VW Beach question - 2 seat bench to 3 seat bench

[Campingrookie]

Hi, hope everyone’s doing well. Newbie here, excited to be on the forum after a while of lurking. I’ve written a ‘hello’ post in the introduction section but to cut the long story short, I’m currently looking for a second hand Beach to buy.

Which leads me to my question... I’ve seen a Beach listed for sale which ticks all of my requirements and is at a good price but one major thing isn’t right for me; it has a two seat bench and box set up rather than the three seat bench...

Q - Does anyone know how easy it is to replace a two seat bench with a three seat bench and if so where I can buy one from?

I did look to see if this has been asked before in the forum but couldn’t find anything. Apologies if it has been asked before and I’ve missed it!

Any help gratefully received!

 

[Perfectos]

Old thread

swapping two seater bench for three seater

just bought a nearly new cali beach. it came with the two seater bench but i have already realised that a three seater would be better. anyone know where i could buy one? or exchange my two seater for a three?

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[Perfectos]

Multiflex board in the two seat would need to be changed to accommodate a three seat

 

[Perfectos]

Thread below is the Reverse of what your talking about

Beach: 3 Seater to 2 Seater conversion

I've been following this amazing forum for some time... trying to specify my ideal Beach and honing my list of "Must haves", "Nice to haves" and "Can retrofit later". For me, my ideal spec would be for a 2 Seater Beach, but looking around at those currently for sale... they appear to be rarer...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

Enjoy the research

 

[Perfectos]

Tip, if you can’t find what your looking for in the search bar “in forum” go to google on search there, more often than not it will bring up more relevant results (on the forum) that would not have easily been found in the forum search without a lot of trawling

 

[Campingrookie]

That’s all really helpful thank you so much, really appreciate it!!!

The good news is that it looks possible to do so now I need find the time to drive the 130 miles and view the beach in question!!

 

[Gavinskii]

Hi Campingrookie and welcome, I may be able to assist you. I have a 3 seater beach with the folding multi board. I would consider swapping for the 2 seater bench, multiboard and storage box. If you would like to discuss the possibility give me a shout 07973515705 cheers Gavin

 

[MattBW]

3 seat beach are much more common, however as someone who camps I do after a few years think the 2 seat version would be better for camping for a few reasons. I dont have kids however.

I always think of the 3 seat as a MPV with sleeping facilities and the 2 seat as a light camper.

2 seat is lower bed so more head room when in bed configatuation., this does mean less storage under the back board though
2 seat has a storage box to hide things away
2 seat coolbox is a waste of time really and design only for use with engine running.
2 seat is better as a bed than the 3 seat
2 seat has better storage drawer more suited to camping than the 3 seat which has 3 small drawers (also good).

3 seat is more proper seating, has much bigger space under the multiflex (good for taller slidepod) so more hidden storage.

 

[kp64zl]

I've the 2 seat Beach and I'm super happy with it --- I use it as a "light camper" (as per @MattBW).

I've not done a direct comparison but the points in the above post are approximately the reasons I had for the 2-seat version. Also if I want I can add a Maxxcamp module along the side (once box taken out) but haven't felt any urge to do so yet.

I spent ages looking for a second hand one with the right spec --- in the end gave up and got a new one, so it's somewhat ironic that @Campingrookie has found a 2-seater with the right spec (other than the back seat)

 

[Fast Freddie]

Ok so we have the 3 seat bench version and it too has benefits just different ones to the 2 seat version.

• Bed is higher but has not caused problems - we do use a mattress topper as well which raises the height still further by 2-3 inches - with this it’s very comfortable and still not an issue
• We also have the 2 additional single seats, which we take out before camping, but does give us up to a seven seater when we need it - this has proved useful on many family occasions
• The higher multiplex does enable more stuff to be hidden out of sight when parked
• The seats in the back are very comfortable on long journeys being better shaped than the 2 seater bench for sitting

As others have said they are both superb vehicles, you just need to choose the one that suits you intended use for the majority of the time. We are very happy with ours too! Good luck.

 

[LemonDrop]

We had the same debate and went for the 2 seat bench for the reasons @MattBW gave above (there are 4 of us).

If you're sticking at 4 (I saw your other post!) I'd go 2 seat bench but if you're going up to 5, the 3 seater will probably work better otherwise you'll have to be carting an extra seat around all the time.

Welcome to the beach club (soon)

 

[BeagleMum]

We had the same debate and went for the 2 seat bench for the reasons @MattBW gave above (there are 4 of us).

If you're sticking at 4 (I saw your other post!) I'd go 2 seat bench but if you're going up to 5, the 3 seater will probably work better otherwise you'll have to be carting an extra seat around all the time.

Welcome to the beach club (soon)

+1 for the 2 seater
We also deliberated re the 2 or 3 seater, then decided the 2 would better meet our lifestyle. It was the right choice for us, really happy we went for the 2

 

[Campingrookie]

Thank you everyone for your responses, really appreciated! What a helpful, friendly community!

I’m viewing the beach with the two seat bench tomorrow. I do think for us a three seater would be ideal but no harm in looking!

 

[Borris]

Thank you everyone for your responses, really appreciated! What a helpful, friendly community!

I’m viewing the beach with the two seat bench tomorrow. I do think for us a three seater would be ideal but no harm in looking!

There are several more things to consider before you make your final choice:

1. As has already been mentioned, the three seater bench is higher and therefore leaves less headroom. However, that's only half the story. Because it is higher the Multiflex board is also higher. As all things in a van of this size end up being a compromise you have to consider the storage in both models as well as headroom. IMO the storage beneath the Multiflex in a three seat Beach is a much more practical space than in the two seater. We have a range of euro boxes and a Waeco Dometic CFX35 fridge/freezer on a pull out tray in our boot. We couldn't do that with the two seat Mutiflex. The fridge/freezer would be too high and it would limit the choice of Euro boxes as well. Yes you do get the storage box in the two seater and the under bench drawer but there's also three storage drawers under the three seat bench. Also the two seat Multiflex is rigid, inflexible and therefore less practical than the hinged and higher three seat version. It's not multi anything or flexible! The hinge on the three seater multiflex enables it to be shortened which inturn means you can move the bench further back giving greater leg room when needed.

2. The three seater bench is designed primarily to seat people . Whereas the two seater, which is the same unit as in the SE/Ocean, appears to have been designed mainly to provide a flat bed. This all means that if you decide to go for the three seat version, ensure that you opt for the VW Comfort mat which is designed to compensate for the undulations in the three seat bench thus providing a perfectly flat bed.

3. I don't know your personal circumstances, however, if you haven't already done so, it's worth considering whether they might change in the future. This is really important as the three seater version can become a six or seven seater whereas the two seat model can only become a five seater at best. So even if you rarely use those extra seats they do make the three seat version a very flexible and practical option.

What ever you decide, you are buying a truly fantastic vehicle.

Good luck.

 

[2into1]

I've not done a direct comparison but the points in the above post are approximately the reasons I had for the 2-seat version. Also if I want I can add a Maxxcamp module along the side (once box taken out) but haven't felt any urge to do so yet.

Yep but it’s not just a module you can fit near the front, you can do the full ‘side’ conversion from maxxcamp with wardrobes etc - if your circumstances change and you need a ‘full’ camper.
(Obviously it would require a change of circumstances.....no one ever has ever bought a beach and wish they’d bought an Ocean.......or the other way around )

 

[Gavinskii]

Hi Campingrookie and welcome, I may be able to assist you. I have a 3 seater beach with the folding multi board. I would consider swapping for the 2 seater bench, multiboard and storage box. If you would like to discuss the possibility give me a shout 07973515705 cheers Gavin

Pls note I’ve now sold my 3 seater Beach