Maintenance & Restoration

Nurse Noel · 09-16-2012, 12:39 PM

we are a 3 person family looking for a small 13' or thereabouts fiberglass trailer.
we recently had to get rid of our 87 syncro volkswagon westfalia due to engine troubles. we loved the ease of getting up in the morning, having everything packed, and going camping. we have now bought a more reliable vehicle, one that will tow a trailer. we are not too choosey on what it looks like, just want it to be in great shape and ready to roll out and camp in.
we are located in olympia, wa and are willing to drive as far as we can in one day to reach our new trailer. our price is negotiable, but would love to keep it around $5000.00.
we are in love with the scamp 13' trailer for it's lightweight and small design, but would be willing to be flexible on what is out there, as long as it won't weight our nissan xterra down.
thank you so much for looking at our ad and i look forward to hearing from you soon!!!!

Deb & Chuck · 09-20-2012, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nurse Noel

we are a 3 person family looking for a small 13' or thereabouts fiberglass trailer.
we recently had to get rid of our 87 syncro volkswagon westfalia due to engine troubles. we loved the ease of getting up in the morning, having everything packed, and going camping. we have now bought a more reliable vehicle, one that will tow a trailer. we are not too choosey on what it looks like, just want it to be in great shape and ready to roll out and camp in.
we are located in olympia, wa and are willing to drive as far as we can in one day to reach our new trailer. our price is negotiable, but would love to keep it around $5000.00.
we are in love with the scamp 13' trailer for it's lightweight and small design, but would be willing to be flexible on what is out there, as long as it won't weight our nissan xterra down.
thank you so much for looking at our ad and i look forward to hearing from you soon!!!!

Would you be interested in a 15ft Escape?
Chuck

Nurse Noel · 09-20-2012, 10:29 PM

Sorry, 15' is a little too much. Thank you so much for your reply, though. It's great to know someone is looking at it :-)

dannerscampers · 09-20-2012, 10:33 PM

Noel, I don't know if this would be helpful, but we live in Olympia too (what a coincidence!) and although we are not selling our 1977 13' Scamp, you'd be welcome to come look at it and get some ideas for what to look for when you buy. Send me a private message if you're interested and we can set something up. Cheers, Lauren

Roy in TO · 09-20-2012, 10:39 PM

There is very little difference in towing a 13' and 15' other than a few hundred pounds. I suggest you look at a 15' if possible to prevent yet another case of twofootitis.

David Tilston · 09-20-2012, 10:45 PM

The difference between a Trillium 4500, (15') and a Trillium 1300, (13') is a few hundred pounds, and a queen vs. double, the closet is a few inches wider, the kitchen a few inches bigger, with room for a slightly larger fridge, and the front bunks are a few inches wider. The actuall overall length difference is less then two feet. They are both nice trailers.

kootenaigirl · 09-21-2012, 08:01 AM

Did you see the Boler on Seattle craigslist? That's a great price for an 1987 if it's at all in decent shape. No interior pictures but worth a call as the guy says he's owned it for 20 years!

Nurse Noel · 09-21-2012, 08:19 AM

Thank you so much everyone for all the helpful hints. After speaking with my husband, we found that a 15' is a little too big for our parking space. We live in town with limited space and already have a small boat with trailer in our driveway. Don't want to make the neighbors too mad...
We are traveling down up to Glacier, WA this weekend to possibly buy a 13' trillium trailer. I have posted the link below, if you have ANY advice at all, it would be very, very appreciated! We have bought and sold several old VW vans, but the small fiberglass RV's a new obsession for us :-)

13ft Trillium Travel Trailer for sale

@ kootenaigirl: thank you so much, i did just get a chance to check out the link and I will be calling about the boler today!

@David Tilston: the trillium's seem to be one of the lighter fiberglass trailer's out there and that is one reason we love it. You are pretty much able to pick it up and move it by hand if needed. We love this about our small aluminum boat and trailer. We just pull it next to the driveway, then pick it up by the hitch and push it into the driveway. Thank you for your advice!

@Roy in TO: I took your advice and looked online at the 15' Escape, so see if it would fit into the category of what we are looking for. The escape looks very nice and I would love the chance to check it out, I believe it is a little out or our price range and. Although, I have seen many 15" trilliums, that are absolutely dreamy! Again, I'm just not sure it would fit in our driveway...

Thank you again, everyone, for all your help and if you have any advice on the 13' trillium I am going to look at this weekend, I would be so, so very grateful!

What a great support already on this forum! Just makes me even more excited to be part of the "fiberglass trailer club". :-)

kootenaigirl · 09-21-2012, 08:41 AM

Just had a quick look at the Trillium you are going to see. David I am sure will be along with his words of wisdom as he is one of our Trillium experts and sees stuff from pics that I would never see! My instant reaction is that it is over priced esp at this time of year. I had a 76 in great shape that I picked up for $2500 in the late summer which was a good deal - I know prices in the States are higher for Trilliums. However this Trillium has an ice box (fridge can be easier for resale), furnace isn't working, no battery and no 120 v system. No good pics of the door and the lock which are potential problem areas. Body seems to be in nice shape. Make sure you check the windows open and close easily (not a deal breaker as they can be fixed but at that price they should be working) and that there are no spongy spots in floor. I'll let someone else take over now.
I love Trilliums by the way!

RRJR · 09-21-2012, 10:03 AM

Yes I would say alittle pricey(fall prices usually lower) fot the shape it's in. Keep us posted as to your hunt.

Ron

David Tilston · 09-21-2012, 10:51 AM

PM sent, (below for reference). Agreed, too pricey. Especially with electrical problems.

This trailer started out life as a base model. No shelves, door window, furnace, or fridge. They don't say the year, but I would guess between 72 and 74.
- The first thing I notice is that the furnace is not original. It is a wagon master. These are found in Bolers. If it is installed properly, then this is probably not a problem. I can't see the road side of the trailer. I would like to see how they did the vent.
- The ice box looks different. I wonder if that is also a relatively recent, or they just got creative with the decorating. If it had an ice box from the beginning, which it looks like it did, it will have the Trillium logo on the road side. I personally like that. If it has two big square vents, then it once had a fridge. Also not really a problem, I would then put a fridge back in. I actually have two spares for a 1300. They are fairly easy to find online.
- The tail lights are not original. The original ones are hard to find.
- The 9" vent is impossible to install an after market vent fan in. They are made for 14" vents. You could make a bigger hole, but that is major surgery.
- I have never noticed a 1300 that does not have the flat spots, just under the belly band, for reflectors, front and back.
Amber Reflector for Trillum

What I would look for is if the elephant skin lining is separating from the fibreglass. Look in the upper corners, that is where it seems to go first. This is fixable. It's just hard to fix.

Also look in the dinette seats. If the plywood, that goes under the floor to the opposite side of the dinette, is rotten, just walk away. This is rare but fatal.

Over all, the trailer looks nice, but the price is high. I would not pay more then $3000 for it. But I come from a place that Trillium trailers are common. Take a look at my registry. I payed $2500 for Wedding Gift. I didn't pay more then $3200 for any of my four trailers. They were all diamonds in the rough though.

Roy in TO · 09-21-2012, 03:13 PM

Get rid of the boat, it is always easier to rent one of those!
OK, so I am fiberglass prejudiced, a thousand lashes with a wet canopy.

Measure your driveway. Can you handle the difference between 13' and 14.7638'?
We are talking less than 2' for an amazingly perceptable difference.

Nurse Noel · 10-23-2012, 04:48 PM

thank you everyone for all your great tips! we found our perfect little trailer from a great couple in bainbridge island, wa. it is a trillium 4500. although we originally thought it might be a bit too big, it fits perfectly in our driveway! and the little guy is such a great trailer!