Front Bunk on 13' Acorn

[mwinslow]

Howdy from Wyoming. We just picked up a 13' Acorn travel trailer. It has an interior much like the Scamp, with a dinette at the rear, heater/sink/burner in the middle, and a couch up front. The couch does not currently convert to bunk beds, but I want to make it so before Spring.

The bottom cushion of the couch is on a wooden backing, and the back cushion is not. I wonder if I can cannablize a bunk bed that someone may be convering out of a Scamp or Love Bug, or I should plan on building something on my own.

any ideas what I should look for? any input is appreciated.

[Donna D.]

Sounds like the cushions are reversed. The one with the board is actually the back cushion, so when you flip it up (it's hinged to a board fiberglassed under the window), it creates the top bunk. The top bunk is held up with two poles.

Be aware however, the top bunk is not really made for anyone over 100lbs. (I'd make that even less if I was the one sleeping on the bottom bunk!).

[mwinslow]

Thanks for that. I will have a chance to look the whole thing over m ore closely this morning (just picked it up yesterday). I did note that under the bottom cushion is a couple of spots in the fiberglass that have been filled with caulk. hopefully I will find a hinge mount under the window.

If I need to install a hinge, are there tricks to mounting them on a fiberglass interior, or is that just a bad idea?

My kids are 5 & 7, so hopefully we can get a few years out of using the bunk beds before we have to work out another arrangement.

[Roger H]

FWIW, your Acorn isn't similar to a Scamp, it IS a Scamp. Sometime in the late '70s Scamp had to endure a lawsuit from another company alleging trademark infringement. They had built trailers under the Scamp name for several years. They briefly changed the name to Acorn and built for the '79 model year. There may be a few '78 Acorns, I'm not sure. Anyway, as soon as the suit was resolved, they returned to production under the Scamp name.

All of the parts for your trailer are still available from the factory at Backus, MN.

Good luck!

Roger

[Donna D.]

Thanks for that. I will have a chance to look the whole thing over m ore closely this morning (just picked it up yesterday). I did note that under the bottom cushion is a couple of spots in the fiberglass that have been filled with caulk. hopefully I will find a hinge mount under the window.

If I need to install a hinge, are there tricks to mounting them on a fiberglass interior, or is that just a bad idea?

My kids are 5 & 7, so hopefully we can get a few years out of using the bunk beds before we have to work out another arrangement.

Humm if you don't easily see the board to mount the bunk hinges, it's either been removed? or never there in the first place? The one on my Scamp was about 3 inches wide and 2 feet long...right under the window. The hinges are specially made offset hinges that allow the top bunk to fold up even with the mounting board...and are available from Scamp.

However, if it were me (and it's not!), I'm build a semi-permanent bunk for the kid sleeping in the top bunk. Something you can take in an out of the trailer as needed (piano hinge folded in the middle?). When the standard bunks are set up, with the thickness of the cushions...that only leaves about 16-18 inches of clearance for the poor person on the bottom....talk about claustrophobia! By time you add a sleeping bag, there's barely enough room to turn over without wacking the top bunk....unless you've got very small kids (and they do grow).

I'm not trying to dissuade you, I know you bought the trailer so the entire family can go camping and make a bunch of fun memories. There are those that will tell you the bunks will be just fine...and maybe it will. But really look it over before you spend a bunch of time/money on something that's may not work for very long. Plot and plan

[mwinslow]

I do see the board now, someone had put vinyl trim around it to make it look like a window box/storage well. it will be easy to remove. I will look into hinges and mounting hardware.

fortunately, we have some freinds from church with a Scamp (The starts of a Cody, Wyoming Fiberglass Camper Club), so I will see if they have the bunks up front and get an idea if we want to restore to original or customize. Thanks.

[mwinslow]

FWIW, your Acorn isn't similar to a Scamp, it IS a Scamp. Sometime in the late '70s Scamp had to endure a lawsuit from another company alleging trademark infringement. They had built trailers under the Scamp name for several years. They briefly changed the name to Acorn and built for the '79 model year. There may be a few '78 Acorns, I'm not sure. Anyway, as soon as the suit was resolved, they returned to production under the Scamp name.

All of the parts for your trailer are still available from the factory at Backus, MN.

Good luck!

Roger

That's cool. Thaks for the info Roger. And I thought I was getting some short-lived knock-off.

[John Perry]

If I need to install a hinge, are there tricks to mounting them on a fiberglass interior, or is that just a bad idea?

My kids are 5 & 7, so hopefully we can get a few years out of using the bunk beds before we have to work out another arrangement.

I have all but gutted a Scamp that I just bought. I am attaaching some pics of the hinge and the post that hold up the bunk.
My grandkids spent the weekend and slept in the trailer. My 11 y.o. grandson slept on the top bunk and he weighs about 80 pounds.
The hinges allow the top bunk to rest onthe boardso the weight is not on the hinges.
Hope this helps,
John

[mwinslow]

Thank you John!!

that does help me to visualize the whole thing.

Matt