This summer has been full of surprises. A good portion of my summer has been dedicated to renovating the front lawn and backyard of my home, but as with most things, Covid delays have slowed down the process. In the meantime, I have taken on a trailer reno!
The original thought was to restore and remodel an Airstream trailer, but I figured I would be better off starting with something a little smaller. So I’ve settled on a 13-foot Boler trailer.
If you’ve never seen them before, Boler trailers were made from 1968 to 1988 in Winnepeg Manitoba. Only 10,000 were manufactured and they estimate about 8000 are still in circulation. The Boler became the famous iconic “Egg On Wheels” and is often the graphic used to symbolize a camper. They are now becoming popular restoration projects across the country! I am learning that though my trailer is only 13 feet long, there have been many new things to learn as I go. But nothing I can’t tackle!
Bolers are made with fiber glass. The company started as a septic tank company, but ironically the Boler has no bathroom in it. The Fibre glass makes the trailer extremely light and easy to tow. I can move it by hand, and pivot it on the camp site. Pretty handy for a single parent, I must say!
The Boler layout has a sofa on one end, that turns into a bunk bed, a small kitchen enough for a tiny fridge, tiny sink and a bit of storage. A dinning area that turns into a double bed, and a small storage closet. It’s small but adorable, and the perfect starter camper, for me and Lennon.
Let's Start with the Issues:
Original Boler Parts Are Hard to Come By!
I didn’t really look into this before I made the impulse purchase of this camper. But as I started tearing it apart I realized how custom everything is. There is a helpful website boler.ca that has links to purchasing some items you may need. But finding windows and hardware can be a challenge. Sourcing these items can also be expensive. Trailers and Boats are similar, so I did have some luck at the RV parts shop, and a local boat store. Other items I was able to grab at Home Depot!
Bolers can leak:
Just like any trailer, leaking is an issue. Apparently they are known to leak around the middle seam where the top of the fibre glass meets the middle. I discovered after my first vacation that the cushions were a little damp so I will need to do some investigation, but i am going to need to do some serious caulking. For this I am using exterior window and door caulking.
The Fibre Glass Needed to be Repaired:
Fibre glass is not a fun substance to repair, cut or interact with. It can leave you feeling itchy and icky. We discovered a few places on the Boler that need to be repaired before we could repaint it. There were a number of steps involved in refinishing the exterior, but due to the amount of repair that needed to happen, we ended up giving it a full do over.
The Door is Drooping:
I discovered a funny issues with the door, it is about 1 inch lower than what it should be to create a proper seal, this means we will have to remove it and raise it up with some washers or a new ball joint to make sure it is fitted properly and is both leak proof and safe from the outdoor invaders (mosquitos!) This is a task I will tackle in the next faze of the reno, so stay tuned!
All the Upholstery and Foam needs to be replaced:
This was definitely a no brainer for me, I wasn’t going to be sleeping on mildew and mold. so the old cushions need to be tossed. but before they go, I took them to an upholstery shop and had them recut new foam for the unique dimensions and space inside. This was probably the most costly part of my renovation. It came to around $2000 for 6 new pieces of foam and fabric.
The Windows Don’t Work:
All the window mechanisms were either stripped broken or leaking… so i had to figure out a solution before leaving on our cabot trail road trip. I called a local welder and had him come out and measure the front door window to put a temporary solid pan in, where it was broken.
All The Seams Were Ripped Out:
This was a head scratcher, how was I going to make the inside look seamless and pretty. I couldn’t find flexible T moulding, and wasn't sure how to secure it quickly. So I went for the quick and dirty solutions. DynaFlex Caulking! After filling all the gaps with the caulking I painted everything white. This seems to have solved the problem for now, but I will definitely want to add something before the end of this restoration to draw attention to the beautiful interior lines of the camper.
Moving on to Inspiration
Here are some inspiration shots of what I’ve been inspired by.
I had the Boler sent from rural Quebec. A couple had previously purchased it so they could remodel it, but plans arose so they couldn’t finish the project. The Boler had already been sanded down, which helped with our tight time constraints, and it was just a matter of patching holes and giving the Boler a good paint job to get things refreshed.
Bolers are made of fibreglass, so I couldn’t send the trailer to a normal auto body shop. It took some thinking outside of the box to find someone that knew how to restore the trailer, but it turns out that Bolers are oddly similar to boats! I got in contact with Ashley, a marine repair specialist, who knew how to advise on everything from fibreglass repair to fixing the linings inside the trailer. In no time, we were able to get to work on turning the trailer into a luxurious camping escape. I went with a cream to paint the top half and a pretty pink that matches the front door of my house for the bottom, then buffed and spray painted the hubcaps to give the Boler a much needed glow up.
….And here she is!
So you’ve seen the finished product of the outside of the Boler.. Believe me when I say that’s just the beginning! Who’s ready to see what we achieved with the inside?
Lennon and I just took the Boler out on our first camping adventure. I can’t wait to share the story of how the inside of the Boler turned out! Check back in soon to see all the details, the process, and the big reveal of my trailer!
xox Rebekah xox