Beach Poll: how many 4 seaters vs 5 Seaters

[2into1]

Almost all the used Beaches for sale seem to have the 3 seater rear bench (that's when the daft VW dealers remember to tell you or include a photo......). I wondered what the ratio was here between the two choices.

Please only vote if you own a Beach or have one on order. Forget extra (middle row) seats.

 

[2into1]

So far 60% of Beaches are 5 seaters, 40% are 4 seaters. That's closer than I thought!
(And encouraging because I may buy a 4 seater and put a kitchen/ wardrobe in it!)

 

[Dave bee]

T4WFA,
Maxxcamp or something else? One thing about this is you still have great flexibility.

 

[2into1]

T4WFA,
Maxxcamp or something else? One thing about this is you still have great flexibility.

A tricky one! It would probably come down to cost and availability at the time, as I'd need the full set-up (sink fridge, cupboards and wardrobe. I'm not sure how often I'd remove such a big Maxxcamp set-up, but knowing it can easily be done is a plus.
The Cali SE/Ocean side layout seems to be one of the better designs if handled gently. However, the Maxxcamp stuff looks great and I love the simplicity and design. You just have to look at the complexity / overengineering of the hinges on the SE's rear wardrobe to see what I mean. I like to feel as if I could fix stuff in a field with a screwdriver if necessary.

Part of my logic in asking, is wondering if any UK suppliers will offer a package of units (either imported or built themselves). Obviously all current offerings in the UK are for vans with the door on the other side.

 

[Sp0_0k]

And I am actually starting to like the 2seater board. Can pick way more stuff and organize it well. (2 levels of boxes on top)
Had an initial plan to install a classic high multiflex but after a season of trevels left the one I have, just modified the board, made a bit shorter one from a plywood.

 

[MattBW]

You do see the boxes for sale on ebay all the time and if the seat and multiflex was cheaper I might get one of each

 

[2into1]

It is still 60% for the 3 seater bench, 40% for the 2 seater. Based on those coming up for sale, I expected it to be at least 80 / 20 in favour of the 3 seaters.

 

[MattBW]

I'll be ordering a slidepod for my 3 seat beach in the new year, after tryng one out a couple of times I'm converted.

 

[hirsty]

I went for an instantly available pre-reg'd delivery miler demo so my hand was forced for a 4-seater, rather than a three. Would probably have gone 5-seater if I'd been ordering from scratch, but the underseat tray is fantastic and the side box itself is very useful.

Wasn't really all that fussed & there are pros & cons for both, I can see that I might add some removable furniture at some time. Only disadvantage is the lack of that last seat in case the kids want to bring a friend, but that's a very rare one for me & I could always buy a middle row I guess.

I do like the extra airiness (sp?) and there feels like a lot of space & light back there.

 

[Romke]

I went for an instantly available pre-reg'd delivery miler demo so my hand was forced for a 4-seater, rather than a three. Would probably have gone 5-seater if I'd been ordering from scratch, but the underseat tray is fantastic and the side box itself is very useful.

If you lived in France I'd happily swap my 5-seat interior for your 4-seat furniture!

 

[2into1]

If you lived in France I'd happily swap my 5-seat interior for your 4-seat furniture!

For the future usefulness of this thread, does anyone know if it is a straight swap to achieve this? ie are the seat rails etc in the correct position?

 

[Sp0_0k]

I am pretty sure the rails are the same.

 

[Theaps]

We wanted to be able to stretch out and use it like a settee. Couldn't cope with a 2 seater in the back? Especially when you've got 2 kids. Why would anyone want to cook inside and have all that cooking mess and smell in the van? Put your coat on and cook outside?

 

[owen_h]

For the future usefulness of this thread, does anyone know if it is a straight swap to achieve this? ie are the seat rails etc in the correct position?

I seem to recall this was done by a previous member on the forum (James). It was in the early days of the Beach. ~ 4 years ago.

 

[RoB5urf]

We wanted to be able to stretch out and use it like a settee. Couldn't cope with a 2 seater in the back? Especially when you've got 2 kids. Why would anyone want to cook inside and have all that cooking mess and smell in the van? Put your coat on and cook outside?

View attachment 17914

We travel 3-up and sometimes have a requirement to store windsurf gear so it had to be a 2-seat bench for us. If the 3-seat bench offered independently reclining backrests we might have gone down that route.

I have to say the 3-seat bench does look a lot more comfy for travelling than the 2-seat. In our short test drive my wife commented how flat the 2-seat bench was. I guess the upside is its more comfy for sleeping on.