question about a '71 Boler

[Wendy & Parker Moore]

hubby and I have recently acquired a 1971 Boler. We have cleaned it up, oiled it etc...
But, what do we use to fill-in the cracks between the ensolite? We tried 3M white duct tape, but it just peeled off.
Any suggestions on ANYTHING to do with restoring this gem would be greatly appreciated!

[Raya]

The Scamp trailers parts department sells the seam-covering foam tape. Or you can buy it through a company like U-line. I think it's just a basic 3M foam one-side-sticky tape, with a highish bond adhesive.

Originally they used a similar tape, but with both sides sticky. They then brushed talcum powder on the "room" side to get rid of the sticky. There seems to be no reason to do that now with one-side-sticky tape available.

The other side of it is whether or not the Ensolite you are trying to get it to stick to is clean, or whether it could be contaminated with oil, silicone residue (from sprays, etc.), or just good-old dirt. I would make sure to clean it well first, perhaps finishing off with alcohol or another clean solvent (test first of course).

Raya

[Dawn S]

hubby and I have recently acquired a 1971 Boler. We have cleaned it up, oiled it etc...
But, what do we use to fill-in the cracks between the ensolite? We tried 3M white duct tape, but it just peeled off.
Any suggestions on ANYTHING to do with restoring this gem would be greatly appreciated!

Hi - there are a couple things you can try.

I have heard a lot about SEAM TAPE, although, I have not used it myself.

The ensolite in my boler was sagging in a lot of spots, so I made some 3 inch cuts all over the ceiling, and then pasted marine GOOP and stuck it up properly. Then, I used high quality, white, latex silicone and filled the cuts I made. The silicone fills and adheres so it looked good as it was...but the ensolite was really dirty looking so I primed it all with KILZ primer and then 2 coats of white kitchen and bathroom anti mildew paint. Now it looks AWSOME!

[Raya]

I'll try to refrain from a full-on silicone rant (although if you want to read one... I'm sure a search would turn up several of mine

I will say that I would strongly recommend that you use no silicone products on your trailer. It doesn't stick all that well in the long run, and it will leave an insidious residue that will have whomever has to repair it doing the 'ole

Many people have caulked the seams (with non-silicone caulk), but that generally requires you to then paint the Ensolite (and it sounded like yours might be fine without paint).

The tape I referred to in my earlier post is the "seam tape."

Raya

[Roy in TO]

You may find that after running whatever wires you may need in the seams, filling it with latex caulk that the seam tape has more to adhere to.

[Raya]

Yes, I should really rephrase what I wrote and say that most people who caulk the seams go on to paint the Ensolite, but that there is no reason one would have to, if one kept the caulk line narrower than the tape.

On my 1974 Boler there is not much of a gap between the Ensolite sheets, so tape alone seems to have covered them fine, but I'm sure there is some variation amongst trailers.

Raya