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Old 03-30-2022, 11:32 AM   #21
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Name: John
Trailer: 1979 Boler 1700
Michigan
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Boler 17 frame off tear-down

FerrisBoler (love the name), to add to my post above, check out Kevin Johnston youtube videos featuring a frame off tear down of a Boler 17, all of the videos (20 or so videos) found on this page:

https://www.youtube.com/user/kevinhenry61/videos
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Old 04-12-2022, 10:51 PM   #22
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Name: Ferris
Trailer: Boler
Saskatchewan
Posts: 26
Hey All,

So I did actually start the teardown and renovation. I have really benefitted from watching Kevin‘s videos over the years. I have probably watched his own project several times on YouTube and they were an inspiration. Also I started thinking about how to do this renovation last summer, specifically how to do insulation and mount cabinets, and only after thinking about it for a year and after having read about it for a long time did I start to feel comfortable. I basically have no construction or mechanical experience. Also I spoke to a lot of people along the way, including people at restoration shops.

We started the teardown, and the interior is half way done. I have actually solved the rivet issue (I will put my answer to that in my next video). I wanted to help out the Fibreglass RV community and document my travels so we actually started making a YouTube video! Let me be clear: it’s my first one and there are a lot of things to improve upon, namely some dead / quiet areas in the video. I hope to do something new with every video, so that overtime my videos become better. As we all know, great is the enemy of the good. Though I probably could’ve made it better, I wanted to just post it. I will enclose a link below.

Please see some photos from what we have done so far and the link to the video. I hope to maybe put up a video every week or two. Looking forward to people’s inputs.

Philip

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https://youtu.be/oOystSqQcvw
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Old 04-13-2022, 06:27 AM   #23
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Trailer: 1979 Boler 1700
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Looks like a fun project! Good luck!

Edit: That's not ensolite. Ensolite is ridiculously tough black closed cell foam rubber with an off white finish layer.
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Old 05-12-2022, 10:36 AM   #24
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Name: Ferris
Trailer: Boler
Saskatchewan
Posts: 26
Hey Boler Team!

A lot has happened since I last posted. I will put up a new video later today. The tear down is mostly complete, aside from the floor.

I was wondering if people could weigh in on what to do with the floor?

In summary, after we took off the linoleum we saw a new floor that had been placed by someone doing a renovation. After I took this off I found the original plywood floor. It looks to have been placed on top of the fibreglass supports, and then glassed into the sidewalls. However it is rotten in several locations.

My question is: how do people recommend that I remove this? I’ve seen people cut this 2 to 4 inches from the edge? However I don’t see why I can’t use a grinding wheel, and cut it right to the Fiberglass wall. at the seam at the edge. Because if it just sits on the fibreglass supports, there should be no downside to taking this right to the wall.

Also of interest, I notice techniques have been used to finish inside walls of these trailers:
-Reflectix +\- upholstery
-Balsa

I have seen Nomad Campers in ON use Lizard Skin.

However In talking to a fibreglass shop yesterday whom I plan to have fix the door, they recommend using a bedliner, such as Shake N’ Spray or Raptor. You have to have your cabinetry pre-installed, but apparently this gives a nice textured finish. FYI.. for those looking for options.
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Old 05-12-2022, 10:38 AM   #25
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Name: Ferris
Trailer: Boler
Saskatchewan
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Old 05-12-2022, 06:01 PM   #26
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Name: Francesca Knowles
Trailer: '78 Trillium 4500
Jefferson County, Washington State, U.S.A.
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Not familiar with Boler construction, but in most cases the plywood floor does make a structural contribution by "stiffening" the trailer some. This to reduce flexing of the trailer body and possible tearing/major cracking of the fiberglass. Mentioning this b/c I see a lot of rotten wood right in the doorframe area, those hairline cracks in the gelcoat next to the upper left edge of your door are likely caused by such flexing, and the adjacent tear might be too. It looks to me like the original floor goes all the way to the outside edges of the floor for stiffening purposes. It may even have started out mechanically attached to the base of the walls by glassing... Point being, this is your only chance to properly repair and replace that floor, do make sure you understand _all_ its mechanical functions before proceeding to cover it all up with interior components.
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Old 05-12-2022, 08:46 PM   #27
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Name: Ferris
Trailer: Boler
Saskatchewan
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Hi Francesca, for sure, that’s why I’m trying to do as much research as I can.

Admittedly, as the floor is so bad I will do some of that research by pulling the floor up and seeing where everything leaves.

One of my main questions is, is there a fibreglass ledge in the original molds, against the wall, that seats the plywood? Or, does the plywood simply sit on the bottom of the fibreglass and simply abut the walls before being glassed in. I think it is the latter.
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Old 05-13-2022, 11:16 AM   #28
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Name: Ferris
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Saskatchewan
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Hey So….

I could see a little bit of the fibreglass at the door frame because of the rotted wood so took a chance and cut a sample area just anterior to the door. What I discovered was that the three-quarter inch plywood sits on the fibreglass floor and is only glossed into the shell on the top. Thus, once you cut through this fibreglass connection right where the floor meets the wall, assuming the floor is free, it will lift right off.

To remove the plywood, there were some sunken bolts that I discovered only by cutting through one. Once I could identify them, I placed some cuts on all sides and the plywood lifts off.

I hope to post a video of my progress in the next few days. Also in the next few days I hope to figure out how to remove the bolts from the frame and shell. I will use my car jack on a scrap piece of wood to keep the ceiling lifted. Once that is done, I will try to lift the shell off the frame. Here are some pictures of what I did today.

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Old 05-14-2022, 11:03 AM   #29
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Name: Francesca Knowles
Trailer: '78 Trillium 4500
Jefferson County, Washington State, U.S.A.
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Excellent progress and pics!

A word of caution: I see you've removed ALL interior fixtures, which substantially weakens the shell itself...those center floor-to-ceiling units especially gave a lot of support to the roof and sides. Do you intend to put those back in place using the same methods as the factory did? If not, I suggest your next step after the floor to be figuring out how to restore the support the old cabinetry provided. And BEFORE trying to jack the whole body off the trailer frame!
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Old 05-14-2022, 11:37 AM   #30
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Name: Francesca Knowles
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Here's a pic of another gutted project trailer, its a Trillium but structurally very similar to a Boler and it started out with similar cabinetry to yours. Posting this so you can see early provisions being made for support restoration...
There are two build threads related to this trailer, if you study them very carefully you may avoid pitfalls BEFORE you fall into them, eh? This pic is from the first post of the longest thread, which can be found here: https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...man-57672.html. I think the other, older thread is linked to by someone in the first few responses on the newer. good luck!
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Old 05-15-2022, 12:21 PM   #31
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Name: Ferris
Trailer: Boler
Saskatchewan
Posts: 26
Hey,

Thanks for the good links! This looks like a good one. I will read through it. I am definitely learning as I go.

For now, all I have is a car jack holding up a beam to the top of the trailer. I am hoping this will be ok. I think that I will leave the rear plywood in place as I prepare to lift the camper off the frame to keep the strength. I’m hoping this is enough. We want to design a new interior, so didn’t need or want the old cabinetry.

For us, there were so many old design features that we wanted to update and make modern. The first was, all the holes in the exterior: way too many holes, especially the rivets. Not only did we want to eliminate the possibility of any leaks and close the rivet holes, we wanted to redesign the interior. So we took EVERYTHING off the outside. I plan to close up all the holes, and only have what is necessary.

I do appreciate the comments on structure: I think I will keep the rear plywood in place as I try to lift the shell off the frame this week. Any tips on how to do that is appreciated. So far I have seen Kevin Simpson’s video on YouTube and will likely try to do something similar.

Philip
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Old 05-17-2022, 01:39 PM   #32
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Name: Carl
Trailer: Boler
Alberta
Posts: 110
Quote:
Originally Posted by FerrisBoler View Post
Hey So….

I could see a little bit of the fibreglass at the door frame because of the rotted wood so took a chance and cut a sample area just anterior to the door. What I discovered was that the three-quarter inch plywood sits on the fibreglass floor and is only glossed into the shell on the top. Thus, once you cut through this fibreglass connection right where the floor meets the wall, assuming the floor is free, it will lift right off.

To remove the plywood, there were some sunken bolts that I discovered only by cutting through one. Once I could identify them, I placed some cuts on all sides and the plywood lifts off.

I hope to post a video of my progress in the next few days. Also in the next few days I hope to figure out how to remove the bolts from the frame and shell. I will use my car jack on a scrap piece of wood to keep the ceiling lifted. Once that is done, I will try to lift the shell off the frame. Here are some pictures
I can't speak for all bolers but my floor is all fibreglass. No plywood on top of anything, Was that something added later to yours? I think the trillium had a wood floor,
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Old 05-18-2022, 01:18 AM   #33
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A 100AH lithium battery fully charged will give you about 1 hour of medium electric heat, such as with a small ceramic fan heater. It will take a bright sunny day with no shade and 200W or larger solar panel to recharge that battery.

A 20 lb propane bottle and a small RV furnace will keep you toasty for a week or more of cold nights and mornings. $10-12 refill and do it all over again.
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Old 01-20-2023, 03:37 AM   #34
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Name: Ferris
Trailer: Boler
Saskatchewan
Posts: 26
New YouTube Video Upload

Hey all! I finally compiled the rest of the footage from the end of my teardown last summer, and posted it at the following link:

https://youtu.be/8d6WvCAyxTo

Not video-taped, due to the stress and number of people involved, as the process where we:
-Lifted up the Boler
-Wheeled out the metal frame
-Had the frame upgraded
-Put back the frame and lowered the fiberglass shell
-Secured the shell to the frame
-Towed it to the new location for work over the winter.

I will try to address these in a post soon, but wanted to get the video up, to help anybody else thinking of the own project, as I learnt a lot along the way.
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Old 01-21-2023, 08:46 PM   #35
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Name: Ferris
Trailer: Boler
Saskatchewan
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Working on the fiberglass, using mostly 80 grit on an orbital sander. Wearing full safety gear.

Any tips on how to get that old floor glue / fiberglass off?

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Also, is the outer railing necessary? On the inside, the two halves are glassed together - could I simply remove? I would like to change it at a minimum - any tips, assuming I need to keep it, on where to find a replacement?

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Working hard on the trailer. Anticipate being done fiberglass sanding in about a week. After that, I will install the new floor!

Philip
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Old 01-22-2023, 05:19 PM   #36
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Name: Eric
Trailer: Boler
TN
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Okay so here is the deal with the rub rail. In order to remove it you would need to add additional layers of glass to the interior. No big deal. Then you would need to grind off the flange material and lay a couple of layers of glass over it to ensure a good solid bond between top and bottom. The biggest issue is all the sanding / grinding to get a smooth exterior surface. One plus to doing this is that one of the common water entry points is that seam.

The issue with the glue and fiberglass removal is more sanding.
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Old 01-22-2023, 09:41 PM   #37
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Name: John
Trailer: Scamp 1995 19'
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Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz View Post
A 100AH lithium battery fully charged will give you about 1 hour of medium electric heat, such as with a small ceramic fan heater. It will take a bright sunny day with no shade and 200W or larger solar panel to recharge that battery.

A 20 lb propane bottle and a small RV furnace will keep you toasty for a week or more of cold nights and mornings. $10-12 refill and do it all over again.
lol, no doubt that^^^^^
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Old 01-23-2023, 09:51 PM   #38
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Name: Ferris
Trailer: Boler
Saskatchewan
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Thanks Eric! I think we will just leave the rail - the last thing I need is more Fiberglass work :S. Still looking for ideas on where to find a replacement, if anyone knows of that.

Lol and yes… still haven’t decided on the power situation yet, but we will see.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the best way to fill all the rivet holes? I initially removed all rivets with a 3/16 bit. There’s probably 100 holes to fill, up to a 1/4 inch. Doing individual Fiberglass repair on them all seems too much. And I don’t want to use a cheap body filler. Has anyone used a fiberglass hair product? Seems like the way to go: prep, backing tape, apply, scrape, sand flat.

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Old 01-25-2023, 11:48 AM   #39
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Name: Dave W
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Alberta
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FerrisBoler View Post
Does anyone have any thoughts on the best way to fill all the rivet holes? I initially removed all rivets with a 3/16 bit. There’s probably 100 holes to fill, up to a 1/4 inch. Doing individual Fiberglass repair on them all seems too much. And I don’t want to use a cheap body filler. Has anyone used a fiberglass hair product? Seems like the way to go: prep, backing tape, apply, scrape, sand flat.
I would counter sink the holes to increase the surface area of exposed glass, then use a short strand filler to fill the holes. Since there is no real stress involved, this would be fine.
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Old 01-25-2023, 12:24 PM   #40
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Name: Ferris
Trailer: Boler
Saskatchewan
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So I have unfortunately run into a major problem I think.

After removing the frame last fall, I had some excess pieces removed (propane tanks, gas lines), and a rear hitch and new front jack installed. Here are pictures of the frame before and after:

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I then moved the Fiberglass trailer and frame to my new rented workshop. I had some concerns when I arrived, as when I jacked up the front, the bumper was not flat, but rather lower on the right.

I had to remove the rear portion to accommodate the support bar for the new rear hitch:

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Upon doing so, the problem became clear. I didn’t notice this prior to dropping the frame to my trailer guy, possibly due to all the rust. And also, I thought this was something that would have been picked up, though he says he just didn’t see it while installing the rear hitch (I’m not impressed). However there is a crimp in the frame, visible newer the axle. Here is a close up photo:

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I feel pretty embarrassed and stupid. This would likely also explain some of the door issues.

Here is a picture down the back rail of the trailer:

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Keep in mind that only the rear of the trailer is jacked up, to have allowed me to saw off the rear portion as described above, hence why the Fiberglass does not sit on the frame rails. However, it might show that the rails are not flat.

Anyways, I don’t want to continue building a floor and interior on this bent frame, as it will probably keep bending. I’m so crushed. I’ve already spent $ on the frame, and now it looks like I will need to replace it. But better to find out now than later. I still want to continue with the Reno, just don’t need this headache.

I’m looking into some local options, but if I wanted to have a “boondocking-level” frame built, where would I go for that? I am in Saskatoon, so would be interested in hearing about options from MB to AB. Thanks for people’s input.

Philip
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