Hi My name is Hannah

[Mspotentialseer]

Hello everyone,

I just brought home a new to me beachcomber B15 trailer in need of some tlc. I have been doing a lot of reading and it looks like I have quite the journey ahead of me. If there is anyone in and around Calgary, Alberta that can give me some tips for sourcing fibreglass material, paint, a good welder, a fair axle/carriage servicer or anything else anyone can think of, I’d be keen to hear about it! Any chance anyone has a manual?

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Mspotentialseer

Hello everyone,

I just brought home a new to me beachcomber B15 trailer in need of some tlc. I have been doing a lot of reading and it looks like I have quite the journey ahead of me. If there is anyone in and around Calgary, Alberta that can give me some tips for sourcing fibreglass material, paint, a good welder, a fair axle/carriage servicer or anything else anyone can think of, I’d be keen to hear about it! Any chance anyone has a manual?

Welcome to FGRV Hannah. There may be something in the sites document center for a manual but most are pretty bare of info as any options are covered by the manufacturer. How about some pics of your B15?

[k corbin]

Fiberglass material is very easy to find. Just go to an auto parts supply store, boating supply store or a regular hardware store. They all carry fiberglass repair materials.

[Capn.Curt.Wiebe]

Originally Posted by Mspotentialseer

Hello everyone,

I just brought home a new to me beachcomber B15 trailer in need of some tlc. I have been doing a lot of reading and it looks like I have quite the journey ahead of me. If there is anyone in and around Calgary, Alberta that can give me some tips for sourcing fibreglass material, paint, a good welder, a fair axle/carriage servicer or anything else anyone can think of, I’d be keen to hear about it! Any chance anyone has a manual?

Hannah:

Depending on how much fiberglass you need, good ol' Canadian Tire sells fiberglass repair kits that work pretty well. Some have both mat and cloth, others just have the resin & hardener. They also have Bondo for other repairs.

I have used these on my Trillium 4500.


Curt in Edmonton

[Kai in Seattle]

If you get Bondo, get Bondo Hair, or the kind that states specifically for fiberglass patching and fairing. It's designed for using on fiberglass. Also, watch some YouTube videos about working with fiberglass repairs...there are many available (often using boats) and show you great techniques and how the two different kinds work.


See the thread, "Fear of Fiberglassing" here on FGRV for some pointers and a newbie's learning curve. Lots of other fiberglass threads here, too...LOTS!


BEST
Kai

[Tom 72]

Welcome, you aren't alone. Just in the past day or two I recall someone saying a discarded shower stall could be a good source of fiberglass. Some areas have stores for second hand building materials, like Habitat For Humanity's Re-Store. The soap dish faces the inside, I think.

[Kai in Seattle]

We found a free "all-in-one" bus/van bathroom on Craigslist and cut up, it was great for all the larger holes in Peanut.

[David Tilston]

Hana, I am in Calgary. There are several other members in Calgary. Lots of help available.

The Beachcomber manual is in the Document Center:
Fiberglass RV - Document Center - Beachcomber

[MurrayC]

Welcome Hannah
I see somebody suggested Canadian tire for fiberglass. NO NO and No
Do not buy folded fiberglass mat. You cannot get the wrinkle out of it where it has been folded. A boat store I found is the best place to go. Also make sure you get the proper resin that is compatible with your trailers fiberglass. Yes this is a learning curve.
It is interesting and you will get through it. Do one thing at a time. Don't think of the whole project all the time. Do one thing and move onto the next.
Do some planning before you start. If redoing the whole trailer you might want to change the layout a bit as in some people when redoing a 13 boler take out the front bunk and make this a dinette. Go for it and enjoy the journey.

[Mspotentialseer]

Wow, such great information! Thanks everyone. I see that uploading photos isn’t very straight forward from my phone? I guess I’ll have to use my laptop?
I just went out and bought a fibreglass repair kit as well as the glass thread stuff in a can from Canadian tire, mastercraft brand.

One step at a time... my first step was to replace a shattered vent cover, where I saw thousands of “steps” cracks all over the place in the gel coat... I don’t think that there is a single square inch of intact clean painted fibreglass ☹️.

I looked closer at my beachcomber and I think I may need more than a “kit”. The under carriage is showing quite a bit of exposed fibreglass. I think it was pulled over lots of gravel roads, because all
The propane lines look pretty shot up (not much left).

I’ll get some photos up as soon as I figure it out!

Thanks everyone!

[Mspotentialseer]

Here are a few pictures. I didn't go out to get a good series, this is just what I had from the PO and some randoms that I took recently.

I will have to do some youtube-ing to see what to do about the areas that look like the last photo in the wheel well (there are many of these "bare spots" under the trailer. I've already watched a few showing to grind the crack grooves open... that seems very daunting, as this trailer has a gazillion cracks!

[k corbin]

Looking at those photos you will certainly be putting in quite a lot of hours filling and fairing. You should be able to get through several audio books before you are done with that job. That helps distract you from the tedium of the tasks.


Preparing the small cracks for filler. Diamonds are a girls best friend. As in a Dremel motor with diamond coated burrs chucked into it. Also a fiber
cutoff wheel disc which turns the Dremel into a mini angle grinder. When doing a lot of hours of work it makes a real difference to not have to hang onto a heavy tool that is typically a poor fit in a woman's hands.



Working underneath...roll up a towel, wrap with some duct tape and put it under your neck for support while you work.


You will also need good goggles that fit snugly to your face. Do not use the kind that have a lot of small holes in them for venting, the fiberglass dust will go into them when working underneath the trailer. I learned that the hard way. Instead get the version in the image below that has a capped vent on them. I bought my pair at Lowes. Before you remove the goggles, brush the dust out of your hair and off your forehead. Then bend over while taking the goggles off. That keeps debris from falling off the top of the goggles and also falling out of your hair down into your eyes. Another lesson learned the hard way.

[Mspotentialseer]

Great tips, thank you.

I will be sure to use my dremel and I have many diamond and carbide burs. I’m wondering if after I pressure wash and start grinding, is there a way to clean the areas that are to be filled to ensure that no dirt or dust gets trapped in the repair?