First traler, new Boler owner in Québec - Fiberglass RV
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Old 01-01-2016, 02:04 AM   #1
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Name: Sylvio
Trailer: 1975 Boler
Quebec
Posts: 220
First traler, new Boler owner in Québec: fear and trembling

Yesterday, I tried to post an introduction of myself and of my new Boler but everything disappeared as I tried to insert an emoticon... Let's try again.

We camped in a tent for three weeks last summer, our record! The weather was mostly nice but we had a flood of almost biblical proportions 2-3 days before the end so that our stuff got wet from the water that was litterally running like a river on the ground. We spent our last days there drying our stuff, and our last nights sleeping in the camp director's living room. Never again.

I have stressful responsibilities at work and need to unwind during my vacations. I can't afford to lose some rest because of the rain. So I started thinking about a camper trailer.

Here are a few factors that brought us to a small fiberglass camper:
-Our teenagers don't come with us as much as before so we can plan for 2-3 instead of 5.
-We skipped the pop-up because, for the same price, we can skip the time to install and uninstall. Furthermore, with a camper, you can easily sleep on the way to destination.
-A big thing for me is the fact that I wanted something that could be pulled with my Kia Rondo. I can pull a max of 2000 lbs, but the CAA and one experienced Kia salesmen both told me to not buy something that's more than 1500 lbs. I almost bought a 1500 lbs conventional trailer but would have had to change the hitch of my car from 1 7/8" to 2" and to get a 7-strand wiring on top of my current 4- strand wiring. I'm againt the principle of buying a toy that makes me change car and buy more, and more, and more.
-I like the fact that the Boler, instead of depreciating will increase in value.
-I read a post on this forum by a lady saying that the Boler could be pulled by a three-legged donkey: I was sold!

So, Wednesday, I drove three hours round trip to look at a 1975 13' Boler that needs some love and care. Because I had been exposed to this forum during my research and decision-making process, I relied heavily on you guys: a bunch of people I don't know but who are passionate about something I'm willing to discover and learn about. I'm an active member of a canning forum and love to learn, but also to give and receive.. I'm assuming to find here the dynamic I experienced on the canning forum.

My need will be, at first, to figure out how to paint the inside and outside. We were given two gallons of water based melamin paint, one is teal, the other one cream. Perfect for the vintage look we want to keep! I read carefully all 8 pages of the thread about painting the outside. A friend offered his heated garage and I'm confident we can do a good job on the outside once my wife and I agree on the color...

I might pick up our new possession Monday. Right now, it's a sad grey color, almost like a primer! The paint has cracks but not the fiberglass.

I'm in Québec and would love to get in touch with some people who have the experience in what I'm doing.

Also, the fridge has been taken out because it wasn't working. The guy's willing to get rid of it with the traler. One of my friends works in refrigeration and might manage to do something with it.

My fear and trembling come from the fact that I'm impressed both by the work ahead and by the unknown. It's also the fact that I'm anxious to look at it somewhere warm. I looked at it in over a foot of new snow. I made a quick move because the price was right - 3900$ - and because there was no way it would still be for sale this weekend. I hope I'll find out that everything is as described...

Well, that about sums it up for now! I will NOT insert a smiley face at this point by fear of losing my hard work again...

Thank you all beforehand for your contribution to my life. I'll make my best effort to be worthy of your trust.
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Old 01-01-2016, 05:31 AM   #2
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Name: Philip
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First traler, new Boler owner in Québec

Congratulations Sylvio! Your excitement is contagious
Have you signed up for the Quebec Bolerama in September?
Hope to see you there.
Best wishes


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Old 01-01-2016, 07:27 AM   #3
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Sylvio, congratulations Sounds like 2016 will be full of terrific memory makers!


Just a tip about posting. Open a text editor like Notepad and write your post there. It gives you time to spell check and get your thoughts together. Copy and paste into a reply window. Then if there's a glitch, you won't have to type it over.


Best of luck
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Old 01-01-2016, 10:15 AM   #4
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Name: Gilles
Trailer: Bigfoot 25B21RB, 2004
Quebec
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Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the group!

On this site you will find a wealth of information about Boler. Just select the site or ask for help as you do now.

In your case, an internet link that I saw often share for maintenance of Boler is:

Complete Guide to 13′ Boler Fiberglass Trailers

Have a good day,
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Old 01-01-2016, 10:27 AM   #5
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Hi Sylvio,

Loved your post. I really appreciate your passion, energy, attitude, and genuiness. I have only been a member since August and found this group to be contagious with wisdom and energy! This forum influenced our decision to get a trailer now rather than later. We bought a new to us Casita in November and a new to us tug last month.

Love vintage egg campers and Bolers are classic. Look forward to reading many posts from you in terms of fixing up the Boler and your adventures in it.

BTW, we have an '08 Kia Rondo. Great car. We wanted to tow with it, but the Scamp 13' Standard Layout 2 Big Bed was just a bit too heavy for the Rondo. We ended up with the '05 Casita and a new to us tug. We are giving the Rondo to our daughter. She is 21 and away at college studying architecture. Her '02 Toyota Celica is a great little car, but does not hold her projects and supplies very well, plus it does not have anti-lock brakes (important) or cruise control (not as important). She will be going to graduate school soon, so we decided to give the Rondo to her in order to help her while keeping our wonderful Rondo in the family.

Welcome To fiberglassrv.com!!!

Dean

P.S. - I agree with Donna. Put longer posts in notepad or Word, etc., then cut and paste. We don't want it miss out on any of your details!!!
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Old 01-01-2016, 10:39 AM   #6
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Name: Gilles
Trailer: Bigfoot 25B21RB, 2004
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Determine the actual weight of the trailer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Cereal View Post
Yesterday, I tried to post an introduction of myself and of my new Boler but everything disappeared as I tried to insert an emoticon... Let's try again.

-A big thing for me is the fact that I wanted something that could be pulled with my Kia Rondo. I can pull a max of 2000 lbs, but the CAA and one experienced Kia salesmen both told me to not buy something that's more than 1500 lbs. I almost bought a 1500 lbs conventional trailer but would have had to change the hitch of my car from 1 7/8" to 2" and to get a 7-strand wiring on top of my current 4- strand wiring. I'm againt the principle of buying a toy that makes me change car and buy more, and more, and more.

You can find on the following site, different methods to determine the actual weight of your trailer:

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-...ue-weight.aspx

Have a good day,
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Old 01-01-2016, 11:10 AM   #7
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Trailer: Scamp 13 ft
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Good for you, Sylvio !

It sounds like from your post that you have a good handle on what fiberglas camping is all about. I liked your comment on not falling for the more, more, more, bigger, bigger, bigger. As as for the 3 legged donkey, I once walked my Scamp from one end of a ( flat) campground to a different space at the other end of the campground. Easy on a smooth surface but other campers sure looked in disbelief ! I hope we hear more about your progress ! David in Fresno and Sonora
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Old 01-01-2016, 11:25 PM   #8
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Name: Sylvio
Trailer: 1975 Boler
Quebec
Posts: 220
Thank you all for the warm welcome! I take good note of your suggestions. I'm looking forward for the adventure that 2016 will be and for the future interactions we'll have!

(Wish I could edit the typo in the title of this post but I'm not able right now.)
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Old 01-04-2016, 08:52 AM   #9
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Name: Barbara
Trailer: 1977 Trillium 4500
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Welcome Sylvio! Good luck with all your plans for your "new" Boler! Look forward to seeing you on the road next summer!
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Old 01-04-2016, 09:16 PM   #10
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Name: Sylvio
Trailer: 1975 Boler
Quebec
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The thing's in my driveway! The seller put new(er) tires on and security chains. He greased the bearings, changed the 4-wire connection, made sure all lights and electricity work... Got my new plate and drove home.

Took off the protection for the front window and moved the curtains to see what was behind me: very helpful.

My teenage daughters says that the Boler looks like some kind of fridge or freezer! :-).

Let the fun begin!
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Old 01-04-2016, 09:35 PM   #11
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Hi Sylvio,

I am sure it feels great to have it in your driveway!

Take care,

Dean
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Old 01-04-2016, 10:41 PM   #12
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Trailer: Bigfoot 25B21RB, 2004
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Hy Sylvio, I see you are from the province of Quebec.
There is a Bolerama which is organized every year, a gathering of shells, which occurs annually in various camping across the province.

Last year we had about 170 trailers on the same camping, share ideas on our trailers.

Next year will be another.
I give you the web link, for your info.
Bolerama 2015 - Le coin du campeur

Have a good day,
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Old 01-05-2016, 12:33 AM   #13
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Name: Sylvio
Trailer: 1975 Boler
Quebec
Posts: 220
Woah, Gilles! That sounds like a lot of fun! The 2016 edition is really close by and I'd really like to be there! I wish it was this weekend so that I could get wisdom and tips from others right away!

So here's my plan:

1. Vaccum and wash the inside (including taking out cushions and whatever is not olted down).

2. Fix up what I can and what needs to be (hopefully, we're talking about the same thing here...). Fridge?

3. Paint inside. Recover cushions. Make new curtains. (These last two can be done whenever. Aunt Cereal's expertise...)

4. Fix door, including getting a key or new lock.

5. Paint outside. Repair/seal openings.

6. Work on outside accessories: lights, etc.

7. Underneath? Change water and propane hoses?

8. Take it out for a try? Maybe before the end of the project...

What do you guys think? Any words of wisdom?

I'll try to post pictures...
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Old 01-05-2016, 04:13 AM   #14
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Name: Bev
Trailer: Boler
British Columbia
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Welcome to the group Sylvio. I just purchased my 1972 Boiler in November and waiting for the first sign of spring. Good luck on the reno.
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Old 01-05-2016, 08:21 AM   #15
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Name: Gilles
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Cereal View Post
Woah, Gilles! That sounds like a lot of fun! The 2016 edition is really close by and I'd really like to be there! I wish it was this weekend so that I could get wisdom and tips from others right away!

So here's my plan:

I'll try to post pictures...

A picture is worth a thousand words ...
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Old 01-05-2016, 08:15 PM   #16
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Name: Sylvio
Trailer: 1975 Boler
Quebec
Posts: 220
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilles View Post
A picture is worth a thousand words ...
Yes, yes! But what do you think of my plan?!

Does it make sense?

Any advice on changing the lock? The previous owner thinks that I can try a few old keys and manage to lock/unlock it...
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Old 01-05-2016, 08:33 PM   #17
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Name: janessa
Trailer: Trillium
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Hi. Im Janessa. I've recently purchased a 1968 Trillium. Im looking for more info on the history of Trillium. Any help would be appreciated. Thx
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Old 01-11-2016, 12:30 PM   #18
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Name: Sylvio
Trailer: 1975 Boler
Quebec
Posts: 220
I'm off today. This is my first real up close and personal meeting with my Boler.

It's freezing and windy outside so it's freezing and windy inside the trailer. I understand the cold part but not the wind... I don't know how you call those funky trailer windows that open with a crank, "cranky windows"? :-) So those windows don't shut well on the side the wind is coming from. I don't know if there's a way to snap them shut or not...

I pulled out the power wire and plugged it in. Having power within the trailer, I put a little ceramic heater in the trailer. I discovered that the smell changes with heat... Hmmm. Old and humidity. The trailer hasn't been used for 6 or 7 years and it's a 1975. I guess the old smell would be normal. But humidity?

When I walked in, I found a patch of ice as big as a loony (for US readers, a little bigger than a quarter...) on the bench by the table. When I came back in, there was a little bit of water on the counter. Not much, but enough to go "Hmmm".

When I took the trailer home, the table was up. It was down this morning. Is that normal? Should the table always be down when traveling?

I took the cushions inside and will take care of those later.

Does anybody know whether the top bunk should bend down to make some kind of backing for the bottom one and make a couch? It comes off of the two vertical posts but the hinges and its rigid shape doesn't seem to allow it to go down.

As I vacuum the ceiling, the paint peels. I assume it's just paint and not the actual elephant skin I read about.

There was a velcro glued awkwardly around the inside of the door frame. I assume it goes with the screen that I found in the little closet. I threw away both velcro and screen...and what might have been an old mouse nest.

Speaking of which, there seem to be gaps where the electrical cord come out and where there's vents for the fridge. I'm not too sure where the water hoses are going or coming from... Will inspect more...

The laminated part of the doors and table top is coming unglued in some places and the restoration might take a little more than paint. And the rug needs to go but is really glued down well, we'll see what happens with that.

At this point, I would really like to look at a Boler that's in top shape and have a seasonned Boler owner look at mine and tell me a little bit more about it.

I'm going back outside to vacuum and take some dust and fly poop off...

I'll try to take and post a few pictures later.

At this point, I feel some heaviness thinking about the work ahead. Normal as well, I assume!
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Old 01-11-2016, 12:57 PM   #19
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Uncle Cereal, Those 'cranky' windows are called jalousy (sp ? ) windows. Cranky describes the trailer owner when sitting in the cold and wind . . . INSIDE his trailer. lol Those windows are old fashioned and good for ventilation , When raining outside the windows can be cranked open a bit without leaking. But not good for very cold conditions. The little heaters often change smell according to the dust or moisture and smells in the room. I'm sure folks with more info than I will answer many questions. I will just comment that it is usually better to travel with the table down, especially over rough roads. Especially on an older trailer which may have a warped table or loose fittings. Good luck, hope to see you in wonderful Canada some day ! David in Fresno and Sonora. (Calif)
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Old 01-11-2016, 01:14 PM   #20
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Do not become discouraged, check off the small projects first and get back that feeling of accomplishment. The weather will get warmer and the work easier, the days are already getting longer!
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