Boler 1700 refresh.

[Patton M.]

Hi Herb,
Great post and really nice work. This week I bought a '79 1700 that needs a lot of work, and after reading this topic, I'm more than a bit intimidated, as I lack all of the skills necessary to do the work. Thanks for your post, as i now have a clearer idea of what I'll need to do.

Peace,

Patton

[Herb P]

I came back to answer a PM after a 3 year hiatus. Thought I would post a final image to this thread. I painted the 1700 with Endura about 2 years ago. It's been holding up extremely well. I loaded some firewood on the front rack (not installed in this image) and went camping. When I got there, I heard a high pitched squeaking noise whenever we went over a bump in the campground... I discovered it was some logs had shifted and were rubbing up/down on the paint.. I shifted the logs and looked at the paint, not even any residual dullness or scuff.. I think the paint did more damage to the logs. Endura is nasty stuff to paint but I used a respirator with new cartridges and painted in a buddy's detached garage.

[Cam A]

Wow, Herb, it's a beauty! Your hard work certainly has paid off. Glad to hear it's still in use.

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by Herb P

I came back to answer a PM after a 3 year hiatus. Thought I would post a final image to this thread. I painted the 1700 with Endura about 2 years ago. It's been holding up extremely well. I loaded some firewood on the front rack (not installed in this image) and went camping. When I got there, I heard a high pitched squeaking noise whenever we went over a bump in the campground... I discovered it was some logs had shifted and were rubbing up/down on the paint.. I shifted the logs and looked at the paint, not even any residual dullness or scuff.. I think the paint did more damage to the logs. Endura is nasty stuff to paint but I used a respirator with new cartridges and painted in a buddy's detached garage.

Wonderful thread. What a tremendous job!

JMP

[sj2moncton]

Wow! What a restore! You sure did a beautiful job inside and out!
Now if only my husband was 1/4 that handy!!

[Al Nelson]

Originally Posted by Herb P

I came back to answer a PM after a 3 year hiatus. Thought I would post a final image to this thread. I painted the 1700 with Endura about 2 years ago. It's been holding up extremely well. I loaded some firewood on the front rack (not installed in this image) and went camping. When I got there, I heard a high pitched squeaking noise whenever we went over a bump in the campground... I discovered it was some logs had shifted and were rubbing up/down on the paint.. I shifted the logs and looked at the paint, not even any residual dullness or scuff.. I think the paint did more damage to the logs. Endura is nasty stuff to paint but I used a respirator with new cartridges and painted in a buddy's detached garage.

Endura is a great paint, I have used it on airplanes. I also have a Boler 1700 that needs paint. How much paint did you need for your trailer?
Al

[Phil 4500]

Hi Herb,

I noticed you didn't have your batteries and propane tanks installed in this latest pic. When I saw the pic from way back when, when you were building your rack I wondered if you'd considered building your cooler in above the batteries (nestled between the propane tanks) rather than on top of the whole rack. Almost looks like it should fit especially if you are custom making the rack.

Great job on the rest of it too. I hadn't seen the fibreglass panels you mentioned from home depot. Can you give any more information on them such as the price, manufacturer, sku#?

Thanks,

Phil

[Herb P]

Originally Posted by Al Nelson

Endura is a great paint, I have used it on airplanes. I also have a Boler 1700 that needs paint. How much paint did you need for your trailer?
Al

Sorry, I don't remember.. I believe it was 1 gallon. I checked the coverage and then roughly calculated the area based on the dimensions of the trailer and I had paint left over... Pretty sure I had 1 gallon of primer and 1 gallon of paint... But I think actually I had 2 gallons of primer because it's a 50/50 mix so I have primer left over...

[Herb P]

Originally Posted by Phil 4500

Hi Herb,
I noticed you didn't have your batteries and propane tanks installed in this latest pic. When I saw the pic from way back when, when you were building your rack I wondered if you'd considered building your cooler in above the batteries (nestled between the propane tanks) rather than on top of the whole rack. Almost looks like it should fit especially if you are custom making the rack.

Great job on the rest of it too. I hadn't seen the fibreglass panels you mentioned from home depot. Can you give any more information on them such as the price, manufacturer, sku#?

I didn't consider putting the cooler between the propane tanks because I'd envisioned putting firewood in there for travelling... Plus I want to be able to walk over to the cooler to grab a beverage without getting into the trailer... We keep bevvies in the cooler and keep the fridge reserved for food.. I suppose I could have not built an upper deck on the rack and then put the cooler down low... This is just the design that I settled on and it leaves room for more tongue storage... It's always a challenge to load more weight on the tongue when you travel with bikes on the trailer's bumper so anything that lets me move stuff forward, I view as a good thing... When we camp, I try to keep stuff out of the truck so the trailer is relatively self contained... Reduces packing and unpacking at home and at camp. It's hard to see in this photo but the rack is back on the tongue:

P1040485.JPG

With respect to the fiberglass panels, Home Depot Canada calls the product "Exceliner" and the sku is: Store SKU #: 1000154234

[Bill Reilly]

Herb:

Your statement about not finding a 30 amp RV plug at campgrounds confuses me. I installed a 30 amp service in my Trillium Jubilee, outfited it with a Marinco 30 amp inlet device, purchased a regular RV 30 amp cord and used it during our two month vacation to Alaska last summer. One campsite only supplied15 amp power so I resorted to using a 30 to 15 amp adapter but otherwise we had 30 amp power each night.

I hooked my inlet device to a small service panel which I purchased at Home Depot. That provided me with a distribution panel for my 110 volt circuits, one of which supplies the smart charger. I am in the process of installing two through-hull battery posts so I can mount one or two batteries outside the trailer and thus solve the venting problems. With this arrangement, I don't have any need for a converter.

I do agree with your view on stuffing the cord back through a hole in the side of the trailer. I unhook my cord, roll it up and put it into the back of my van. No big problem - no bugs - no tangles !

Good Luck with your project

Bill Reilly

[Herb P]

Maybe it's mainly a US thing to find 30A services... Or maybe it's that we typically camp off the beaten path... If we see an "RV Park" full of diesel pushers or multi-story 5th wheels, we keep driving.

As far as "through-hull" battery posts, I'm not sure what you mean but there are quick connect connectors that are used for hooking up jumper cables without having to lift your hood, or other such uses. They are available in various sizes for various current ratings... Or you could get really fancy and use a Cannon or Amp mil-round connector.. I would probably not have exposed posts that a wrench could fall on when you swap your propane tank... I personally would never put my batteries inside in the first place. This Boler already had a 'hole' in the floor that all the wiring to the tongue was already routed, including the battery cables (which were only 12ga in the first place). I put a 30A breaker immediately first thing after the wires came in through the floor and made sure to adequately secure the wires along the frame to prevent abrasion.

Anyway, having said all this, the trailer referenced in this thread is now for sale. Our recreational needs have changed...

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...rta-45864.html

[Borden]

Hi: Herb P
We have a 79 1700 boler made in Ontario with RGH configuration. Want to change out the very heavy rear upper bunk to lighter materials your aluminum frame maybe just the trick. Two sections hinged should work well.

[Bonnie n Claude]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

YEOW! And people wonder why little trailers need an egress window or roof vent...

Would you know what the egress window is on a Boler 1300 Honey Bee? The side windows are jalousie style. Does one attempt to kick out the plexiglass window?