Shower door support while traveling

[Hurshel Haley]

We have a 2001 Marquis and have seen suggestions to hold shower door open while traveling but could not find thread. I have rebuilt shower door assy., and do not want to do it again..Thanks

[Gerald Farris]

Hurshel,
I always travel with the shower door open now. I had the top tube connectors break on my 2000 Marquis twice before a fellow BAC member who drives a Newell now showed me the shower door retainer that Newell uses with the identical shower. It is a clear acrylic retainer that pivots over the top rail to hold the door in place. It can be purchased from Newell parts, or I can show you mine at the next rally that I see you at.

Gerald

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Gerald,
Will Newell know what I'm referring to if I ask for a shower door retainer?
Steve

[Edward Buker]

Hurshel,

I made a clamp out of a marine Starboard material that goes around the bar. I always travel with the door open also, after rebuilding my shower.

I had a strap sewn that is a proper length to go around one of the rollers and maintain a little tension on the roller when snapped. This was my second idea at a method of latching the door open.  In thousands of miles of travel now the strap has never come off so I consider it well tested and safe. The strap end has a male snap fitting that screws into the aluminum shower frame. I used a right angle drill to do that. The other end of the strap has a female snap on it. These are standard stainless marine canvas snap fittings. After the strap was installed I find that the clamp is redundant and not really needed. I push on the door while in the open position, work the strap over the roller which has a recess, then release the door and there is now tension on the strap. I do not unsnap the fitting at all. Very simple arrangement....

 My strap is made out of sewn Sunbrella material and the only install issue is to drill the snap fitting hole in the right position on the aluminum frame to allow for some tension on the strap when it is wrapped around the roller. With the door riding in this open position there are no longer any wear points in the used portion of the plastic roller runner, that is installed on the top of the shower bar/frame, like there was with the door riding in the closed position. Well worth the effort for this change.

I also spoke with Newell and was going to order their acrylic "clothspin" for lack of a better term. It worked by pinching the two glass panels together and I was not sure of that arrangement. Gerald has tested that now, I would certainly trust his judgment, so there are several options to secure the door in the open position. Parking the door in the open position, supported by the existing glass panel and frame, is certainly a far better option for this assembly then riding on the unsupported bar.

Later Ed

[Gerald Farris]

Steve,
Since your 2000 Marquis has a tub instead of the standard Cesana shower, the retainer will not fit your coach nor is it needed.

Gerald  

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Ahh, now I don't feel quite as dumb! I was trying to figure out what kind of a problem you guys were talking about as my door looks pretty stout.
Thx! Steve

[Hurshel Haley]

Thanks for the replys on shower door issue.. Gerald, Steve etc. Hope to be some help some day.. Hurshel

[Richard Cooper]

Gerald -- I am interested in buying a retainer for my shower.  Someone else here suggested putting 3 of the spring loaded refrigerator bars in the open space when the door is full open.  Thus, holding the door open.  Amazon sells them.  My opening is 16-1/2 in approx.   They come in a package of 3 at Amazon for less than $10.

Hurshel,
I always travel with the shower door open now. I had the top tube connectors break on my 2000 Marquis twice before a fellow BAC member who drives a Newell now showed me the shower door retainer that Newell uses with the identical shower. It is a clear acrylic retainer that pivots over the top rail to hold the door in place. It can be purchased from Newell parts, or I can show you mine at the next rally that I see you at.

Gerald

[Gerald Farris]

Richard,
I do not know how the refrigerator bars will work. They may work fine, but I can not say since I do not know of anyone who uses them as a shower door retainer. If they work OK, they will be cheaper than the Newell retainer that I use. There is also the option of using a retainer like the one that Ed made. It looks like a very good system. The one thing that you do not want to do is break the glass in the door, because it cost well over $1,000.

Gerald  

[Richard Cooper]

Seems to me that if any of us ever want to get out of motorhoming we could take our Beaver Marquis and dismantle it ---- sell the individual parts on Ebay and make more money than the darn thing is worth as a whole.  I was told that to replace my electric Roman shades would cost upward of $1,500 per window.  Gee -- wonder what I could sell my jacknife sofa for?  

[John Hennessey]

We travel with ours shut by hooking a large wire loop on one of the rollers on the top so the door can't move but it the roller broke off we would have a problem.  So far after 42000 miles no problem.    Linda Hennessey

[Gerald Farris]

Linda,
We traveled with the door shut using the same retainer that you have for years in our 2000 Marquis, but in 2008 we hit a pothole in Louisiana and the support tube above the door broke off, letting the door fall to the shower floor. In 2010 it broke again. Now I always travel with the door open.

Gerald  

[Mitch Dashiell]

I use one of of the spring loaded refrig. bars to hold the door open while traveling.  It works fine.  Our door rollers broke on a trip to Sacramento while driving on a very rough interstate.  The door was in the closed position.  I got replacements in Oregon and as I recall, they were several hundred dollars for the hardware and I replaced them myself.  I think they were make in Italy.  We have a 1998 Marquis.

[LarryNCarolynShirk]

Linda,

We always traveled with the door closed, until we hit a pot hole which broke the connectors to the bar across the top of the opening.  The door ended up on the floor, but did not break.  I screwed a 6 inch loop of plastic into the top rail.  With the door OPEN, the loop goes over the roller and prevents the door from closing.  That keeps the weight of the door over the support and the stationary glass, instead of the opening.  That was 8 years ago, and no more broken shower parts.  That was the best 20 cent fix I made.

Larry

[Jill Stevens]

I'm confused. We have the 2001 Beaver Patriot and our shower has a curved glass door that swings out to open, on a hinge or pin, I thought.... Just today the "latch" a black plastic clip-like piece at the bottom of the handle broke. I duct-taped the door closed (with wax paper under the tape on the brass portion, figuring I can get the goo off the glass later).  I can't tell from the picture above if this door you are talking about is like mine? Or is yours a sliding variety?? The shower itself is in a corner and made of the corian material like my sink in kitchen.  (Love how easy it is to clean!).  If I tried to prop my door open when traveling it would block the bedroom door and get hit by the water closet door.  Just curious.  RV is at freightliner right now so can't go out and snap a photo of mine.