Beachcomber. Thought of the day

[stuart]

Coleman, Dimension1, Sundance, Arctic, Elite all have plastic bottoms. Would anyone else like to add to my list? I wasn't sure about Sundance, I just heard that from a potential customer.

Marquis and Coleman use a plastic base, Arctic (as far as I know) is using a fiberglass base. Elite uses a sheet of "coreplas" on the bottom and I believe D1 and Sundance use a "sheet" of plastic on the bottom.

There is a big difference between an enclosed plastic base and a sheet of plastic tacked to base.

[TALKCalgary.com]

Steve K,

Thanks again for your post, that I personally found informative. I agree that your concern about the Beachcomber not having a suitable base, and my concern with Beachcomber not providing removable skirting is a legitimate concern. Most of these posts, including yours, come across to me as being constructive rather than bashing. In my shopping for a tub, I'm finding out that the more research I do, the more I realize that compromise will come into play when I decide what to purchase. It seems to me that the perfect hot tub just doesn't exist. Anyhow, I think that many of these posts indicate that Beachcomber produces a good product, but like with all other brands has some shortcomings. Nothing unusual there.

SteveL

Thanks to everyone who found my post informative. As I said before, that was the idea, not to bash Beachcomber.

For me, (and by the looks of it, others as well) Beachcombers lack of access, and an open and unprotected base are concerns. In my case however, the base issue was rectified by our dealer installing a treated ply wood base. This is something they have taken upon themselves to do with all Beachcombers. As for the lack of access, well the chance that we “could” experience a leak 5 years down the road when the warrantee expires on our spar was far outweighed by the comfort level of the Beachcomber 750.

Perhaps Bubbles has missed my point. But having read his other posts I think “the point” is not what this guy is missing. In any event we are still looking forward to taking delivery on our 750, which by the way should have been yesterday, but that’s another story  

Steve K  

[Pooldevil]

Hi Guys
One of the questions here was how did the mice get in ?
Well there was just enough room between the paving it had been sited on .... I also had another one that was on a gravel base.
Bad luck had nothing to do with the leaks .... I have been in the industry for over 30 years and I know a lot of other dealers who have had the same problems !   You guys in the states should be ok as I have it on good authority that this was a european problem , caused by the need for overproduction and a lack of time to wet test before shipping !  Would I have stuck with Beachcomber ?   Well I was the first to take on their product for my area , and within 6 months of finding a showroom and setting up they set up two more dealers within 10 miles !  one just a mile away !
We had our own Bermuda Triangle - where prices disapear !!!
To be honest this was not all Beachcombers fault ... they ship to the UK distributor - SCP  and then they set up dealers ....
but they must have known what was going on.
If you think about it ... every time they set up a new dealer , they get to sell them 5 display tubs ... not bad if you can get a dealer a month .
Then they shut them down and set up another ! (5 more tubs !)
Stick with Beachcomber .... NO WAY !
Enough said

[ebirrane]

In my case however, the base issue was rectified by our dealer installing a treated ply wood base.

Hi Steve,

 Apparently, I started some of this with my ground contact lumber statement.  Just find out how the plywood was treated.  Pressure treated comes in several "grades", ground-contact is pretty good (sufficient for a tub, in my opinion) There is also salt-water contact grading which is a little sturdier.

 Alot of pressure treated wood is not graded for ground contact, so be careful.

 Also, I don't know much about beachcomber construction. I assume they use ground-contact lumber and was simply making the point that an ABS base or other non-wood material is *not* required to prevent base rot.

 I was more alarmed by your initial post in this thread regarding how lackadaisical they seemed to be to your questions.  Wow.

-Ed

ps. Mice can also chew through 1/8" plastic.

[ebirrane]

Marquis and Coleman use a plastic base, Arctic (as far as I know) is using a fiberglass base. Elite uses a sheet of "coreplas" on the bottom and I believe D1 and Sundance use a "sheet" of plastic on the bottom.

There is a big difference between an enclosed plastic base and a sheet of plastic tacked to base.

My friend owns a Sundance and it cane with some sort of hard plastic base on it.  When the installers put the tub on the slab and started scooting it there was some damage done to the base.  I can't remember if they removed the base and just lef tthe tub baseless or if they kept it there, but with some holes scraped in it.  I'll try and find out.

So I'm pretty sure Sundance doesn't use a plastic "sheet" but I don't think they use something super thick.

-Ed

[windsurfdog]

Coleman, Dimension1, Sundance, Arctic, Elite all have plastic bottoms. Would anyone else like to add to my list?

Master Spas......

[tazman]

I'm pretty sure that Sundance uses only a plastic sheet and not an enclosed base.

WSD,
No disrespect but, doesn't Master use a kind of light rubber wrap? I saw them unloading a spa at a show and it was torn in the corners by the metal frame so I went and looked. I'm sure it was rubber (Looked kinda like a pond liner) not plastic, did they change that?

[Jordy]

Hey, TALKCalgary, did you visit the Jacuzzi Premium Dealer in Calgary? From what you have posted here, it doesn't look like you did. If you had checked them out, you would have seen a product built by a company that has addressed all of your concerns already. By the way, if you think that a piece of pressure treated plywood is going to prevent rodents and insects from getting into your Hot Tub, then I commend Beachcomber for the outstanding sales job they've done on you! Why would you purchase a product that you have concerns about when there are products that have already built a better machine? Good Luck and make sure you don't visit your local Jacuzzi dealer unless you are prepared to see a Spa that is built the way you think Beachcomber should start building theirs.

[Steve]

Geez Jordy...I thought every other manufacturer was the BEST. Why don't you no brain sales guys stop the BS already. I find it childish the way some have to promote their spas. Are you really THAT desperate for sales down there?

It's high time we start cleaning up this dirty industry and it's perpetuated by the garbage we all have been exposed to on this site lately. It's turned into a circus here of salespeople pushing their products like street corner vendors and I for one am getting sick of it.

Steve

[Brewman]

Our tub has some type of plastic sheet underneath.  
It's not flimsy plastic like poly, it's some type of reinforced plastic.  
Brewman

[windsurfdog]

I'm pretty sure that Sundance uses only a plastic sheet and not an enclosed base.

WSD,
No disrespect but, doesn't Master use a kind of light rubber wrap? I saw them unloading a spa at a show and it was torn in the corners by the metal frame so I went and looked. I'm sure it was rubber (Looked kinda like a pond liner) not plastic, did they change that?

It is a plastic sheet.  We drilled through it to bring the electrical service in from underneath the tub.  Don't know if they changed it or what--I just know what mine is like.

BTW, the plastic enclosed bottom was a deal maker/breaker item for me when I was considering our spa purchase.

[huh?]

Tazman,

If I am not mistaken the material is ABS plastic.  When shopping my local Hot Springs dealer, that was the same stuff that they use for the shell of the spa (slighlty different process I'm sure).  The salesman said it was the same stuff they make football helmets out of.

[tazman]

It is a plastic sheet.  We drilled through it to bring the electrical service in from underneath the tub.  Don't know if they changed it or what--I just know what mine is like.

BTW, the plastic enclosed bottom was a deal maker/breaker item for me when I was considering our spa purchase.
 

So yours is not really an enclosed base but a sheet tacked to the bottom?

I just went and looked again this weekend and it was an enclosed base but it was the lighter rubber kind of like a tire tube. Sounds like you got the older heavier stuff that is much better IMO.

Thanks for the follow up!

[windsurfdog]

So yours is not really an enclosed base but a sheet tacked to the bottom?

I'm not sure I see a major difference between a plastic sheet attached to the bottom and an enclosed base.  I believe mine would be more like an enclosed base as it is upturned on the edges (I think).  I won't be able to pull a panel and check tonight as I won't be home until well after dark but I'll try to remember to look at it tomorrow after work and let you know.  Or maybe a picture is worth a thousand words--I'll post what I see for you.

[SerjicalStrike]

If you put the spa on a concrete pad, would mice still be able to get in?