Part 1
We’ve had our Montana for about 4 years now. One thing we always wanted was an outside shower on the passenger side of the camper. Although the camper has a shower on a blue coiled hose in the wet bay / convenience center, we really missed having a way to wash dishes (outside) from the front side of the camper. Our previous camper was an Outback travel trailer and had a flip down 2 burner stove and a small basin with hot and cold water. We used it all the time. Ever since we’ve purchased this Montana, we’ve missed that sink (mostly the water on that side).
I had tried to run a garden hose under the camper, attached to the blue coiled hose, but that just never worked very well. It took way to long for hot water, and then we couldn’t control the temperature without running to the other side of the camper all the time.
It took almost 4 years and studying this problem out and coming up with a solution. I think I’m very good at my carpentry skills, but sometimes it does take me a while before I have the “Ah-Ha!” moment and then the nerve to do it. I suppose all the stars were aligned this time. Since we are home for a couple weeks again before hitting another traveling gauntlet, the wife kind of pushed me into installing a shower.
So, a trip to my local RV dealership parts store, and with the help of the fellows there, I walked out with a little over $100 in parts. And a few hours later, the job was done!
Here’s the steps I went thorugh.
I started with the outside shower box and cut a cardboard template for the hole that would be cut in the side of the trailer.
I did a lot of measuring to determine exactly where the new shower would go. Thanks to one of those old photos I had of the camper when it was sweating and leaving ghost images of the aluminum frame, I knew there was no supporting frame under the kitchen window; on both sides of the window…. Yes, a stud runs from bottom to top, but not in the middle. Also, this spot is under the kitchen sink, if measured exactly centered with the window above it, it was a great location with easy water pipe access.
The next thing I did was cut a back for inside the camper. Even though the back of the shower box would be inside, under the sink, I didn’t want gaps where air would pass through. So, I used some thin plywood with my scroll saw and cut the backer. I then sanded it down, and painted it with a near color match. Inside the kitchen cabinet, it would look like it’s factory (hopefully).
The next step would be to cut the hole in the side of the camper. I will admit, this is the part that had the me most worried. There’s something very intimidating about make a gaping hole in a $70K (plus) trailer. But, it had to be done. And it actually went easier than I though. I bore a hole in the middle with a 1 and ˝ inch drill and then used my Sawzall to trim it out:
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