Boler Painting - Fiberglass RV
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Old 04-25-2022, 10:56 AM   #1
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Name: Christopher
Trailer: Boler
Newfoundland
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Boler Painting

Looking for any advice for painting my 1978 Boler. I have bought some fiberglass high gloss boat paint and the primer to go with it. My biggest concerns at the moment are getting a nice even paint job by hand and the issues I have with my door being so warped.
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Old 04-25-2022, 09:34 PM   #2
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I bought marine paint for my Scamp and rolled and tipped it on. To be honest, I wish I would have sprayed it. I think I would have had a higher quality finish.
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Old 04-26-2022, 03:13 AM   #3
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Thanks Brian, I do have a compressor so maybe I'll pick up a spray gun. I can practice with the primer.
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Old 04-26-2022, 07:00 AM   #4
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It looks like door has lost some of its lower curvature, producing a large gap at the bottom. Am I seeing that correctly? Does the top fit reasonably well?

If so, the Dx could be a rotted core, typically due to leaking from the window. You can confirm by drilling small holes at the bottom of the core (on the inside where the thick part ends). Worst case, water will run out. If not, you can probe a bit with an ice pick or stiff wire to assess the condition of the wood material sandwiched between layers of fiberglass.

It’s a fairly common problem in older Boler-style trailers. The Rx, unfortunately, is to cut out the old core and fiberglass in a new core. It’s a tricky and messy project, but there are old threads to help.

A short-term solution I’ve seen is to attach a magazine-rack style storage unit to the lower door that forces it back to the original shape.
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Old 04-26-2022, 09:39 AM   #5
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Name: Christopher
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Yeah, the bottom of the door has a very large gap. The former owner cut slits in the door and insulated it. There is a bungee cord helping with the warp.
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Old 04-26-2022, 09:41 AM   #6
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Here are some door photos
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Old 04-26-2022, 11:39 AM   #7
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I think the former owner started a good thing but after cutting the slits he should have pressed the door into a wooden form of the shape you're trying to match and then beveling the slit cuts in prep for filling with new fiberglass to hold that shape. Not a difficult job but patience and a bit of technique/skill helps.
That's how I'd do anyway...
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Old 04-26-2022, 02:18 PM   #8
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I had the same prob on my 74.
Cut the slits, strapped the door to the shell with ratchet straps to regain the shape and glassed the slits closed. I had one of the windows out to use to exit trailer.
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Old 04-30-2022, 03:16 PM   #9
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Name: Tony
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BC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pinballchef View Post
Looking for any advice for painting my 1978 Boler. I have bought some fiberglass high gloss boat paint and the primer to go with it. My biggest concerns at the moment are getting a nice even paint job by hand and the issues I have with my door being so warped.
Fiberglass paint????
Is the solvent for the paint acetone, if it is the proper name for the "paint" is Gel Coat.
If the solvent is anything else then it is just paint, there are some excellent paints such as Imron which will give a very strong mechanical bond. but only gel coat (paint) will give a chemical bond. The acetone melts the polyester resin and causes a long chain molecular linking between the gelcoat and the fiberglass.

Re the door, what I have seen done is to make a pair of vertical boards, 2x4 cedar scribed to fit the shape you would like the door to hold, perhaps leaving three quarters of an inch thickness at top and bottom. Finished nicely with varnish looks nice if done well, fasten them through the outside of the door with stainless screws that have nice heads on them, be sure to bed the shank of the screws with caulking. The boards go either side of the window. Check carefully to make sure the boards clear any body or other parts of the trailer.
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Old 05-01-2022, 11:42 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pinballchef View Post
Thanks Brian, I do have a compressor so maybe I'll pick up a spray gun. I can practice with the primer.
You might think about an airless sprayer
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