Hunting for my fiberglass dream :)

[Ginfulk10]

Hi all! Thought I would post in here and introduce myself as I have posted a couple times in the classifieds!

My name is Ginny and I am new to the fiberglass camper community. I previously owned a 1972 Nomad that I completely restored with my parents and boyfriend and took on a summer long road trip across the US. Sadly, a gust of wind from a passing semi caught our camper and sent us fishtailing and then rolling, totaling our truck and beloved vintage camper. Thankfully, my boyfriend and I were totally unharmed but are a little scarred from pulling a larger camper.

We discovered fiberglass campers and love how light and easy to tow they are and are now on the hunt to purchase one of our own! I love the Hunter Compact campers and Bolers but am open to anything really!

I live in southern Alabama and am able to travel about a days drive. My parents live in Illinois so if there are any available up there they are also able to check it out for me if needed. Looking for something under 7k depending on condition and open to a little bit of a fixer upper. Let me know what ya got!

Thanks for reading and I am so happy to have found this community!

[John in Santa Cruz]

under $7K is likely going to be a basket case fiberglass. the shell will be intact, but everything else, appliances, etc, are likely going to be old and broken down and in need of complete refurbishing.

[thrifty bill]

This pandemic has driven up the prices of all RVs. Molded FG trailers were never cheap, but recent prices have gone that much higher.


Be cautious on the term fiver upper. These trailers tend to not just have "cosmetics" issues. Instead, you can find frame damage, floor rot, electrical problems and more. While the fiberglass shells tend to be indestructible, everything else is not. Trying to revive the fridge in my 1977 Trillium right now. Time will tell how that works out. Modern RV refrigerators are expensive, and will not fit either.....


Read some of the threads on projects some people have undertaken. Its amazing the work some have done, starting with removing the body of the trailer from the frame and building a new frame!


The easiest way to find some of those threads is to click on the manufacturers tab on the upper right, then choose a manufacturer you are interested in. Then look at some of the long project threads people have posted. Do you have the time/tools/aptitude/covered work area to undertake such a project? If so, it could be a lot of fun.

[vintageracer]

Buy one DONE!

Learn all you can about fiberglass trailers. Go look at anything that comes up for sale close to you within a 3-6 hour drive whether you are interested in the trailer or not. Become an INFORMED BUYER!

The best way to do that is to look at a lot of trailers and LEARN what is good and what can be bad about fiberglass trailers in general and whatever specific make or model fits your fancy in specific.

IF you can't afford a DONE TRAILER NOW go save $500-$1000/month for the next 6 months until you can! During that 6 months continuing to look at and learn all you can about fiberglass trailers.

As noted above all your current budget will buy you in today's fiberglass trailer market is another project trailer. Is that what you really want? Probably not!

Don't worry about paying to much for a trailer worry more about buying a POS trailer! You can avoid the POS trailer by looking and learning while you save MO MONEY to have a budget to buy the trailer you want in USE IT NOW ready to enjoy condition.

With so many people out there right now looking for fiberglass trailers of any make/model NOW is a great time for SELLERS to DUMP THEIR JUNK TRAILERS on uninformed buyers with a big dream, no money, no time and no skills to rebuild that junk trailer they just purchased.

Don't be that UNIFORMED BUYER!

[Ginfulk10]

Thank you for all the advice! will keep all of it in mind while I search for the right one!

[alan H]

Have you looked at this site
Scroll down past the featured trailer and look at listing on left side
Sometimes the hunt is half the fun

https://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/

[John in Santa Cruz]

go to one of hte fiberglass rallys, and tent camp, and introduce yourself to the other rally members, most are happy to show off their trailers.

[Barb S]

I have a 2003 Casita Spirit Deluxe that I am about to put up for sale. She is in great condition. I have fixed her up a bit with new heat strip, new Fantastic fan, new propane regulator and new propane canisters (full), new exterior vent caps, new handles, new hinges, new tires in 2020 including spare and other small items. She is fully functional. I am asking $14,000 but she is ready to roll. I am located in Northern Alabama.

[jamwolfe1950]

Don't be put off by the size of the trailer or the tow vehicle. Bigger is actually easier to tow. It's more difficult in other ways - fuel mileage, parking space. Your accident experience may have been caused by several factors, all of which can be mitigated and made less likely to happen again. Anti-sway and weight distributing hitches help. Making sure tongue weight is high enough helps avoid sway. Heavier rigs, in general, react less to side winds and vortices from passing vehicles. There are LOTS of different ways to go. Let not your hearts be troubled!

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by jamwolfe1950

Don't be put off by the size of the trailer or the tow vehicle. Bigger is actually easier to tow. It's more difficult in other ways - fuel mileage, parking space. Your accident experience may have been caused by several factors, all of which can be mitigated and made less likely to happen again. Anti-sway and weight distributing hitches help. Making sure tongue weight is high enough helps avoid sway. Heavier rigs, in general, react less to side winds and vortices from passing vehicles. There are LOTS of different ways to go. Let not your hearts be troubled!

+10 Common misperception that lighter, smaller, trailers are less likely to sway. In fact, a small, light weight trailer, improperly loaded, can cause even a large tow vehicle to be crashed. I've seen empty flatbed trailers roll large tow vehicles.

If tongue weight is too low, a trailer will sway, and severe sway will lead to a crash. Improper braking can also create sway. I've got to wonder if the OP's trailer had properly working brakes?

The one below shows a full sized GM SUV being rolled towing an empty flatbed car trailer. Surely it was well under the tow capacity of this vehicle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uvPIjaK01A

[k0wtz]

speed and more speed! slow down stay safe!