New owner 1975 13' Boler in Nova Scotia

[Jeannette in NS]

We have made the leap! We couldn't bring it home today but within a week it will be here. Our plan is to use it basically as is for 2-3 years and then we'd like to completely restore it. There's a TON of info on here - I get sidetracked every time I read something.

For starters I want to replace the cushions - I'm not a fan of 40 year old foam. I'm not sure I want to spend $$$ just yet so if anyone can suggest a quick fix to get us through that would be wonderful.

Is there any reason to keep using the original or am I correct in thinking they should probably be replaced?

[Rick Mooyman]

I would spend the money on new foam and coverings for the cushions sooner rather then later. A good night sleep is worth every penny you spend on it.

Other mods can wait as you see what does and does not work for you as time goes on. Use it on weekends and make your mods during the week and then if you have the facilities to do major work over the winter.

[Jeannette in NS]

Thank you - I will take that advice - I don't operate well on a bad nights sleep!

[Cathi]

Welcome, Jeannette! May you have many wonderful trips in your Boler. We hope to see photos when you get it home.

[Jeannette in NS]

Thanks, here's a first pic of it...

[Cathi]

Oh, so cute. Looks like a nice paint job.

[David B.]

Jeannette, congratulations on your new purchase. It looks really nice, like somewhere along it's history someone did some restorations. Are you sure the cushions are the original? Are they uncomfortable or do they have an odor? If not, just enjoy using them. If the covers are worn out, you can just replace the covers......Scamp sells them cheeper than you can make them.
Dave & Paula

[1ATony]

Welcome to the site, it's great to have you here

Tony

[Jeannette in NS]

Thanks - they are the original. I will do a little research through Scamp

[Borden]

Nice little gem you have, may it bring many years of enjoyment.

[Boler Babe]

Welcome to the wonderful life of Boler travelling!! An item which we had installed in our 13 foot Boler is a Hot Water On Demand System - no more boiling water for dishes and for me it's boiling enough for tea! We are travelling to Nova Scotia this summer (alas by plane and not with the Boler....) and looking forward to exploring your province! Hopefully there are some Fiberglass Egg meets in Nova Scotia where you can meet up with other like-minded folks and have fun camping together! We have had ours for about 6 years now and have put on many happy miles and made so many memories and I wish you the same!

[Jeannette in NS]

Thanks! There is an annual meet I believe it's in PEI.

I emailed Scamp and the cushions are $650 plus $250 for shipping. With the exchange that puts us at $1000 all in which is a little high - we plan to restore it in 2 years so I don't want to commit to that until we do more planning. I'm going to check with Trillium and a local foam/cover supplier. Worst case I may do it myself to get us through these first 2 years.

What hot water system did you go with? That does sound like a worth while convenience. I'm also considering an induction burner for times when we don't want to cook outside or heat up inside too much

[trilliumdan]

a good nights sleep is well worth it , but i think your rite , 1,000. is a little steep . im in ontario and know a person that does that kind of thing , and for approx half that price . so shop around , im sure you can do better , Happy trails . Enjoy . sleep well . Dan

[Boler Babe]

I was able to find a photo we took of the hot water on demand we have under the sink. Hope this helps you!

[Jeannette in NS]

That's great I just sent you an email

[Jeannette in NS]

Today is pick up day!!!

We don't know yet if it will fit through our garage door so we may need to go to Princess Auto for small wheels.

I'm mentally prepared for some leaks - any tips on finding the usual suspects?

[Ian G.]

Hello, Welcome and Congratulations

Your Boler looks great.
The great advantage of molded fiberglass trailers is there are limited areas where they leak since there are no seams.
Leaks usually occur around the front and rear windows because the rubber seals get hard and shrink as they age. The side windows and vent can leak around the mounting flanges as the butyl tape ages.

[Jeannette in NS]

I'll scan all of the documents and put them up within the next few days - we were very lucky as people lined up to buy this little trailer and one even offered more money than asking after we had put down our deposit!

We are very excited to enjoy this trailer.

[Jeannette in NS]

OK we made it home! The tow plug kept falling off and it scraped off some of the rubber so that will have to be fixed.

Any ideas on keeping it attached better? there's just enough length as is so we couldn't tie a knot or anything. We used a borrowed truck so perhaps when we get the hitch etc put on our vehicle we will make it longer.

When I look back at the trailer during towing and we go over bumps in the road it really looks like the roof flexes a lot - I'm watching the front top corners of the trailer back to the roof vent and it looks as though the roof vent is moving independantly...when we got home I pressed on the ceiling and it felt solid.

Just as we got home we had a nice rainfall so the leaks became apparent - to be expected. The passengers side window at the back leaks quite a bit and there's signs of a damp cushion causing dark spots along the ensolite. It's running in right along the top - I'll post a pic below as soon as they upload.

The back window has about a 1" piece of rubber seal missing at the bottom outside, and then from the inside just to the right of the middle it looks like a curved piece is cut out - yet it luckily didn't leak at all.

The roof vent doesn't leak.

The passenger side dinette cushion is wet and water runs along the front length of that area. I can see water on the metal strip beside the door but I can't say for sure where that is coming from.

The door window leaks at the top a bit.

I've jammed some rags/towels around for now.

All in all it is in beautiful shape from what we can see. We will see in a couple of hours if we are close to getting it in our garage - I don't want to see any damage occur from water leaks.

There are 2 holes clear through where the spare tire rack must bolt in, the previous owner found it was rubbing the bumper so they took it off.

I'll post and label photos below and would greatly appreciate anyone telling me what they see!!

[Jeannette in NS]

It looks like these 2 rivets at the aft drivers side have screws put in them? All of the others look normal