boler seam

[andrew78]

what do people do with the seam around the boler were the two shell pieces meet. mine had silicon that is coming off, also has a metal cap around it. do people always seal it with silicon or has anybody ever fiberglassed over it? just wanted to know peoples thoughts

[Roy in TO]

The silicone is not necessary. The metal cap is usually called the belly band. That should help you in your searches. Cutting off the lips of the seam and glassing over it is a lot of work. It has been done but I feel the lip actually adds a bit of structural stability. Think angle iron.

[Donna D.]

The silicone (ACK!) is just for asthetic purposes. Once removed you may find the belly band is not perfectly aligned with the body in some places. Caulk helps with that by giving a finished look.

Removing the old caulk and replacing it would certainly be easier/faster than removing the belly band, grinding, fiberglassing, etc. Besides, I think a shined up band looks great! YMMV

[andrew78]

i thought it was just for looks.
silicon sounds good.

thanks for input

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by andrew78

silicon sounds good.

You ARE kidding, right??????????

[andrew78]

donna, you don't think it will leak without silicon? i'm taking the caulking out anyway if you think it will be alright with just the band i would rather do that

[Donna D.]

Andrew, we'll give you the benefit of doubt since you're fairly new. I'm going to ASSUME when you say silicone you mean it in a generic term. Silicone is the Devil's Bane when it comes to fiberglass trailers. It's a temporary solution that can become a permanent problem.

I'd use Geocel ProflexRV sealer although there are other good caulks. If you don't feel confident that you'd get a smooth even bead. Stripe the upper section with blue painters tape and squeeze out a small bead. Others may have additional ideas.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by andrew78

donna, you don't think it will leak without silicon? i'm taking the caulking out anyway if you think it will be alright with just the band i would rather do that

Andrew leaks at the point the two halfs of your trailer are joined do happen from time to time but are very rare in the big picture of things and not what normally will leak first. So the belly band is just a decorative piece used to cover the seam. So the reality is no caulking should actually be needed on most trailers but a lot of people put caulking around the belly band for a number of reasons most of them psychological

As Donna says dont use silicone caulking on anything on your trailer - for your own future sanity/psychological well being.

[andrew78]

thanks for the tip ladies, i promise i won't use silicone

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by andrew78

thanks for the tip ladies, i promise i won't use silicone

Smart man

[Evan Friesen]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

You ARE kidding, right??????????