Class C RV With Bathtub: Can You Get an RV With a Bathtub?
It is not hard to stay clean when you own an RV. Most models come with a built-in shower, water heater, and sinks. If the smaller ones don’t, they may come with a built-in outdoor shower to make sure you can wash the dirt off after a hard day of fun.
This is going to be a rare find. There are two good reasons why they are hard to find. The first is that there is little floor space for a good bathtub. The second reason would be that the fresh water tank won’t hold enough water for a good bath.
To learn which Class C RVs have a bathtub, just continue to read our article. It will list as many as possible but do not be surprised if we miss one or two. These features are not common unless you move up to a class A RV.
Can You Get An RV With a Bathtub?
It is possible to find them. Some are made straight from the factory as a standard feature but there are a few that do come with a bathtub without having to ask for it.
Others are custom ordered as the buyer wants a tub instead of 2 television sets or some other expensive feature you won’t use. We did find one custom-made RV that comes with a bathtub, it is the 2008 Renegade 3400 CM.
If you can handle driving a semi-truck cab, tow 30,000 pounds, and pay $260,000 approx., then this might be the Class C RV for you. The bathtub is serviced in part by the 200-gallon freshwater tank.
However, the 60-gallon gray water tank may be a bit on the small side if you are taking baths on the same day. The 10-gallon water heater may be a bit on the small side as well.
When you do custom orders like this one, you can exclude any features you do not want and add in almost any of the ones you do want. You just have to have the money to pay for all those features including the bathtub.
RV With Bathtub List
This list is going to include more than just Class C RVs with bathtubs. For this category, we found only 4 Class Cs so far but there are different Classes that have them because they are larger and can fit the tub inside easily.
1. Class C RVs
- 2008 Renegade 3400 CM- Which we mentioned earlier
- 2008 Thor Motor Coach Four Winds 26BE- Cost at one time $47,000, is 27 feet 3 inches long, 6 feet 6 inches wide, and 10 feet 5 inches in height. It has 33-gallon fresh and gray water tanks.
Inside the bathroom is a shallow bathtub that was best left for small children to use.
- 2017 Dynamax Ista 3 24FW- Cost about $111,000 when new and it is 24 feet 5 inches long, 11 feet 4 inches high, and between 6 and 8 feet wide. The fresh water tank is 35 gallons and the gray water tank is 32.
Plus, it has a dual water heater to keep up with the demand for a bath.
- 2017 Holiday Rambler Vesta 30F- Its new cost was between $80,000 & $90,000 and it was 31 feet 7 inches long with an exterior height of 12 feet. Its freshwater tank holds 49 gallons and the gray water tank holds 35 gallons.
It can sleep 8 people but its propane water heater was only 6 gallons in size.
2. Class A RVs
- Foretravel Realm FS6 Luxury Villa Spa- It will cost you approx. $800,000 to enjoy the massage tub installed in this rig. Plus, it has all the comforts of home. You would have to look the specs up for this huge RV to see if it has what you want inside.
- Furrion Elysium - is priced at $2,000,000 but that may be too much to pay for a bathtub. There may be more than one inside as the description lists the bathtub in the plural. That may be because there is supposed to be a hot tub on the roof.
- Futuria Motorhome- This is a $1,000,000 RV approx., that comes with a 123-gallon hot tub. Plus there is a smaller tub in the master bedroom. Both tubs are built to your specifications so you get optimum comfort.
3. 5th wheel trailers
-Forest River Sandpiper 383RBLOK- According to the floor plan the tub is 24 by 36 inches in size. The front bathroom has a shower with a seat to it, slide-outs, and a washer and dryer complete this setup.
- Heartland – Milestone 386BH- It is a shower tub combination just like back home. The fresh water tank holds only 50 gallons while the gray water tank holds 120 gallons. There is room for you to upgrade the lowly 6-gallon hot water heater. Costs $85,000 new approx.
- Keystone – Montana 3920FB- Costs just over $100,000 to get access to its bathtub. The water heater is 12 gallons in size so your baths should be nice and hot.
The fresh water tank is 54 gallons in size while the gray water tank is a bit higher at 88 gallons.
4. Travel Trailers
- Jayco – Jay Flight Bungalow 40DLFT- You be happy to know that there is a 10-gallon water heater on board. Its fresh water tank is 38 gallons in size and the gray water tank is only 32.5 gallons.
The bathtub is located in the middle of the trailer.
- Coachmen Spirit of America 24RBQS - It is 26 feet long and stands just under 7 feet tall. The bathtub is located in or near the master bedroom and used it will be priced around $20,000 approx.
Finding a Class C RV With a Bathtub
So far, the 4 we listed above are the only ones we have been able to find. These are rare because even if they are long, the Class C does not have a lot of spare room to install a bathtub. Plus, the demand may not be there as many owners prefer showers.
It seems that if a bathtub is a deal-breaker for you, you may want to check out the many 5th wheel trailers instead. It is said that many more of these RVs come with a bathtub than any other class.
Part of the problem with finding more is that when you use the search term RVs with bathtubs, you get many website results for bathrooms or large bathrooms. We checked those out and saw the floor plans of many of those options.
The shower pan and dimensions look like a shower bathtub combination but are not listed as such. You can get 41 by 30-inch shower space but the pan may not be deep enough even for a small child to use it as a bath.
You may have to talk to the dealers of the brand you want to buy to see if there are any more recent models with bathtubs or if they are a special order.
Class A RV With Bathtub
The same goes for these RVs. We see that the Thor 2023 Aria 4000 has a very large bathroom with a 52 by 30-inch shower but it is not listed as a bathtub shower combination.
The 2023 Fleetwood RV Discovery 38N may have a bathtub shower combination in the front bathroom but it is only listed as 2 full baths. The floor plan shows a wall in that shower which may be high enough for small children but we cannot be sure.
Those are two that we did not mention in our list above. There are 3 brands and models we did not mention in the list above but they are from the 1990s and early 2000s
- 1994 Passport Cobra
- 1992 American Eagle
- 2003 Coachman FR253
They are around but it may take a lot of hard searching to find more options than the ones we listed. If you go custom-built, then you stand a better chance of getting a bathtub inside your new RV.
What Are RV Bathtubs Made Of?
The most common construction materials for bathtubs will be fiberglass and plastic (otherwise known as a polymer). These are strong, lightweight materials that should hold the water with ease.
Plus, they should last you a long time under normal use. When you go looking to install one or replace the one you already have, you have to check the drain. The RV bathtubs are made with left, right, and center drains. You will need to match up the current drain to make the bathtub fit.
Or to connect a new drain to it. Lippert seems to make bathtubs for RVs but their designs seem basic and not much creativity to them. There is one angle bathtub by Lippert but it is only 32 by 32 inches leaving you with little room.
Different retail outlets sell these bathtubs so shop around a little bit but do not be surprised if they sell the same brand and models. We did not see much variety when it comes to RV bathtubs.
RV Bathtub Cons And Problems
We all know the pros of having a bathtub inside your RV. They can be more relaxing than showers, you can bathe your little kids or grandkids easier, and they are just handy if you need to soak something.
But what about the negative aspects of having a bathtub inside your RV. Here are some of those items you need to be aware of:
- while strong, the walls are thin and could break under abnormal use
- takes a lot of water to fill up and heat
- your water heater may not be large enough to handle the hot water demand. A 12-gallon water heater is good for an 18-gallon bath
- may have to upgrade your water heater
- the bathtub may not drain very well and you will need to unplug it or hire a plumber to unplug it
- the gray water tank may not be large enough to hold all the bathtub water. If it is it may not have the room to hold the bath water.
- the water heater needs to be 2/3 the capacity of the tub’s capacity
- bathtub may be too shallow and too small for adults
- floor of the tub may crack on you in a short time
Some Bathtub Replacement Tips
If your bathtub is broken, old, and in need of replacing for any reason, here are some tips to help you do the job right without inconveniencing your family:
1. Don’t try to salvage the original surround panels- they are very difficult to get off in one piece. Make sure to remove all caulk and other items so you have a clean surface for the new surround.
It is very time-consuming to try and save the surround from your current tub.
2. Plumbing gets shut off- this means that before you start, you need to prepare extra buckets of water in case anyone in your family needs it.
3. There may be surprises- when you lift the old tub out, you may find mold, mildew, or rotting wood underneath it. Make sure you have the budget to replace old wood as well as clean up the mold, etc.
4. measure carefully- you need to order the right measurements and color as well as make sure the drain is on the proper side.
Some Final Words
Bathtubs in RVs are not unheard of. It is just that they are rare as most people prefer showers to baths. You may have the dealer put it in as a customer upgrade but you will also be expected to pay more money for that change in design. Also, bathtubs will be small unless you pay the big bucks for an RV.
