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Old 12-11-2014, 09:50 PM   #1
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Name: Juanita
Trailer: Beachcomber
Manitoba
Posts: 11
just bought a beachcomber

Hi I am Juanita. I just brought home a sad little beachcomber b15. The fridge, counter, stove, and heater have all been removed. But that is okay with me
mostly I'm wanting a bed on wheels with a locking door. The roof had leaked so the whole ceiling needs to be removed. On the plus side all the windows are intact! I will try to attach pictures.
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DSC_1369.jpg   DSC_1365.jpg  

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Old 12-11-2014, 11:42 PM   #2
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This is awesome. Please post pics as you fix her up!


Ben Moffett
Greenville SC
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Old 12-12-2014, 08:33 AM   #3
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Trailer: '88 Scamp 16, layout 4
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Looks like a mightly fine start. Glad somebody will save, use, and love it. Keep posting pics as you make progress!
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Old 12-13-2014, 11:53 AM   #4
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That is wonderful. Dedicate some time and effort and you can have a great little EGG to call your own. Two thumbs up.
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Old 12-13-2014, 12:10 PM   #5
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Name: Larry & Joyce
Trailer: 1974 Trillium 1300
Fergus Ontario
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GREAT find! So it needs work. So did mine & a lot of others. You'll have the envy & curiousity of the campground if you do it right & something you can enjoy for many years!
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Old 12-19-2014, 08:33 PM   #6
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Name: Juanita
Trailer: Beachcomber
Manitoba
Posts: 11
Thanks so much for your encouraging words! After looking at my poor little beachcomber last night (it's at my parents farm for now) I was feeling rather overwhelmed at the work ahead. But reading this page has again motivated me to get to work. At the moment I can't afford much "pretty" as firstly I need to make it structurally sound. But there will be time for pretty later. I'm so happy to have found this amazing website!
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Old 12-19-2014, 08:51 PM   #7
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Congrats. You should bring it out to St Malo Provincial Park for the Manitoba Fiberglass and Vintage Camper Rally the 3rd weekend of August.

Rick

Quote:
Originally Posted by earthchild View Post
Thanks so much for your encouraging words! After looking at my poor little beachcomber last night (it's at my parents farm for now) I was feeling rather overwhelmed at the work ahead. But reading this page has again motivated me to get to work. At the moment I can't afford much "pretty" as firstly I need to make it structurally sound. But there will be time for pretty later. I'm so happy to have found this amazing website!
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Old 03-31-2015, 07:03 PM   #8
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Name: Juanita
Trailer: Beachcomber
Manitoba
Posts: 11
So i did not get any work done all winter on my poor little beachcomber. So yesterday was D-day... demolition day! I managed to get the interior completely gutted except for the closet as that seems to be the only thing keeping the roof from complete cave in. I am now realizing that I will need to remove all the windows in order to reframe and reseal them. I am worried about the damage I found at the front corner though. There is quite a hole with pitting in the front. I am almost too overwhelmed at this point to continue trying to repair it! Help!?!
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Old 03-31-2015, 07:09 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by earthchild View Post
So i did not get any work done all winter on my poor little beachcomber. So yesterday was D-day... demolition day! I managed to get the interior completely gutted except for the closet as that seems to be the only thing keeping the roof from complete cave in. I am now realizing that I will need to remove all the windows in order to refrain and reseal them. I am worried about the damage I found at the front corner though. There is quite a hole with pitting in the front. I am almost too overwhelmed at this point to continue trying to repair it! Help!?!
Breathe Juanita, just breathe. Make a list of all the items you need to do to make it clean, usable and safe to go down the road. Tackle one thing, from beginning to end, then move on to the next thing. Don't try to do everything at once, you'll never get it done, get stressed and lose any motivation.

Remember, it doesn't need to be perfect. Just perfect for you.

Good luck!
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Old 03-31-2015, 07:10 PM   #10
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Name: Juanita
Trailer: Beachcomber
Manitoba
Posts: 11
Here are the pictures.
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DSC_0157.jpg  
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Old 03-31-2015, 07:38 PM   #11
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Name: Larry & Joyce
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Fergus Ontario
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Ditto on Donna's comments. Also, is there someone who can help you with some of the repairs? A second person helping adds a lot of motivation & vision. Take it easy - you'll get there. And fibreglass repairs are messy but not that difficult. If you type "fiberglass repairs" in youtube you'll get all kinds of results.
I don't see many beachcombers - You have a classic. It'll be worth it!
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Old 03-31-2015, 07:54 PM   #12
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Trailer: (Dark side)Crossroads Now
Glade Valley, North Carolina
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Congrats and welcome to the forum
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Old 04-01-2015, 10:34 AM   #13
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Name: Juanita
Trailer: Beachcomber
Manitoba
Posts: 11
Thanks Donna D for the great advice! I must admit I am easily overwhelmed at times. I'm also on a deadline as I need to have it ready for at least an air mattress on the floor by mid July. And I very much want to do it right and not have to backtrack and make mistakes. Money is also tight so I'm only doing what needs to be done for safety right now. Which also involves getting a hitch put on my car when I can afford it. Sigh.... okay. Step one... finish ripping out floor and closet....after that not sure if I should remove it from the frame or not. I've looked at it and it seems okay, no visible rust or cracks.

Question for others that have done this... there is a Crack in the fiberglass above where the closet currently sits and the roof has sagged down at least a couple of inches overall. Do I reframe the roof first or patch the fiberglass first?
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Old 04-01-2015, 12:43 PM   #14
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Name: Steve
Trailer: Scamp 13
California
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Brace up the roof where its supposed to be and repair the fiber glass. Then re-frame.

The first thing you need to do is get a big white board and draw a line down the center.
While working on the trailer list all the things you need to do to make this trailer your happy place.
Then as you go along sort the priority on the other side of the line so your working and spending money on the most important stuff first. You have a camping deadline of July so gut the trailer, repair the floor, repack the wheel bearings, run trailer wires for the lights side markers turn signals and license plate light. Make side markers functional. Check and assess the tires and spare. Make sure they are safe.
Check brakes if you have them and get your tug ready to tow. Then move inside and research what structure is supposed to be there to support the roof. Now is the time to add support for an air conditioner even if you don't plan to use one. Now add the framing to support the door and the roof. At this point it is now safe to use as a hard sided tent so you can camp and contemplate how to get your list done given the constraints in you day to day life. Nothing is more pleasing than crossing stuff of the white board. Work in day to day goals and stop focusing on the whole picture. Small accomplishments keep you more motivated than big dreams that don't seem to get done. This also keeps you from spending money on the stuff you don't need yet and being stopped because you don't have the money you need for parts to keep you going. Yet you have a big pile of parts that you can't put in yet.
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Old 04-09-2015, 07:23 PM   #15
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Name: Juanita
Trailer: Beachcomber
Manitoba
Posts: 11
Got some more work done today. Or rather destruction! More than half of the floor is gone as well as the closet now which only leaves the other half of the floor. I have a question though regarding the structure: the front of the camper has noticeably sagged and has bounced on the frame causing damage to the fiberglass on both sides on the front. I believe this has happened because one or more of the bolts connecting to the frame in the back of the camper have let go. How do I fix this? Obviously I will fix the loose bolt but how do I reverse the sag so this doesn't happen again? If you look at the photo above you can see the sag.
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Old 04-11-2015, 08:35 AM   #16
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Name: Christian
Trailer: Escape 2017, 17B
Florida
Posts: 257
Hi Juanita,
I suggest you start with the frame. If you have loose or bad bolts, the continued movement as you tow will damage any repair you do to the shell.
Then work on the needed roof support so the shell keeps its shape and is sturdy.
Next I would repair/ clean up the shell so that it is weather tight.
After that address what you need to tow safely. There are some ways to attach lights that are not permanent, but will let you tow safely.
Once these are done, I say pack and camp. Take along a notebook or journal and notice what you want or need to be comfortable.
After a couple of trips you will know what to do next.
Do remember before your first tow that loose items move around A LOT when these little campers are in motion. I suggest using plastic containers to hold your stuff and bungees or tie downs to hold the containers. Just don't anchor items to the fiberglass walls, they don't do well with sideways forces.

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Old 04-11-2015, 08:27 PM   #17
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Name: Juanita
Trailer: Beachcomber
Manitoba
Posts: 11
Thanks for you're reply Lisa. No worries about me doing more damage to this trailer. As I've mentioned above it is mostly gutted now just waiting for me to have more time to work on it. It still needs both tires replaced and I need a hitch on my car as well.

My question right now is how to fix the damage on the front where the frame has broken through the fiberglass. Reattaching the bolts will not be enough to correct the sag. I have seen on some other beachcomber photos that others have likely done the same repair but how did they fix the front sag?

Juanita
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Old 04-11-2015, 10:08 PM   #18
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Name: Christian
Trailer: Escape 2017, 17B
Florida
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There's lots of forums, look for one for your trailer type. I bet someone has dealt with the same or similar trouble .

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Old 04-11-2015, 10:32 PM   #19
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Name: Juanita
Trailer: Beachcomber
Manitoba
Posts: 11
I have read pretty much every beachcomber forum entry including all the restoration ones and cannot find the answer to my question so I'm hoping someone will see this and be able to help or maybe point me in the right direction. Maybe the answer is there and I just missed it!
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Old 04-12-2015, 01:56 PM   #20
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Name: Rolly
Trailer: Beachcomber
Manitoba
Posts: 4
Hi,

You are not the only one with this problem. I too am rebuilding a Beachcomber and have some of the same issues as you do, although maybe not as bad as yours. I did read in one of the forums that one guy added extra frame supports in the corners where it sagged. Mine is sagging between the wheel well and the door. I'm thinking of running an angle iron underneith the shell and anchoring it to the two frame supports on that side (under the door). I will have to cut it at some places to make it fit properly, but i will weld where i need to in order to have one solid piece.
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