Stubby, The 1978 Trill
Stubby came to us from Yorkton, SK in January of 2006. We wanted a trailer that didn't need too much work so decided to purchase this one as an addition to our rental fleet. There was a small window of opportunity to bring it home, so picked it up on a Saturday....
and the next day...............
The pictures below show the interior. We noticed subtle differences from our older 13 ft. Trills. This guy had an open fiberglass shelf above the front seating area and a wooden shelf with sliding doors at the back. Other items noted were the huge heater, attached jacks on the back bumper, the window above the stove, emergency exit window in back, many more lights and a removable leaf for the table. It has many of the features of our 4500 which is the same year.
After Stubby was in our yard, we took stock of what we had to do. Unfortunately, the plastic seams were replaced with "woodgrain" seams and were held quite securely with gobs of silicone. I knew finding something to replace these was going to be difficult. The back shelf that was made from wood needed a fresh coat of paint, flooring replaced, new window and cushion coverings, and a really good cleaning. There was certainly going to be more to do than that, but for now the cushions were taken into the house and can be worked on until the snow melts.
Spring arrived early (which was fine by me). Work started the beginning of May 2006. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pics of the actual renovation process, but will explain what was done.
Fresh coat of paint in the bunks, closet area, cupboards and wood shelf in back of trailer. Cut indoor/outdoor carpet and fit into one back bunk and storage area under front seat.
Removed fresh water holding tank, cleaned it out and repaired connections.
Installed all new hatches for the services, hand polished original wheel covers, all new marker lights.
Replaced the sliding doors on the back shelf, fresh paint and new hardware.
Pin striping around aluminum frame and matching stripes around all lights.
Frame, tongue, bumper and stabilizing jacks scraped and painted.
New window and cushion coverings.
New vinyl flooring.
Inspected and repaired electrical systems, plumbing and gas lines.
Inspected, cleaned and repaired where necessary all appliances.
Took windows apart and cleaned every crevice.
Retrofited 3/4" beige table edging to replace the woodgrain plastic seams. The only place we could find something remotely close was Windsor Plywood. Had to do a lot of trimming in order for the seams to fit properly in the channels.
Hand polished exterior aluminum.
Front stone guard.
Vertglas Treatment on gelcoat
Re-sewed awning seams.
Even though this trailer wasn't in bad shape, it still took a long time to complete. We did have it ready for the end of June 2006 and it was booked quite steady over the summer.
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