Hello! My partner and I just bought a 1974, our first foray into
fiberglass. The previous owner did a full gut (I'll post photos eventually), and designed his own floorplan with a double bed, drawers underneath, an L-shaped kitchen counter, and small bench in the front end. There are no upper cabinets, no closet to the left of the door, and no insulation. It's water tight and the hull in good shape, but eventually a remodel will need be done to accommodate a table and take advantage of vertical storage. Essentially, it's camp-ready apart from esthetics, though it does have about a 1" gap at the bottom of the door.
In reading around, I see that this is a common problem with a variety of simple and complex solutions. I figure that I could knock of two birds with one stone (storage cabinets and door sag) by installing some wooden rib supports, to boost the shape of the frame (such as found on
Complete Guide to 13′ Boler Fiberglass Trailers). Unfortunately, I lack the MAD SKILLS needed to make such things, as well as the knowledge of how to glass things to the hull.
I'm starting to read about the basics of fiberglass--which is super fascinating in and of itself--but I'm wondering where I can find some general ideas on different structural supports for this egg. Could I use 4 telescoping poles with rubber feet? Where should I put them? Is there a diagram of ideal structure spots?
I'm trying to find pictures of how Boler's were originally supported, but no luck. I'm assuming that cabinetry would originally have been secured to the supports, not bolted directly though the hull.
Tips? We are located in Abbotsford, BC, if anyone local is receptive to me questioning the heck out of them in person!
Thank you!
Cas+Jeff