Me and my Boler!

[cmbloom]

I am a school teacher in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Plenty of places to camp for free were calling my name in a more permanent fashion. I love mountain biking so I wanted something I could boondock in for days at a time in blissful comfort. I found my Boler when a student overheard me talking about wanting to get a van or a camper. She said, "My mom has a camper she is selling" and it got my mind turning. I thought, "a camper, what would I do with that?" I had never thought much about getting one before as I have a Subaru Outback, but once she started talking about it, I realized it would be perfect. After I saw it, I fell in love. I knew that I could turn it into a tiny little house that I could live in and take with me anywhere I wanted to go.

Luckily, my parents have a big driveway, and my dad has a lot of tools. I immediately set about dismantling all the broken and beat parts and have been working on it steadily for a couple of weeks now. The beauty of being a teacher is that I have the summers off! I have plenty of time for working on the trailer and everyday I wake up excited to get to work!

I will have plenty of questions and probably as many unorthodox ideas for my Boler, but I look forward to its many challenges and adventures. My girlfriend loves it too!

[Donna D.]

Hi Chris to FiberglassRV, we're glad you're here

You lucky dog NOt only did you accidently find a trailer, but you have time to work on it too! Jealous here.

I like to thank military service personnel for their service to our country. But, I'd like to thank you too as a teacher of our youth. THEY are the future of our country!

Pictures? Do you have pictures to share?

[cmbloom]

Here is a shot of me the day I was dragging it home. I was excited to have it finally, I didn't pick it up until about a week after I paid for it.


Currently I have the interior removed (for the most part) and I am going to cover the Ensolite with some "rat fur" or Hulliner from www.perfectfit.com. I am unsure of how much material to order, but I will get that sorted out today. It sells in 1 square foot lengths, and Robert Johans of the EggPlant has informed me that I would need 250 sq feet to do my Boler. So, not being a math guy, does anyone know how many sq yards I should order? I'll figure it out one way or another.

I also plan to install some sort of wood stove in my Boler as I live in an area where you can't possibly run out of wood to burn for heat. I have the stock propane furnace and refrigerator, both of which work, but I want to upgrade appliances. Ill probably just forgo the fridge altogether, I can usually buy fresh food, or most things keep for a day or two in a cooler. For heat (which I'll need often, LONG winters) I'm going to do some sort of marine wood stove. I really like the look of the Navigator Stove Works SARDINE, but being more realistic, I'll probably have to resort to something that is lighter and smaller. We'll see about that... The SARDINE is about as cool and Moby Dick as you can get, and nothing would tie my rig together like a wonderful wood stove. I will be spending so much time in it and around the stove that I think it is key to have something that is equally beautiful and utilitarian. Money is not really that important either when considering cost, I'll be saving on other bills by shacking up in the Boler that it will come out ahead in the long run anyway.

I should mention that I'm going with a kind of Old World/Bavarian/gnome hut/living inside of a tree type of theme. I have made cabinet doors from raw lumber, left them virtually unstained save for a clear polyurethane coating. Curtains are currently green/brown and UGLY as far as I'm concerned, so I'll make new curtains, or have my girlfriend do it as she is a wiz seamstress and would enjoy the challenge. I'm going to paint cabinets dark brown probably, and do a big sheet of aluminum behind the stove/sink/cooktop as a classy and modern backsplash.

Some random pictures attached. My car and trailer, another couple who had a Scamp at WalMart, the interior, some dismantling. I'll post more pictures as I go.

Any and all advice is welcomed. Thanks!

[Evan Friesen]

Welcome! I like your ideas for the remodel and envy your location! My wife and I camped in Michigan and were so fascinated by all the amazing FREE camping. Some of the best camping we've ever done!

We also looked into a woodstove, but decided against complicating things ($$$) and just using our nice sleeping bags to stay warm. We also have a small Coleman propane heater if it's really really cold. Others here have done it though, if I recall correctly.

Oh...and since you pointed out that you are a school teacher...I felt that I should ask you if your thread title is grammatically correct. Wouldn't the correct title be "My Boler and I" or maybe even "My Boler and Me"?

Whatever the case... Teachers and Bolers rule! Enjoy reno'ing and camping in your "new" Boler!

[cmbloom]

The title is a tongue-in-cheek joke, Evan.


The U.P. as we call it is amazing, very different from lower Michigan. There is endless forest, hundreds of public lakes and miles of Lake Superior shoreline. What it lacks in cultural diversity, it makes up for in scenic beauty.

[rgrugg]

Perhaps if you had said about " my Boler and me", you would not have received the grammar comment. Anyway, do you know what makes being a teacher better? Be a RETIRED teacher. I'm talking from experience. Still from MI but below the bridge.

[Donna D.]

I think you should change the title to "It's my Boler and NOT Yours"

There, their, they're that should fix it just fine!

[cmbloom]

I always like kidding with others about grammar, it's especially fun to write things on the board to see if the students are paying attention!


What's better than living in lower Michigan? Living in the U.P.! :P

Got most for the fiberglass interior removed today... It's damn hot in there and that Ensolite is really stinking! Goodbye Elephant Hide!

Pics later today!

By the way, thanks everyone for replying so far, I'm new, but hopefully will earn my keep by contributing to the board as I work through my remodel.

[Evan Friesen]

I was just giving you a hard time because my english teacher gave me a hard time about it. English is a purebred mongrel of a language anyways. Also, this is a forum for FG travel trailer enthusiasts, not grammar snobs. I'm sure there are a million and a half forums for that...

I can tell you that the more pictures you post of your rebuild, the more people you will attract to ask for advice if you ever need it. EVERYONE loves pictures! It's like "Show and Tell" for big people...

[Thomas G.]

Welcome. I'm a Michigan troll (under the bridge), but I love camping in the UP.

I'd suggest camping in your Boler for a while before you do anything too major - then you will know just what your priorities and preferences are.

Just in case you were not kidding, 250 square feet is 28 square yards, though fabric tends to come in, I believe, 72 " widths and is sold by the linear yard. So, you would need 14 linear yards.

[Tonia]

The UP!!! LOVE the shores of Superior. I'm a Michigan Tech grad and now live in northern WI (after 10 yrs below the bridge). Pictured rocks and copper harbor are two of my favorite areas! Great camper! Can't wait to see how it comes along.

[David B.]

Scamp also sells what you need, and could tell you how much is required, as Scamps are almost a twin to your trailer.

[frank_a]

Lucky, lucky dude! Not only an egg at a (relatively) young age, but entire summers off! Arghhhh!

Enjoy!

Frank

[cmbloom]

I wasn't kidding about the fabric lengths, I'd have figured it out, but sometimes its easier to just ask people that already know. Plus, I didnt know the linear yard thing, so I already learned a lot!

Yeah, I like to think that I have my priorities where they need to be, at least for my lifestyle. I have been a part-time/full-time English and History teacher for the last 3 years (long story) and have usually worked in the summers, but not this year! I made it my goal to find/build a tiny house to live in, and the Boler just seemed too perfect.

I have been living out of a car off and on for the last 5 or so years so I have had a lot of time to think about what I want out of my living situation.

Here in no particular order are my major points:

Mobility- because I like to travel and to be able to drag the Boler anywhere behind my beloved Subaru is a dream come true.
Wood heat- the stuff is everywhere, it smells good, and I like cutting wood. Plus, its free if you know where to look.
Solar energy- again, free for the taking. I dont really use much electricity save for charging my phone and iPad, and the occasional light in the trailer, but I plan to switch to all LED lights during the remodel for obvious reasons.
No fridge- I'll use a cooler and go to the store or live without milk for a couple of days. I dont eat much meat as my partner is a vegetarian so I just eat what she eats. It keeps her happy and It's better for my health too.

Other ideas I have for the remodel include a fantastic fan, an additional passive roof vent, wood stove (hopefully a SARDINE from Navigator Stove Works), Reflectix insulation, Hulliner marine carpet lining throughout, custom cabinetry with a pull out stove under sink, an additional dinette where the gaucho bunks were, and new cabinet doors throughout which I already made but may have to modify.

I already went whole-hog on the gutting of the trailer. Some of the screws were totally toast so I had to cut grooves into their tops to make them into flathead screws and get the out that way. Fortunately I have worked on enough old junk over the years that I am careful not to do more damage than good when dismantling. Also, I keep everything organized as far as bits and pieces go so that if I ever need something, I havent thrown it away, yet.

It may be worth mentioning, but I am a recovering alcoholic with just about a year of sobriety under my belt (July 22) so to reward myself for positive life changes, I have decided that I am going to undertake a huge project (the Boler remodel) to prove to myself that I can do anything.

Enjoy the pictures so far...more to follow!

[Thomas G.]

Looks like you have a great start on the refurb. That furnace looks like the same one that UHauls came with, so if you take it out, it would be a kindness to sell it here rather than scrapping it.

[frank_a]

Great pics Chris, thanks! Boy, you really are going at it.

I think the Boler makes a great 1st anniversary gift... Good for you. Keep up the great work!

Frank

[cmbloom]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

Looks like you have a great start on the refurb. That furnace looks like the same one that UHauls came with, so if you take it out, it would be a kindness to sell it here rather than scrapping it.

Absolutely. I'm also planning to sell the fridge. I know the fridge works, I've fired up the propane and it got COLD. Furnace, not sure, but they seem simple enough, I'm sure it's refurbishable.

[Chillywilly]

I envy you! Can't wait for the time I get an Egg. Also, like your idea of the wood stove. Having lived most of my life in Northeast Ohio, one of the oddest things I miss is the wood stove. I loved the smell, the coziness on a winter evening, the whole thing. Let us know what you find to use as a woodburner. I probably won't have one as we live in the Southwest...but like the idea.