Renovations and Restorations
Four Trillium Trailers and a Compact Junior
From Front to Back....... Dewey (1974 Trillium 1300), The Green Grape (1974 Trillium 1300), CJ (1972 Compact Junior). The two beige trailers hiding in the back are Stubby (1978 Trillium 1300) and Creampuff (1978 Trillium 4500) .
Revised: October, 2006
We are often asked..."why are you restoring vintage fiberglass trailers".................here's why.
Our experience with vintage fiberglass trailers started by accident. In the past, my husband and I have gone on many great vacations to plenty of resorts around Canada and the USA. Our lives are a little different now; mortgage, bills, and home renovations cut a huge swath in our vacation dollars. In order to have a reasonably priced holiday and finally be able to include Buddy our Bearded Collie on our travels, we decided in the spring of 2002 that we would start looking at trailers (reasonably priced, of course) and try camping. We had no idea what we wanted and were not partial to any particular make. Little did we know what was going to come.
For several months we checked the classified ads in our local paper. A couple who lived about one hour south of Saskatoon had a 1974 13 foot Trillium trailer for sale. What is a Trillium? The price was good ($1500) so my husband decided he would telephone and see if it was available. He was fortunate enough to be first in line and after a telephone call to me asking “should we?” he was bringing her home. I was excited, but apprehensive…..what on earth did we just buy?
It took only one day and we were hooked. We had never worked so hard on cleaning, polishing or fixing anything with such energy and vigor and enjoyed it so much. This trailer was not in horrible shape, but with the work we put into it, it was well on its way to becoming our little home on wheels. We have owned “The Green Grape” since July 2002 and have made a few changes, but basically have kept it in original condition. This trailer has provided us with many memorable vacations and has traveled many miles.
People are genuinely interested in older fiberglass trailers as well. With the price of gasoline higher than ever, there appears to be more interest in these lightweight units. We have made many new friends in our travels and the opportunity to share our experience with others is great. We also found that people towing fiberglass trailers are extremely friendly, waving hello as they pass by, acknowledging what you are towing.
The pursuit of obtaining an older fiberglass trailer is part of the fun. Our experiences with the Green Grape went so smoothly, we figured if the chance came along we would purchase another fiberglass trailer of some type to restore. This opportunity came along about one year later. After about four months of detective work we purchased Dewey, appropriately named since this neglected Trill had been sitting in a compound covered up with a tarp since 1997. You can admire the patches of mold and mildew and our progress made to date. This is still a work in progress and will be finished by spring of 2005. This Trillium will feature laminate flooring, oak doors and few other goodies upon it’s completion. Update.....Dewey was completed in July 2005 - two days before we left to attend Prairie Bolerama in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan.
We don’t have a big back yard by any means, but that didn’t stop us. How many small fiberglass trailers can you fit in one yard? We purchased a 1976 Boler and a 1971 Boler in the spring of 2004. We haven’t quite decided what we are going to do with these two yet. Perhaps make one out of two? We’ll see how much energy we have. We are partial to Trilliums, but change is good……right? Update....I guess we didn't have as much energy as we thought. We have sold the two Bolers and purchased a Trillium 4500. Another update (2005)....now the yard is really full! Besides the three Trilliums, we recently purchased a 1972 Compact Junior. Check out the link for pictures of what this rare, unique trailer looks like and the ideas we have for this fiberglass unit. Update: 2006 Okay......couldn't resist - bought another Trill in January 2006...see the link below
If you do all the work yourself, the costs are really quite low to renovate these trailers and, from my husband’s point of view, they are relatively easy to work on. Some of the renovations are difficult (like spending eight hours a day for about a week hand-sanding the exterior), but when you see the finished product, your hard work, time and sweat were definitely worth it. It is also a lesson in patience and achieving that sense of accomplishment when you have done something that you never thought you could do.
I would like to thank the contributors to Fiberglass RV, Boler ama, and other fiberglass trailer enthusiasts who experience what we do every day. Bringing these trailers back to life for yourself or others to enjoy is not only a learning experience, but extremely satisfying as well. These people are a wealth of knowledge, solutions, ideas and encouragement.
I guess you would have to ask any owner of a Boler, Trillium, Burro, Scamp, Casita, U-Haul, Surfside, Beachcomber, Bigfoot, etc., what is it about these lightweight, compact, and cute - yes, I said “cute” little trailers that is so appealing? To us it was a perfect match. These popular, pint-sized eggs on wheels gave us the chance to restore something that was old and usually neglected. Now in better-than-new condition, these little fellows will give joy to us and to others for years to come. When you see us on the road, wave. We will wave back, and we will be smiling.
My husband and I have chronicled our journey with these trailers including how they were acquired, repairs, renovations and trips.
Continue to check back with us as we progress.
The Green Grape click on the link below Dewey (Before pic) click on the link below
1978 Trillium 4500 click on the link below 1972 Compact Junior click on the link below
1978 Trillium click on the link below
