Mainship 390 shower replacement

[Sigridian82]

Hi all, I have been looking for a Mainship 390 for cruising the PNW for some time now but have found them to be like hen's teeth here in Seattle (available on the E coast but none posted in the PNW). I have heard of one that may be available but the shower had been removed to repair some bulkhead damage, which has been completed, but the shower never replaced.
I will be having a mechanical inspection and survey done but wondering about the feasibility of replacing the shower or would it be a show stopper. Any Mainship 390 owners out there who have had to remove/replace the shower and have any advice. Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

[Shrew]

Unless they have the original fiberglass surround, you're going to have to custom build a shower. The boat has a natural list to Port, so doing so in tile might work out fine. I have several hundred lbs of ballast to Stbd to counter the list.

 

[Sigridian82]

Thank you Shrew! Interesting idea of a tile shower to provide some ballast to overcome the list to port.

 

[Comodave]

A good fiberglass worker can fabricate a new shower. Probably not cheap but it can be done. We had a tub converted in a previous boat due to the height of the tub side. My wife kept bruising het leg trying to climb over the side. They did a great job and then rolled and tipped it with Awlgrip.

 

[Mainshiptom]

Hi all, I have been looking for a Mainship 390 for cruising the PNW for some time now but have found them to be like hen's teeth here in Seattle (available on the E coast but none posted in the PNW). I have heard of one that may be available but the shower had been removed to repair some bulkhead damage, which has been completed, but the shower never replaced.
I will be having a mechanical inspection and survey done but wondering about the feasibility of replacing the shower or would it be a show stopper. Any Mainship 390 owners out there who have had to remove/replace the shower and have any advice. Thanks in advance for any insight.

Here in the UK we have a lot of high quality plastic bath room tiles/strips it would make a good new shower room?

 

[Mainshiptom]

watch out with tiles

Thank you Shrew! Interesting idea of a tile shower to provide some ballast to overcome the list to port.

Anything that is not flexible would crack when boat under stress like rough sea of lifting out?

 

[Sigridian82]

Thanks all - looks like I have a number of options. Comodave, how does the Awlgrip hold up in the shower environment?

Faversham, yes I am concerned about using material which could crack under stress.

 

[Comodave]

Thanks all - looks like I have a number of options. Comodave, how does the Awlgrip hold up in the shower environment?

Faversham, yes I am concerned about using material which could crack under stress.

It looked brand new when we sold the boat about 4 years later. No UV in the head. We always wiped down the shower each time we used it.

 

[Bacchus]

Build the enclosure out of pkywood... multi thus sheets if you need to bend to fit a curve. Maybe use a cover moulding to avoid the sharp corners. Then coat interior with glass & resin... A good Corvette body shop guy could make it shine if that's important???

 

[Cold Duck]

That is not a cheap undertaking, hope the price reflects the cost. Might try to get an estimate to incorporate in your final offer.

 

[Comodave]

If you are going to pay someone to do the work I would budget at least $3K, maybe more. If you DIY it then it will cost much less and just take up your time.

 

[Sigridian82]

Thanks all
- will update if i push forward

 

[psneeld]

Get the measurements then search RV sites to see if they have anything close.

They seem to be plastic now , but my last 2 RV showers were roomy and pretty nice.

I built a shower in my Albin 40 Trawler when I took the hideous, tiny bathtub out. Bought a near fit shower pan from an RV place called PPL Motor Homes (parts) for around $200 and the walls out of the pebbled, plastic/fiberglass panels at Home Depot.

Most people thought it looked great...I even replaced the small storage areas that went under the side deck with a larger sliding door cabinet for linens and shower supplies. The whole deal cost around $500 with plumbing and the panels from Home Depot were easy to work with as you can cut them with regular shears. Leave out the expensive poly doors and the rest of the storage area and it was a snap to make.

 

[Sigridian82]

Thanks for the ideas psneeld, -apologies for the delay
Still haven't had a chance to see the boat because the current owner has been ill. Hopefully will get to see her soon and decide whether to proceed after mechanical and hull surveys.

 

[a_braley]

Why did they have to remove the shower? If you purchased the boat what is your plan for repair.

 

[Sigridian82]

The shower was removed to repair the water damaged bulkhead between the shower and the helm station. The repair was completed but the shower pan and surround replair/replacement was not done.
Passed on the boat after viewing. Overall boat looked really "tired" all canvas and flybridge upholstery needed to be replaced and I thought it needed a lot more work than I was willing to get into.

 

[Harborseal]

Hi all, I have been looking for a Mainship 390 for cruising the PNW for some time now but have found them to be like hen's teeth here in Seattle (available on the E coast but none posted in the PNW). I have heard of one that may be available but the shower had been removed to repair some bulkhead damage, which has been completed, but the shower never replaced.
I will be having a mechanical inspection and survey done but wondering about the feasibility of replacing the shower or would it be a show stopper. Any Mainship 390 owners out there who have had to remove/replace the shower and have any advice. Thanks in advance for any insight.

Did you ever find a Mainship in the NW or still looking?

 

[Sigridian82]

Did you ever find a Mainship in the NW or still looking?

Hi Harborseal,
No I haven't found one yet. We did finally get to look at the one I originally posted about but we were underwhelmed. In addition to the shower issue, unfortunately the owner had health issues and unable to keep up with the maintenance and to be fair, the boat was "tired" and in need of a lot of work. - so we're still boat-less in Seattle - still looking !

 

[Harborseal]

You might check Banana Belt Boats in Anacortes......

 

[Sigridian82]

Thanks - may follow up with them, looks like they have a 1997 model 350 - little older than I originally targeted plus I would prefer single engine which provides better protection for the running gear. Unfortunately due to the length of time I've been looking plus my age :-( I may just forgo the thought of getting another boat. Thanks again for following up on my post.

 

[Harborseal]

Hi all, I have been looking for a Mainship 390 for cruising the PNW for some time now but have found them to be like hen's teeth here in Seattle (available on the E coast but none posted in the PNW). I have heard of one that may be available but the shower had been removed to repair some bulkhead damage, which has been completed, but the shower never replaced.
I will be having a mechanical inspection and survey done but wondering about the feasibility of replacing the shower or would it be a show stopper. Any Mainship 390 owners out there who have had to remove/replace the shower and have any advice. Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

[Harborseal]

Back to you again..... I did confirm that Amy at Banana Belt (owner) has a Mainship for sale but also knows of a newer one for sale. She is an excellent/amazingly honest boat broker. We have purchased and sold 3 boats with her and now looking for a 4th. She has been in the business long enough that she knows most of the boat sold over the past 20 years and if they are problem boats. Can keep you out of trouble. I would call and chat with her.....beautiful drive to Anacortes to look. I was just there and believe one of the Mainships is on blocks to show and easy access. Good luck with your search.

 

[Sigridian82]

Thanks again Harborseal!
Yes I agree Banana Belt (Amy) is an excellent Boat broker. Over a year ago we met briefly via a referral from another broker I was working with and we were viewing a boat they had (40" Defever) - Still semi engaged with NW Yachtnet since they sold our last boat. Amy had one of her sales reps (Rudy) help us, and he was most helpful and showed us the Defever plus multiple other boats for comparison of layout and features. We passed on the Defever due to age.
We'll be in California until close to the end of the month and may make that beautiful drive to Anacortes when we get back home.