B190 Enthusiasts

Hi, Everyone.
My husband and I just bought a 1992 Airstream B190 last weekend. I am so excited! We both plan on retiring in May and using the B190 to travel and see all those places on our bucket list. I would like to ask for help with one thing. First, you should know that mine has a dinette instead of a sofa. I gather that this is very unusual. Our problem is where to sleep. The overhead bed will just not work for us due to my husband's bad knees. When I purchased this, I assumed that the dinette would make into a bed for two, but it is just too small. So, what do you suggest? Should we remove the dinette and try to put in some type of sofa sleeper, or could some type of extension be added to the dinette so that it would make into a bigger bed? Any ideas would be appreciated. I admit I bought this without fully thinking it through, but I really do like it. Thanks.

Can you post some pictures of the existing configuration? It would be much easier to offer suggestions knowing what you're working with. It may be easy enough to make the dinette convertible to a bed, and use the overhead bed as storage for whatever you end up building. Just my initial thoughts...

I don't think the dinette was an option from Airstream, but at least one or two people have modified theirs to have it.

The original configuration is a couch that folds down...but I gotta warn you, it's not huge. I don't think it'd be super comfortable for two people. If you look in the Gallery, someone posted pictures (a long time ago) of an extension they made to make that bed wider.

If the dinette does fold into a bed, maybe it can be extended/widened somehow.

Thanks. Yes, the dinette does make into a bed, but a small one. I think we've decided to try to extend it so that it will be wide enough for two.

oversixty wrote:Hi, Everyone.
My husband and I just bought a 1992 Airstream B190 last weekend. I am so excited! We both plan on retiring in May and using the B190 to travel and see all those places on our bucket list. I would like to ask for help with one thing. First, you should know that mine has a dinette instead of a sofa. I gather that this is very unusual. Our problem is where to sleep. The overhead bed will just not work for us due to my husband's bad knees. When I purchased this, I assumed that the dinette would make into a bed for two, but it is just too small. So, what do you suggest? Should we remove the dinette and try to put in some type of sofa sleeper, or could some type of extension be added to the dinette so that it would make into a bigger bed? Any ideas would be appreciated. I admit I bought this without fully thinking it through, but I really do like it. Thanks.

I have a '94, which I think has the same floorplan as the '92. I converted mine to a dinette, and you are welcome to the jacknife sofa/bed and support to go under if you are ever near Tucon, Az. The sofabed only folds out to 36 inches or so which is still very tight for two people.

I have also seen some plans on this forum to add extra supports via PVC pipe to widen the bed.

Another option could be to have a more usable ladder fashioned to ease the scramble into the top bunk? Good Luck!

Curious, I have been shopping for a little under a year now. I am a real estate appraiser so that's my mind set, always looking for market info/indicators. I am interested in what year your RV is, how you would rate the condition, any required repairs, where you are located and what you paid for it. I have tried to be diligent in posting any and all ads for units available here to share any market info available. Perhaps yours was not a "market" transaction. If you a reluctant to share this info I understand, no harm intended. Happy Trails. All The Best, Leigh.

Hi, Tucsonan.
Thanks for the info. I've got a question. Our generator is under the seat of our dinette. Would we have to move it in order to fit the jack knife sofa in?

The support for the sofa is slightly taller than the sheet metal box covering the generator. This will also give you a lot of storage under the sofa, from the generator all the way to the cabinet under the range. There was originally a large storage drawer there.

oversixty wrote:Hi, Tucsonan.
Thanks for the info. I've got a question. Our generator is under the seat of our dinette. Would we have to move it in order to fit the jack knife sofa in?

Yes, I believe your '92 floorplan is exactly the same as my '94. The sofa support box should fit around the generator box.

Tucsonan wrote:

oversixty wrote:Hi, Tucsonan.
Thanks for the info. I've got a question. Our generator is under the seat of our dinette. Would we have to move it in order to fit the jack knife sofa in?

Yes, I believe your '92 floorplan is exactly the same as my '94. The sofa support box should fit around the generator box.

Oops, I mean "NO", you should not have to alter it or move it. It should fit just fine.