My Thoughts on Carefree Trailers

[robeye]

I do believe I'm qualified to give my thoughts on this. If you look back on my postes here on FGRV you will see I've fully restored three old Fiberglass trailers in the last five years. Some were in disastrous states of the hurt'n kind. The Boler with a frame so bad it was darn near sitting on the ground..and a bent body to prove it. And talk about bad. The Scamp had most of the floor removed and the body was resting on the frame at the edges. Now that was fun getting it back home. That was more of a story then replacing the floor. The Surfside was a big mess.. OK all this is to tell you I know the bad stuff when I see it. I presently went to look at Possibly a new project. 1985 Carefree. I'm not going to say where , and the guy selling it was great. However the trailer was not. and I'm not caring about things needing fixing.. That's a given on a almost fifty year old anything. It's the way it's built. The frame uses such small metal tube. And the smallest leaf springs I've ever seen ? My 4x8 utility trailer is beefier. And then tons of wood inside.. And that never stands the test of time. It looked like a ton of work.. So I passed. There doesn't seem to be many of these out there, especially with a bathroom.. Yup it had that .. not working but it was factory. Anyone have one of these.. kept it alive.. I could have done the work.. new frame fix the non working plumbing, electrical stuff. De lambing plywood cabinets, flaking paint inside and out. But that costs lots ..and the price was way to high to afford the work. So Sad.

[ShelbyM]

Maybe enough folks will see this thread, be dissuaded and the price will come down to what suits you!

[robeye]

Well that would be nice. but not happening. He paid too much and is trying to get his money back.. Can't blame him for that. It's just not going to be me that helps him out..

[Iowa Dave]

I think your analysis could be of considerable assistance to someone trying to make a restoration decision. Like the owner you described, it’s easy to like the concept of restoration and easier to love dreaming about the final perfect outcome. However, the reality of the long, long journey to restore a short short trailer and the costs and time involved are of greatest consideration. Your listing of all the systems, structural components and final finishes that need consideration should be a checklist for anyone considering a project like this. Thanks for posting.
Iowa Dave

[Doug Payne]

I had a Carefree trailer briefly years ago. Probably the lightest built trailer of the 30+ that I've owned. The fiberglass shell was also very thin.