Upgrade/Repair for the 360 folding seatback

Gomers2

Overall the 360 is pretty slick, but some of the build aspects are not refined. The passenger side bed folds up to become a bench seat for the dinette. The install is just plain sketchy, a few screws shot into the particle board. Mine lasted a couple months before pulling out. My solution was to remove it all and then bolt the hinges onto the board (said board also serves as the cover for the AC and battery compartment. It is much more stable now, and removal of the cover board no longer requires removal of the seat (the seat remains attached to the board). I flipped the board front to back to get some undamaged wood to work with. Each hinge got two 5mm bolts with nyloc nuts, plus a 4mm bolt (which required a new 4mm hole to be drilled in the hinge plate) and that allows for 3 bolts that are not right on the edge of the plywood sheet. Since the bolt ends protrude past the board it was necessary to drill out some indentations for them in the ledger board with a 3/8" forstner bit. 
 

I also replaced the screws that hold the other side of the hinges to the cushion frame - they were short and loose as well.  And I glued and re-screwed the ledger board that was coming loose around the cavity perimeter.  NuCamp, I'm just going to say the obvious: wouldn't it be easier and cheaper for you to have done this right initially, compared with someone taking it in for warranty service? It's not your first camper, did you really think those screws in particle board were going to hold up?

SLJ

Interesting. One of the things I noticed when I saw first the 360 was it wasn't put together as well as my '21 320. I might have tried T-Nuts with shorter screws to fix that problem.

Trailpixie

I am taking delivery of my 360 in a couple weeks, so you posting is very interesting to me. There is no doubt that this is shoddy workmanship. I will need to check that on my new one. 

On a side note, it doesn't look like what you are showing in the picture is particle board. That looks like plywood which would be considered very high quality for this kind of product--though it obviously isn't good when the screws are so close to the edge. 

ckjs

Gomers2 said:

.... The passenger side bed folds up to become a bench seat for the dinette. The install is just plain sketchy, a few screws shot into the particle board. Mine lasted a couple months before pulling out. 

It is plywood (rather than particle board), but any screws driven into the "edge" of the plies like that will have very little pull-out strength.  A bit disappointing from nuCamp. Your bolt fix should work great.

MuttonChops

This is disappointing construction method news . . . .

On the (older) 320S the rear bench seat hinges are firmly/correctly mounted to 1x2 ish boards not into the edge of a plywood panel.

It is getting harder for me to justify a nüCamp trailer price as their design/material choices and construction build plans seem to be heading toward the RV industry cheap solutions . . . not the nüCamp of old. . .
      360 concern one kitchen layout
      360 concern two  cassette only
      TAB concern lower quality cabinet materials
      now clear design/construction failure

Basil48192

Depending upon how far your dealer is, I would still make a warranty claim.  They should replace the panel in it entirety....then you can modify it as you did the original.  Maybe if they get enough warranty claims, they will reevaluate their quality control standards.
I have a 2021 and have been very happy with the quality.  I bought my T@B because of their reputation...I hope they get back to their previous levels soon!

Gomers2

(Yes, obviously that is plywood. The long screws were supposed to hold into the legerboard which is plywood on edge, so essentially particle board strength - sorry that I misnamed the product but the implication is the same.) 
As to taking it back for warranty, that's just not worth the time and trip, or trips. The repair is not visible fortunately. Now, if NuCamp wants to send me a board, that'd be great.  In any case, I'm pleased with the unit overall and these are annoying but ultimately minor problems. After 5K miles I believe the construction is solid. @MuttonChops, I knew exactly what the kitchen and bath config was when ordering so I can hardly complain about it now. We're fine with the cassette (limited use) and I am modding the kitchen to fit our needs. Nothing is perfect for all users, and we love the giant fridge. (We also like to cook out front, where we access the LP via the mini-door.)  It is fair to say NuCamp needs to keep an eye on quality, that much is true. Some of the charging system was not wired correctly, which was a pain to diagnose and not something I should have had to mess with. I think if I had less time or troubleshooting experience I'd be more PO'd.  I can see how it happens when you're integrating many components from 3rd party vendors, but you need some QC process to make sure that gets done correctly. Not making excuses for them, but I will say when we compare the 360 to other brands owned by friends and relatives it looks real solid overall.  

Basil48192

Good to hear.  

elbolillo

These types of minor construction problems seemed to have crept in during the pandemic. Our '21 Tab 320 had a few of these issues and our current '23 Tab 400 as well. There are a number of issues that I think that NuCamp could fix with very little or no additional cost and I think it would go a long way to establishing more confidence in their product.

One of the issues that I ran into with our '23 Tab 400 was that the Nautilus box was not water tight and any water that accumulated in the bottom of the box leaked into the cabin. This is just poor design. This box should be made without seams on the bottom that need to be caulked.

Thankfully, I like tinkering and have been able to make any needed adjustments.

BillJ70

@elbolillo (I've been coming to this site for years (lurking!), but just created an account)  Our 2024 320 had the same issue with water leaking into the cabin from the improperly sealed/caulked Nautilus box.  I fixed it myself, but this issue and a number of other QC items (caulking, door alignment, etc.) were disappointing for sure (and yeah, as others have said-- still better than most other manufacturers).  Looking at the 360 and the upcoming 320 Lite, it seems like Nucamp might be in a rush to get new models out there without refining things.  The issue that @Gomers2 describes in this post is really unacceptable.  It's hard to believe that this screw placement (and screw type) was signed off on by anyone at Nucamp.  I imagine that every 360 sold this year will have this same issue eventually.  Those screws should really be into some type of backer board (under the plywood) with washers as well.  The torque created by those particular seat hinges requires more than screws in the edge of some plywood.  And what bugs me is that they know this and put it out like this anyway.    

BillJ70

 @Gomers2 Just curious-- did you ever talk to Nucamp about this seat issue?  I'd be curious to know their response-- and importantly, if they are planning to address the design issue.  

Gomers2

Well I definitely made them aware of the problem and the fact they may have an ongoing issue. (I suggested they put together a retrofit kit for the existing owners. Not sure they are ready to do that however. ) They did offer to have it repaired under warranty. However at this time that would consist of replacing it the way it was originally built, which doesn't seem worth the trouble to me and it's not how I want it done. Instead they agreed to send out a new board and I will devise an even more robust bottom plate and install the seat to my satisfaction. Since this is not an essential systems or safety related issue I'm okay with that resolution. 

Basil48192

Good call.  You can start with a nice, unblemished piece and incorporate your improved mounting method.  And, at least Nucamp is aware of the issue now.