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04-04-2016, 01:40 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Name: Ryan
Trailer: In the market
British Columbia
Posts: 5
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Boler vs. Surfside - Advantages/ Disadvantages?
Hello all,
I was hoping somebody/some people could give me some information before I purchase a trailer.
I have narrowed it down to either a 13' Boler or a 14' Surfside.
They seem relatively similar for the most part, but I was wondering if there are any major or minor differences that I should be aware of? Any advantages or disadvantages with anything from the exterior and frame to the interior and amenities?
I figured anybody who owns these types of trailers would know the ins and outs of each and could help me narrow down this decision!
Any help/information would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
R
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04-04-2016, 01:49 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Name: John
Trailer: 1979 Boler 1700
Michigan
Posts: 2,049
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Ryan,
We own both a Boler 13 and a Trillium 4500. The Surfside 14 appears to be much more similar to the Trillium 4500 or a Trillium 13. The Surfside 14 advantages over the Boler 13 are:
- more and larger jalousie windows providing much better ventilation
- more spacious due to the fact that the corners aren't as rounded as the Boler 13; also, the overall interior dimensions for the Surfside are larger
The Boler 13 has fiberglass furniture inside, while it appears the Surfside has wood or particleboard furniture. We prefer the fiberglass furniture.
That's my two cents.
-John
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04-04-2016, 02:05 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Name: John
Trailer: 1979 Boler 1700
Michigan
Posts: 2,049
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Ryan, another advantage we found with the Trillium body shape (similar to the Surfside), is that the more squarish body compared to the Boler 13 provides more space for sleeping.
Further considerations:
- Belly band on the Boler tend not to leak or separate. The Trillium belly band does tend to leak or separate, and there may be similar problems for the Surfside.
- Most Boler floors are fiberglass with wood core. They seem to hold up well. I am not sure about Surfside, but Trilliums have a plywood subfloor between two layers of fiberglass. The plywood should be checked carefully for rot.
- Boler jalousie windows are fairly easy to remove and reseal. I don't know about Surfsides, but it appears they may have wood around the windows which tend to rot, thus complicating the removing and re-installing.
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04-04-2016, 02:54 PM
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#4
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Junior Member
Name: Ryan
Trailer: In the market
British Columbia
Posts: 5
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Thank you very much for the help John! I will consider all these factors when deciding between one to buy!
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04-04-2016, 03:18 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Name: Robert
Trailer: Surf-Side
Manitoba
Posts: 287
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We have a Surf Side and have never had a Boler. I like the extra room created by the square corners mentioned above. The 4 opening windows are a definite advantage on the prairies. We have only had ours for 2 years but someone else had it before that for the previous 38 and there are no signs of rot on the floors or leak on the belly band. The wooden cupboards make for very easy DIY adaptions. For example, we put some shelves in the closet so we can hang things above and put containers on the shelves and doubled the storage space. Very easy for anyone to do with wood.
Whatever you choose, and you are envied to have such a choice, enjoy your camping experience!
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04-04-2016, 04:17 PM
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#6
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Junior Member
Name: Brent
Trailer: Surfside
Manitoba
Posts: 16
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The extra foot and relative "squarishness" on the Surfside make a big difference to the interior space. Haven't seen an issue with the belly band leaking on ours, but YMMV. The Boler/Trillium fibreglass furniture probably wears better than the wood on the Surfside, but wood lets you do mods considerably easier if you're inclined. Surfside has plywood flooring with fibreglass on it, same as the others. The windows are indeed fastened to the wood frame on the inside, but doesn't add much extra effort if you need to change windows. Window leaks will potentially rot the window frames, so check for that. Not a huge job to replace unless you're not at all the handy type. In fact, if the windows haven't been resealed before, I would plan on doing that job regardless.
I don't think there's that much weight difference between the two. I prefer the Surfside myself, but there are a lot more Bolers around.
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04-04-2016, 06:04 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Trailer: 1977 TM14 Surfside / 2007 Toyota Tundra V8 2wd
Posts: 289
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I had a Surfside but not a Boler. I loved the fact that all windows in the Surfside opened compared to just the sides in the Boler.
I never has a problem with leaks or rot around the windows and the square body made the bed just a bit bigger.
Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV
__________________
Life would be a million times better if there were Pinatas strategically placed throughout the day.
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04-04-2016, 06:13 PM
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#8
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Junior Member
Name: Ryan
Trailer: In the market
British Columbia
Posts: 5
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Thank-you Bob, Brent and Marina. I am starting to lean towards the surfside, however they seem to be quite scarce compared to the Boler trailers that pop up online quite often!
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04-04-2016, 06:25 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Name: John
Trailer: 1979 Boler 1700
Michigan
Posts: 2,049
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Ryan,
You also might want to consider the Trillium 13. I compared my Boler 13 to a Trillium 13 (edit: owned by a friend), and again the Trillium 13 has more space, more sleeping space, jalousie windows on all four sides. Also the Trillium 13 has much more storage space. From photos, I suspect the Surfside 14 has more storage space as well. Surfside owners can weigh in on this.
-John
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04-04-2016, 07:08 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Name: John
Trailer: 1979 Boler 1700
Michigan
Posts: 2,049
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Other things we like about our Boler 13:
- Can get it into our garage (7 foot door) by sliding off the vent cover. To get our Trillium 4500 into the garage, we have to remove the vent cover and also switch to bare wheel rims.
- Very light trailer, light tongue weight
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04-09-2016, 10:06 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Trailer: Boler 1984
Posts: 2,938
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Have had our Boler since 1994 and sometimes contracted the "foot-itis" disease. That is where you always want the next larger model. We have loved it's towability, uniqueness and it's being fully functional for our needs. It's rounded corners give it a bit of aerodynamic quality and don't delete much in actual storage area from the more square types. Our only reason to go bigger would be the need/want of a full bath instead of a porti-pot and a privacy tent. Over the 22 years, have towed with a Dodge Ram pickup (v8), a Safarri van (v6), a Dodge Dakota (v8), Toyota Highlander (v6) and a Ford edge(v6). To some it might be overkill compared with the smaller four cylinder cars but these vehicles have had the power to keep with the traffic flow and the braking power to eliminate the need for trailer brakes even in the event that someone cuts close in front or the mountains of British Columbia.
Size the trailer to your needs and size the tug to the trailer.
Jim
Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV
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04-09-2016, 11:14 PM
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#12
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Junior Member
Name: Ryan
Trailer: In the market
British Columbia
Posts: 5
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Thank you !
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