Boler 1300 cabinetry beside the couch - Fiberglass RV
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Old 09-11-2019, 11:17 AM   #1
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Name: Dee
Trailer: Boler 1300H
British Columbia
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Boler 1300 cabinetry beside the couch

Hello,
I will have lots of questions for all of you, and I sure appreciate all your wisdom and help! Here’s my first one:
It looks like a PO removed the bunk support ledge (?), and now there are just big rusty bolts covered with duct tape. I would like to remove the bolts. Can I fill the holes with Bondo, or would it need to be patched with fiberglass?

Also, there are these odd little cabinetry pieces on each end of the couch that I would like to remove. They are already coming apart from the walls, and don’t seem to be attached very well. Is it okay to take them out, or do they provide structural support?

Thank you!

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Old 09-11-2019, 06:37 PM   #2
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Everything supplies structural support on these FG trailers, and cabinets near the door are particularly important.

If you are not careful, your roof will start sagging and the sides will bow out. Then the door won't fit.


On the bolts, what's happening on the outside of the trailer in that spot? Fiberglass needs to be sealed on the outside. If you do it on the ensolite, then water will leak in between the ensolite and the fiberglass. Not good.
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Old 09-11-2019, 07:20 PM   #3
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I’ve attached a few more pictures that show the bolts on the inside and outside.
Luckily the bottom part of the cabinets are still there, hopefully providing some support. They appear to have sturdy wood framing inside.
There is also a wooden panel on the right side of the door that supports the curved wall, but doesn’t go all the way to the ceiling.
I was thinking about putting a small dinette in the front, but I can see that I would need to keep some of that base cabinetry in to provide support. Hmmm...
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Old 09-11-2019, 11:19 PM   #4
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I’m not sure why the pictures aren’t showing...��
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Old 09-14-2019, 12:16 PM   #5
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https://imgur.com/gallery/0K3eEsv
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Old 09-17-2019, 02:31 PM   #6
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You fail to mention what year Boler you have. Based on the pictures and my 1979 13 footer, it appears that a PO replaced the fiberglass couch base with what is shown in your pictures. The curved piece close to the door may or may not be structural. If you still have the metal bar in that location then the wooden part is not structural and can be removed. Otherwise, you would need to replace the existing wooden part with something else to make that side of the door more rigid. Just a suggestion, some owners have attached a frame to that side, above the door and to the side of the closet to attach a screen door.
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Old 09-18-2019, 02:00 PM   #7
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Thanks for your insight Alex!
Mine is a '79 Boler. I think you are right about the fiberglass couch being replaced with wood. The cabinet doors on the couch do not match the other faux rattan ones.
Where would this metal bar be, that you mentioned? I don't see one anywhere near the door.
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Old 09-18-2019, 02:42 PM   #8
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The metal bar would be on the inside of the jamb on the side where the door hinges are. It runs about 3/4 up the side of the trailer. It is quite possible a Previous Owner has removed it. I was hoping the wooden piece shown in your pictures was secured to the metal bar.
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Old 09-26-2019, 09:58 AM   #9
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Well, now I'm discovering even more interesting things about my Boler! It looks like a PO replaced all the fiberglass seats and the couch base with wood. I didn't know they were supposed to be fiberglass!

The rear dinette/bed base is all plywood that has been painted brown. I'm actually happy about this because I think it will make it easier to remove the water tank, which we will never use.
It also will be easier to convert the front couch to a dinette, as I don't have to worry about fiberglassing anything.

I don't know WHY anyone would do this, and I'm sure it adds to the weight of the trailer, but I'm still very happy with my little trailer.
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Old 09-26-2019, 10:34 AM   #10
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I’ve never seen a Boler 1300 with a wood interior so it’s not that surprising.

Since the fiberglass cabinets were riveted in place, I’d want to know how the wood is attached. The cabinet near the door separating from the wall is not good. If the wood is screwed in place through the shell this creates a future leak.

The “best” wood interior design has wood pieces fiberglassed to the inside of the shell with no penetrations. Then the cabinets are attached to these wood cleats. Wood attached with either rivers or bolts/screws through the shell will leak. Think hinges on a Trillium door.

And the second question is what did the prior owner do with all the original rivets and rivet holes.

As far as why, with a trailer that is about 40 years old, that’s plenty of time for people to make changes. Maybe they didn’t like the stark all fiberglass interior? Certainly fiberglass can outlast wood on an RV.
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Old 05-01-2020, 06:57 AM   #11
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I bit the bullet and removed the wood cabinet pieces that flanked the gaucho area. Turns out they were not really attached firmly. There was some peeling of the ensolite, but that’s the least of my worries right now!

https://imgur.com/gallery/m6NRHSO
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Old 05-01-2020, 12:11 PM   #12
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Addressing a question that you posed at the start; bondo vs fibreglass? The best course of action would be to take a Dremel and a sanding disk and grind a small crater around the bolt hole on the outside and apply small, progressively smaller disks of fibreglass to the hole and sand down afterwards. This way you restore the integrity of the fibreglass and it won’t fall out.

I too do not like that the metal bar on the hinge side of the Boler was removed. The only way that could be tolerated would be to ensure that the wood panel fits the contour of the wall on that side and is securely attached to the door frame. But wood is wood and, if water seeps through, there will be rot. The question that should be asked is about door fit. Does the door fit the contour of the Boler: well? Bulge at the top and bottom on the hinge side? ... on the handle side? Is the bulging at the top or the bottom? And by how much? If the answer was #1, then you are lucky and the wood piece is holding everything in shape. But, undoubtably, you will probably have sag (it occurs on FG trailers over time) and a small amount is to be expected.

Let me know if you need help.
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Old 05-01-2020, 12:30 PM   #13
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Boler 1300 cabinetry beside the couch

About the fibreglass suggestion; that would be for large holes. If using a fibreglass kit or system like West System (it’s becoming more readily available outside of marine suppliers), simply ream the hole edge with a slightly larger drill bit to expose fresh fibreglass to bond to, wet the hole edge with epoxy and fill with an epoxy and filler paste. It’s less obtrusive and quicker plus becomes the body once again.
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Old 05-01-2020, 12:47 PM   #14
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Thank Nicolas for your tips on filling the holes. That was exactly what I needed to know! I will look into the epoxy and filler paste method that you mentioned.

As for the door, it doesn't have much sag, but it is difficult to close. It looks like someone added some type of sealing strip around the door frame opening, and it's a bit too thick, so you have to really push/bounce on the door to latch it. I'm going to do as much repair on my own as I can, but if the door needs repair I would like to take it to a professional. I heard that Gerald Bast is moving to Vancouver, so I might have to connect with him one day!
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Old 05-01-2020, 01:52 PM   #15
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If you check around with your friends Im sure you'll find someone who has a handyman/woman do work for them.
That handy person may not have the talents you need but may know someone. Going that route you have builtin recomendation.
I operate a handyman business which is built entirely on word of mouth
so Im pretty careful about recommendations.
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I'd rather do it myself, done right or not. Isn't that what a hobby is all about?
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Old 05-01-2020, 04:32 PM   #16
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An option that I've found works very well for smaller holes like bolt holes and screw/rivet holes is Bondoglass reinforced filer. It it is polyester resin reinforced with short strands of fiberglass and I believe is the same composition as the original polyester fiberglass shell. It's thick and fills well.

Like previous posters have said, just make sure you grind down to the fiberglass around the hole to give it a good rough surface to stick to. I usually put some painters tape on the inner side of the hole so that the mixture doesn't glop through to the inside. Then you can sand it down and top with gelcoat or whatever body filler you prefer.

Lots of options
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Old 05-04-2020, 11:18 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobdobqb View Post
An option that I've found works very well for smaller holes like bolt holes and screw/rivet holes is Bondoglass reinforced filer. It it is polyester resin reinforced with short strands of fiberglass and I believe is the same composition as the original polyester fiberglass shell. It's thick and fills well.

I will definitely check this out! Thank you so much for the tip!
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