1978 Boler 1700 Before and After

[Rene]

We purchased our boler just over a year ago now. It was found for sale beside the highway in a hayfield. We went camping in it near home right to find out what was wrong with it and started fixing it up right away. Once winter hit it had to sit until this spring and we went out in it again as soon as the snow had melted. Then it was back to work on it. Here are some pics of our progress.

[Rene]

Here it is on a trip to Vancouver Island this summer. I still need to add the striping around the belly band. Probably wont be till next spring at this point. Plan to use two tones of blue vinyl striping.

[Rene]

Will post more pics later. We also have some pics of our new upholstered cushions. We are very pleased with the transformation from the dowdy 70's look to contemporary.

[Donna D.]

Nice looking!! Yep, already looking forward to seeing your pictures of the interior

[Rene]

Here is a shot of us boondocking in my grandmothers apple orchard.

[Crackedegg]

Hi,
I'm just starting a reno on a 1700 any advice would be awesome! Did you do any work on the windows? The trim around mine have dried and shrunk and leak so I need to fix them I'm just not sure how yet.
Thanks
F.R.ägg Owner!

[Rene]

Hey Cracked, My windows seem to be sealed fine at this point but I did find that for sealing fixtures to the exterior shell, Butyl tape is really great stuff. The original sealant is grey putty tape which is inferior to butyl tape. Should be lots of info here at FGRV on redoing the windows.

[kootenaigirl]

That looks great, one of the nicest big Bolers I've seen. We want more pics!
What kind of paint did you use?

[Rene]

Originally Posted by kootenaigirl

That looks great, one of the nicest big Bolers I've seen. We want more pics!
What kind of paint did you use?

Thanks. As far as pics go we are experiencing technical difficulties at the moment. Please stand by.

We used off brand rust paint from Canadian Tire. The paint is the easy part. Applying it is where the rubber meets the road.

[Rene]

OK now hopefully this is less of a trip report and more trailer pics. First more of the exterior.

[Rene]

The front. The boler name painstakingly hand painted by my wife.

[Rene]

New vent hoods and hinge pins (really helps sagging door)

[Rene]

Step painted black and outfitted with a outdoor turf step rug making it easier to clean your feet of all the dirt that seems to be everywhere we are.

[Rene]

Betcha thought you would never get inside eh? Here is the dining room. We keep the table set up most of the time.

[Rene]

The kitchen which we use a lot. The cabinets and paneling inside have been restained the original colour using a gelled stain and then refinished with a wiping varnish. The ensolite interior was completely repainted with flat white latex ceiling paint after reglueing the sags and filling the cracks with latex caulk.

[Rene]

The bathroom door, closet, fridge, and furnace. We completely forgot to take a picture of the bathroom but it is in original condition and we have not had to change anything there yet. We cannot imagine doing without our toilet and shower not to mention the fridge and furnace.

[Rene]

The bed which is always set up but can be made into a couch.

[Rene]

And now I proudly present the results of my wifes handiwork making cushion covers. Made from real nice heavy upholstery fabric (doityourselfupholstery.com) A synthetic fibered woven fabric of the type used in planes, trains, and buses backed by a tough super flexible vinyl to make the cushions moisture and mold resistant. Nylon zippers complete the openings. The only thing we left out from the original cushions is the piping around the edges. We do not miss it. Everything is sewn on a regular singer sewing machine with a heavy needle and bonded nylon thread. I think they are better than the originals in every way.

[Rene]

More of the cushions front, back, and sides.

[Rene]

There they are in place. The foam was still in great shape with lots of dense support. Lucky us.