pulled out. I have the 30/31 ft TB with the pull out dinette and you can seat four in our arrangement. The Mid-bath dinette is as big, if not bigger. I don't have a picture because I am not at home but others will surely chime in.
Gary
If you mean by "average sized American" men that are 5' 9" tall and weigh 200 pounds I would say that it is possible to sit at the dinette with four people but it's not comfortable for an extended period of time (like having an extended dinner with friends; it might feel better after the second bottle of wine). If you mean women that are 5' 4" tall and weigh 170 pounds it's better but still not very good.
Pulling the short bench out is very easy.
I took the numbers from this article: Are you heavier or shorter than the average American? - CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/20/health/us-average-height-weight-report/index.html)
Yes, you can fit four adults there. Once on a camping trip I had eleven people in my MB (just for a few hours). Six kids in the back talking and watching movies. Five adults up front chatting, four of them were comfortably sitting at the dinette. I was standing heating water for tea and cooking brownies. We were on a camping trip with our homeschooling group and that day was particularly rainy and cold, so I invited a couple of families into my RV. We took a few hours to warm everyone up and enjoy a snack. While I wouldn’t recommend having that many people in your RV often, I will say that we all fit with room to spare. And everybody was comfortable. Oh, and I also had my 70lb Golden Retriever in there as well.
I don’t have a photo readily available, but can search for one. The seat is very easy to slide out, there is a latch at the floor that you need to pull up, then just slide it out and put in the cushions. I have my kids set it up.
- Rebecca
Rebecca, I'm trying to imagine that many people in an MB, lol! Hopefully I'm not violating any copyright laws but I found this photo of Andy's TK (Gertie) to get a sense of what it must be like.
Greg, In my opinion, the problem is not so much in the length of the table as it is the width. We could hardly fit full size dishes across from each other with very little room for serving plates. They make it this narrow so that it can be made into a bed. My solution was to make a top for the table out of pergo type boards. It ended up about 7 inches wider and 3.5 inches longer than the stock table and just sat on top with non-slip sheets between it and the table to keep it in place. It could be removed if and when we ever needed to use that area as a bed, but we never did. With it on top, we sat 4 at it several times with room for eating and serving plates.
Rich - former 2000 MB - Birch Bay, WA
Greg, you're not that far from Montclair, and I think the factory has an MB on the "show room" floor; you might call and check before making the trip. Seeing the current MB, sitting on the couches, dinette (and toilet!), standing, moving around, reaching and peering into cupboards, checking out compartments, speculating where your "stuff" will go, looking at color choices, and just generally spending a couple hours "pretend living" in every part of the rig will provide a much more clear and detailed picture of how that model might work for you.
The one-dimensional floor plan layout and other MB owners' reports and comments can certainly provide guidance, but, IMO, there's no substitute for seeing the real thing!
As always, YMMV.
Ha ha - that’s funny!
Honestly, I was a bit concerned inviting that many people into my rig. But luckily it was way more comfortable than I had thought it would be. All of the kids easily fit into the back, I have a table there so they all had a place for their food. My kids were the youngest and at the time probably only equaled 100lbs combined, and the other kids were all tall, but fairly thin. The adults were taller than average adult size and fit in the dinette comfortably.
There were a few things that I think helped with having that many people in there. First off, I took all of the wet shoes, boots and coats and put them in the bathroom. And while I didn’t think of it ahead of time, it was great because it meant that anyone needing to use the bathroom had to leave and use the campground bathroom...not mine. Also, it being a mid-bath meant that I had the door to close in between the two groups, which definitely helped with sound.
Overall my LD helped me be the hero of that camping trip because I had a heated space for people to warm up....and the ability to cook up fresh brownies was just perfect! It was that trip that solidified my choice in the MB as the best one for me.
I agree with Joan 100%! It was my trip to the factory that sold me on the MB. I actually spent a few hours talking with Steve sitting in the back of a MB. It was comfortable and while I was sitting there talking about the type of travel we would do, the current plans, plus the plans for the future, I could look around and imagine what each stage would look like.
The benches are 39" long; the table is a little shorter.
I took some pictures. The white cushions are from my (rather small) dining table chairs; they are at the front 16" wide. The green mats are standard size table mats - as you can see they are together as long as the table is and you could not fit four of them onto the table.
I hope that helps a little to get an impression.
Klaus
Greg, you're not that far from Montclair, and I think the factory has an MB on the "show room" floor; you might call and check before making the trip. Seeing the current MB, sitting on the couches, dinette (and toilet!), standing, moving around, reaching and peering into cupboards, checking out compartments, speculating where your "stuff" will go, looking at color choices, and just generally spending a couple hours "pretend living" in every part of the rig will provide a much more clear and detailed picture of how that model might work for you.
The one-dimensional floor plan layout and other MB owners' reports and comments can certainly provide guidance, but, IMO, there's no substitute for seeing the real thing!
As always, YMMV.
An excellent suggestion, Joan!
Very helpful, thanks Klaus! So I'm seeing the extended part is next to the bulkhead. I was wondering how it was accomplished! Your photos confirm what Rich G. was saying.
Greg, In my opinion, the problem is not so much in the length of the table as it is the width. We could hardly fit full size dishes across from each other with very little room for serving plates. They make it this narrow so that it can be made into a bed. My solution was to make a top for the table out of pergo type boards. It ended up about 7 inches wider and 3.5 inches longer than the stock table and just sat on top with non-slip sheets between it and the table to keep it in place. It could be removed if and when we ever needed to use that area as a bed, but we never did. With it on top, we sat 4 at it several times with room for eating and serving plates.
A clever solution, Rich! I see what you are talking about in Klaus's photos. Thanks!
Greg, If you're interested, there are pics of my solution at An Error Has Occurred (http://www.lazydazeowners.com/index.php?action=media;sa=album;in=265)
It really did make eating for 4 much more comfortable. One might worry about a big guy sitting on the benches, but at 6'3' and 230 I didn't have a problem. Note the way I did the end under the window. Nice for drinks and salt and pepper too.
Rich
Nice job, Rich, thanks for sharing! The extra 7 inches you added really makes a difference. As a big guy, you were able to get in and out of the dinette pretty easily, huh? And did the non-slip material allow you to keep it installed while motoring?
Just my opinion. Two at the front dinette: good, three: OK, four: pretty tight. Another reason to have the optional rear table, to make the most of the rear dinette. Six people good, eight possible with bolsters somewhere else. Pull pin hinges would make the narrow table potentially storable in the closet. Another option is an easy fold up, as is done with the TK. The factory would be able to provide additional support for the hinge side of the rear dinette table. RonB
Good idea about the rear table, Ron. I had one in my TK and remember it was pretty generous. Is a rear table in the MB not standard?
“Good idea about the rear table, Ron. I had one in my TK and remember it was pretty generous. Is a rear table in the MB not standard?”
Greg the rear lounge table is a option. Mine doesn’t have it. So I improvised and made one. I bought a oak table off Craigslist. Than cut it down to the size I wanted. Made the top removable and made the base fold for storage. Fits on the overhead bunk.
“Good idea about the rear table, Ron. I had one in my TK and remember it was pretty generous. Is a rear table in the MB not standard?”
Greg the rear lounge table is a option. Mine doesn’t have it. So I improvised and made one. I bought a oak table off Craigslist. Than cut it down to the size I wanted. Made the top removable and made the base fold for storage. Fits on the overhead bunk.
Lynn, I see the table as an option on the 2015 option sheet that I posted on another thread but am not seeing it on the LD website for 2019. Wondering if it's one of those secret options?
FWIW, three years ago, my cousin's daughter and her two kids, one 14 and one 10, none of us midgets, stayed with me in my MB for 18 days. It was snug, but we were fine.
Ken F in OR
Greg, I believe the rear table is now a “secret option” on the MB. Tod mentioned it to me, unfortunately after the date where putting in the necessary blocking and wiring for the legally mandated adjacent power outlet had passed. I didn’t ask the price because that ship had sailed but he did say it can be done and we’re I to do it over again I would order it.
Warren
Beer belly and all, my 230 lbs had no problem. There is so much room between the regular benches and the table that you need long arms just to reach your food. But the real advantage is being able to put stuff on the table. Sure, no problem with 2, but when you try 4 you can easily see why I made my mod. By the way, it is one of the few mods I ever made to my 2000 MB. TV changeout was one of the others...it is a fine layout as it comes from the factory.
Rich
Greg, I believe the rear table is now a “secret option” on the MB. Tod mentioned it to me, unfortunately after the date where putting in the necessary blocking and wiring for the legally mandated adjacent power outlet had passed. I didn’t ask the price because that ship had sailed but he did say it can be done and we’re I to do it over again I would order it.
Warren
Thanks, Warren! I'm coming up with a list of questions for when I visit the Mothership and the rear lounge table will be one of them. It's an option one may not need all the time but would be nice to have when entertaining.
I forgot to mention, it never was a problem traveling. I remember some really bad roads, but we put on almost 100K miles on that rig and never did it move more than an inch or two. One other thing, if I had to do it over again, I would not order any post mounted table for the back (which we did), but I would love to have ordered a flip down table for the back that has been talked about. Hopefully it is still available. A table back there is great, but the post mounted one just doesn't do it IMHO.
Rich
Hi Greg; The TK table in my '99 is 34" wide, so fold up only. The add on leaf is two feet wide so it will fit in the closet. That earlier picture was of a 2001 MB and the table was only 24" wide so it would fit in the closet if you didn't want it deployed. I think that was the factory option, but there wasn't blocking in the back wall, so maybe added after the build. It had screw on legs that were from a previous owner, I think. I put hinges on it and attached it along with a fold up leg. I would have preferred the 34" wide version like on my TK. The people I fixed this 2001 up for, wanted to be able to remove the table completely at times. I believe they put on removable pin hinges, to put that narrow table back in the closet. I would check with Steve Newton to get the specifics of what table can be ordered. You would think that a standard TK type would be easiest.
I agree with Rich that the post mounted tables are a non starter. Good quality hinges, wide, fold down leg. ( I put 6" of foam insulation on that fold down post leg, to protect my toes.) Didn't know that they come with a power plug. I would put one in the back wall on each side, just under the edge of the table. Both 12vdc and 110VAC would be convenient. For lounging and sleeping. (C-pap and phone charging, etc.) RonB
Thanks for your input, Ron. I agree with you and Rich on the post mounts. I’ve spent some time recently on the Escape forum and there are a couple popular ways folks are replacing post mounts on their trailers, this being one of them. Wondering if this mounting system would work on the rear lounge area of a LD? Might require supplemental rear bulkhead reinforcement:
RV Table Mount System | Lagun USA (https://www.lagunusa.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI44uUho6H4gIVuyCtBh1gqA1EEAAYASAAEgIX6vD_BwE)
Hi Greg. Well in a boat, it can be constantly moving, due to wave action. So you might want some after market solution. I don't recall ever seeing a post mount for a rear table in a Lazy Daze. I guess there are some. My TK fold up table is very stable with just the rear hinges and single folding table leg. For the 2001 MB, I put in a lot of screws to spread the load on the back wall. I ran out of time, but it would have been easy to insert sufficient bracing inside the wall. Not as easy if it were done at the factory of course. As is, it also was very stable, with just the single folding table leg. RonB
Greg we took the table and arm system from our VW Vanagon(or as we call it "the Wandergon") and mounted it in our 84 itaska for trips since we had removed the dinette for a couch setup which made the itaska way more roomy. We liked the size of the VW table and it could swivel forward and fit in between the two front seats that also swivel. We could have mounted a larger table top on that arm which was strong enough. I have thought of coming up with a similar setup for the lounge in our 98 ~ MB but if we have that many people we eat outside which we prefer.
Karen~Liam
98 ~ MB
NinA
(https://www.lazydazeowners.com/MGalleryItem.php?id=4148)