Let’s get going on the cabinets !

Or at least the doors and drawer fronts.  Then they will be ready to install in the spring.

Above we have the two doors from under the sink from both trailers.  One painted black on the front only , and one not.  I’m carefully removing the build sheet from our trailer to apply it over Dave’s door.  You can also see the black painted furnace cold air intake on the pile.  This is unique to our trailer so it’s the only one I have.  I stripped the black paint off and now it looks like new.  Wood plugs cover the screws on this and also on the two wall mirrors.

This is finished with Minwax Polyshades classic oak satin finish.  All the doors and fronts will get this treatment.  They will also get new handles to match the gold ones used in our trailer.

Here’s the old and the new. And the old are looking old.  Got more of the gold ones coming.  I should say that I removed anything that can be taken to the garage to work on.. The trailer is about to get covered , and will stay that way till spring.  One other thing I removed was the bathroom door. It too was painted black only on the outside.  Nope I can fix that..  Here’s a few photos showing the transformation.

Stripping the door down using a friendly paint stripper.  Then I applied a dark stain, wiping it off right away to even out the colour.

Still needs a second coat but now we have an oak door on both sides.  But the satin poly finish will make it “pop”.  Meanwhile I’ve been collecting some of the electrical goodies.

Blue penny lights to use as night lights. ( I have more coming). And two different types of USB charging ports. I like the one on the left.  These will be replacing the useless TV cable outlets.

Now I’ve finish all the re-finishing that needed to be done.  All the parts and pieces have been stored back in the trailer.  Except for the ones that will be modified like the night stand.  It was a warm day so the cover went on too.

I like to keep mother nature away for my RV’s as much as I can.  These covers breathe and repel water too.  All ready for winter !

Black & White

Let’s have a look inside shall we.  This isn’t my first interior design rodeo.. Yes it needs a bit of work. We want to keep the black and white theme but tone it down a bit..  In other words less back.  We’ll start with a video tour.

See what I mean..  Some things are not ever to be done and some things should be left as they were. And there are things that need a change.  Like the stereo situation..  The fancy little blue tooth thingy.. Nope not my thing.  This is my thing…

I had all these things in my garage, the Kenwood stereo, voltage readout and an old aluminum sign which has donated many pieces to different projects. Oh look the batteries are in need of a charge. A week later the battery is not showing signs of charging…  Hmm.  Not that we will be camping on the batteries …but that means the inverter charge isn’t doing it’s job. Have to check on that.

September 9th:

Road Trip !  I took my truck to my friend Dave’s to steal parts from his old Award trailer.  Came back with lot’s of goodies.  Some we need like the two twin mattresses, Hot water tank, Roof AC unit, stove, microwave, cabinet doors and drawers. Plus other bits and pieces.

I’ll use that small corner cabinet in the new living room I plan to make… Later.

Exact same stove and microwave… Ours are still good..  Only need the steel cover off the stove

I’ve got plans to use some of this stuff.  Can we say ” night stand with two drawers”  OAK !

I’m going to clean this AC up and test it..  If it works I’ll swap it with mine … but not the cover, that’s toast.  And not before I Re-test the AC in the trailer.  Same thing goes for the hot water tank… I’ll make one good one out of two..if I have too.

Here’s the AC from Dave’s trailer..  After the wasp nests, leaves and other crap has been cleaned out.  The control panel on top for the test.  It’s alive !  works as it should blows 58 F  on high.. That feels cold enough. Then I tested the one in the trailer.. It too seems to work.. same temperature. Both on a 15 amp circuit.  These are not big AC’s only 1100 BTU’s  But if you try to run them on a long 14 gauge extension cord I don’t think that works well.  So I have a spare AC.. And about the hot water tank.. Dave’s Award trailer had the exact same by-pass set up for the hot water tank.  But his worked !

I cut the two ends off to make a straight through by – pass with no valves.  Now I can install this and things will be back the way they are suppose to be.

And of coarse along with those goodies came two twin mattresses that were in a 30 ft Award trailer.  They need toppers but these are hard to find and are a perfect fit.  Next Spring you will see a big transformation inside the Award.  But in the mean time I can work on the cabinet doors and drawer fronts..  Let’s start a new page for that shall we !

Page 4

More About Award Trailers..

Yes that’s an SUV in the mountains near Banff  Alberta.  No equalizing hitch, Steep hills, No problems !  However it would have been a nicer trip with the equalizing set up.. and more air in the Buick’s tires.  Things got a bit too bouncy at times.  Also I suspect too much weight up front in the trailer.

Here’s a new video I made… a tour of the outside:

We’ll discuss the interior in a different post.  Let’s see and start at the front of the trailer.  Some of these things are unique to Award trailers.  Like the hitch and tongue.

That’s a very good coupler but there is no way to lock it.  Interestingly it fit a 2 ” ball, most travel trailers are 2-5/16″.  The whole hitch is very narrow so you can turn sharply without jack knifing and hitting the corner of the tow vehicle.  I plan to change the jack for a power one.. Notice no batteries up here, and the propane tanks are in the front hatch. No need for a cover.  All part of keeping things slippery.

The front window is very unique to the Award trailers. It is two pieces of curved lexan with an air space. You can’t get these anymore, but this one is near perfect … even the rubber trim looks new. Mostly the trailer body needs a bath and a polish.  Next year I would like to replace the vinyl insert on the trim.  I opened up the awning today.. Just want to make sure it works ok and no damage.

Could use a bath, but very good condition.  This pleases me.  I’ve inspected around the trailer 100 times and have found very little to complain about. I let the awning dry in the warm breeze.  That’s when I found a broken piece on the front rafter slide. New piece ordered. Oddly the strap wasn’t even in it’s slot… just tied up at the end.  We can’t have that.. It’s needed to open and close the awning evenly.

The business side of the trailer!  Like I said in the video .. I think it’s great that all the heat producing stuff is on this side. I don’t need to replace any of these doors and hatches. Just the two keyed locks.  Which is now done.. they are keyed alike, and I have four keys. I’ve ordered the electric jack for the front. Once that is replaced the outside is good for now. Oh Oh I was washing the trailer mostly the roof and the vents. But I decided to carry on and do every thing. Has to be done before any re-sealing.  Then I can install the two vent rain covers.  Well I discovered the window in the door had sagged down on one side leaving a gap for water to go though. I’ve had problems with these in the past.. There is very small tabs inside that hold the glass, and one was broke off.  A small block of wood works, can’t see it , it’s inside the frame. FIXED! Also it has bugged me that two of the “A’s ” are missing from the decals.

Must be my mild OCD or something… But this really does bother me. So I fired up the Cricut cuting machine and make four new “A’s” that are just a bit fancier.  I have lots of 3M sign vinyl so why not.

There is actually five places that say “Award” on the trailer two of then being the front nose.  Both those are in poor shape from road rash.. So I may just take my eraser wheel to them. Well here is the new fix ..

Not so boring .  I made new decals for the first Surf Side trailer I restored too.  The folks on the fiberglass trailer forums loved it…

Anyway I like things to be nice..  Sooo I will do the sealing and install the covers and say good to go for the winter.  However while I was installing the new sliders for the awning rafters I decided to give the awning a much needed bath. It was a nice warm day so the awning would dry. While I was rolling it back up the ratchet cam decided to let go of the spring.  Good grief.. what next ! So I had to take that apart and investigate.  The wheel that the cam grips was badly worn. So I used a file to give it new teeth. Works great again…for now !  My new electric jack came , but I’m leaving that job for the spring.

The inside…well that’s a thing that needs a chat on a new post..

Page 3 Interior

Aug 23 2024:

Our new trailer… 31 years young !

This is the photo from the ad.  Yes the battery compartment door is bent.. First thing I did was straighten that..

So let’s talk about the trailer.. By going back in time

We had a 1994 27ft Award trailer for many years back in 2005.  One of the best trailers for towing and rolling down the road. We took that trailer through all four western provinces.  Here’s a photo of our rig..

Very aerodynamic and a not an intimidating size this makes these trailers road warriors.  Plus they were made in Canada, and had features not common for those years.   It’s because of these things  ( and I’ve had enough of crappy old stuff) That I went looking for another Award trailer. Award made these trailers in three sizes.. 30ft, 27ft and 23ft. And very few of any size for sale in the western part of Canada. This 23 ft popped up and despite the 4 hr drive to get it I jumped on it..  And like our first Award trailer this one is a one owner trailer.  Or in this case more like one family.  The granddaughter inherited the trailer a few years ago. Unfortunately that young ladies had some black paint and a bush. So not looking at all like it was from the factory.

I get it.. oak is not everyone’s thing.  And she tossed out the couch and chair up front, then built ( and I mean BUILT) a dinette with a BIG table.  A table made from 2×6 lumber !

That’s cool… BUT  it added a lot of extra weight to the front of the trailer. She also put some plywood pieces over the twin beds in order to use a queen mattress. And kept the mattress..

Fortunately none of that was attached .  So I took all that away when I got home. We have decided that the twin bed would be better for us.

Opps she ran out of flooring.  That’s ok a piece of carpet will work for now.  And  I’ll need to build a new night stand.  There was a floor to ceiling cabinet there.  I want a night stand, so it’s better if I make one.

Enough complaining about someone else ideas on improvements.

I’ve dealt with worse things.  What I have bought is a very solid 31 year old trailer. It was mostly stored under cover.  And that shows on the outside.  The big things for me … A working large two door fridge. Electric and propane.  No electronics too. Have a look…

I don’t see any circuit board here. Therefore it works !  Second thing .. solid floor.  I could not find any bad stuff.  I do think the sky light over the tub leaked at some time.. Some crunchy bits in the ceiling over the tub only.  Don’t ever plan on using the tub for anything but storage.  My 94 and my friend Dave’s had rotten floors. It can happen from plumbing leaks or in Dave’s case water sitting on top of spay foam used for insulating the under side of the floor.  Not this trailer. The plywood looks old under the trailer but still strong.  The plumbing works good no leaks, pump works as it should. All the lights work.  The toilet is a newer one that’s taller and more deluxe.

Opps again with the flooring..  No big deal. There is work to do…  Not sure I like the gold heat vent.  It’s part of the decor.. I know.. Surprisingly the wife likes the black and white theme. Who’d a thunk that..  So the plan is to make more curtains like the front ones for the bedroom.

No you can not successfully paint a stainless steel sink.  And mac-tac self sticking wrap a counter top is not good either.  The faucet is nice !  That’s the factory wood sink cover..  YES !  Oh no I’m complaining again. You know we have our own ideas on the ideal set up for a trailer would be. So having some things that need changing is a good thing.  For example the sink being painted… We would prefer to have just a single sink. Never saw a good reason for the double.  More counter space would be better.  So.. to go from a double to a single will require a new counter top.  Prefect I’ll get to use new Formica instead of vinyl sticky stuff.  Both the bathroom and the kitchen need this done.   This post is getting long so time to start a new page…

Page 2

June 24 2023

More things to do before camping:

Let’s see..  the bathroom floor, the pantry, the edging on the countertop, floor vents and my favorite… charging station !

So with a wave of the magic wand…   The bathroom floor is done !  I should have taken a before photo.  Trust me it was bad.  And the vent cover was rusty. It’s a cozy bathroom, but you can close the door.  While I was in a lino gluing mood ….

I replaced the pantry floor too.  Who knows why the laminate did not go in there.  But that’s ok… we fix.  Plus a good size piece of that lino came with the trailer.  I have enough to line the pantry shelves.  Did I say “charging station”  Yes I did and there is the perfect place.

Behind one side of the dinette is a shelf..  Presumably for a TV.  With power and coaxial hook ups. I’m surprised there is no phone jack !   Ah the 90’s..  We don’t need this stuff…we need charging stuff.  So I’ll wave that wand again….

And there Ya have it.   USB and 12v auto plug.. Plus 12volt read out ! The wood frame was needed to make room for the wires.  This brings the trailer into 2023 …  Now let’s have a look at the pantry.

It now has shelves !  Deep ones..  Wow I’m almost done…   now for the elephant in the room.. trailer.  The non working fridge is being replaced.

Old and new.. It’s impossible ( nearly) to find the same exact size fridge.  But here’s a cheep fix..  Won’t be any problem fitting it into the fridge cavity.  However I’ll have to figure a way to make it stay there.  Again Done !

Looks like it’s always been there..   This should work just fine for us.  It cools down way faster than a RV fridge.  I’m not tossing the RV fridge yet..  If there is a way to fix it I will.  There is just a few little things to do … One of those is the one vent cover I have.  I decided the bedroom needs it most..  So I got that done today..  And we did a good cleaning too..

Packed and off to BC for our Family reunion.  Tows so much better with a new hitch and the air suspension fixed in the Avalanche.  We decided to park the trailer in Grand Forks at my Brother’s place.. Can’t see using it till next summer..

Summer 2024:

This is how we left it for the winter..  and it did well. No mice , no frozen pipes…  So at the beginning of July we moved the trailer to our friends for packing and testing. And once again it’s off to camp.

It was HOT ! and the A/C did not work good. The fridge worked hard too.  This trailer still needs work.  The doors are coming apart and binding on the frame. Making them hard to close and latch.  The LED lights inside were fussy about working.  Not having the trailer here at home to fix things is a big problem.  I’m debating in my mind weather or not to sell it and finding a better trailer.

Well we decided to sell the Innsbruck for a few reasons.  It still needs work and I would have to bring it home to do that. Not gonna happen.  It’s Aug 27 2024 and it’s sold. I made a trip back to Grand Forks to clean our stuff out.  And on the way back I bought a new trailer in Golden.  We are going back to the tried and true Canadian made trailer that I can tow home each year…

1993 Award Classic 23

June 22 2023

Need to have a working water system :

Sooo I took that other tank out !

It’s been in there a while… cause the carpet is sorta clean.  Look at how much room I’ve got ! But I don’t have time right now to do all the work I need to do in this space, but here’s my plan.  I’m replacing the water tank fill, hose, vent and outside fill station.  Replacing the city water connection with a new one..  Those are the holes in the outside wall that you see.  I’m replacing the tank drain to the outside wall but NOT under the trailer.  The old one leaks, and it’s not convenient.

Here’s my stash of parts needed, old and new.  The new fill station has a nice door.  I’m not messin with the factory pipes… unless they leak when I test the system.

So.. what a mess.  I’ll explain some of the things you can see in this photo:  Next to the tank is the drain… The valve is hard to get to never mind not working. I’ll plug that hole in the tank.  Where the water feed comes out of the tank there is a tee with an little chunk of the garden hose still there.  That will become my new drain.  Next (with the green hose) is a bypass to close the tank off and pump antifreeze through the water lines. I found no sign of that being done.  Yes I’m worried ! The tank fill and vent line will be quite short.  Let’s hope that once I got these things done and put some water in the tank … I don’t have any leaks in places where I can’t fix.  First I will low pressure the lines with air through the city connection.  Less messy ! But sometimes hard to hear the leaking air.

The air test put my worries to rest.  All the lines were full of water. And out it came as I opened each faucet and flushed the toilet.

I could not hear any leaking air.. But it was only 25 psi..  I’m thinking the family I bought the trailer from did use the water system.  They did go camping this year so it’s quite likely they flushed the anti freeze out..  Both tanks had about 2 inches of water in them.  I will know for sure once I install the fill hose and put some water in the tank, run the pump…

Here’s where my new tank drain is now..  Handy ! Ok now the water tank fill is done.  I put about 8 gal of water in the tank and turned on the pump.  Found a tiny leak where I had attached the city water to the pump.  Fixed that and no leaks !  I win !!

Here’s what things look like now.  So I will vacuum under the bed good and put the bed back.  So with the plumbing back in working order it’s  on too some other things…  Maybe a new page…

Page 3

June 17 2023

Just 21 ft from hitch to bumper…  Perfect for us.

Yes there is a bedroom door !  And that’s a 14 ft awning.√  Has a full bathroom with tub. √  Dinette  up front, just the way I like it with the heavy stuff in the middle. Towed it home from west of Edmonton without any issues.  There is a few small repairs and wheel maintenance to do before heading to BC in July. Today I managed to fit it up on my garage apron !

Not easy because of the slope.  But it’s a handy place to do some work. Just open the garage door.  First I replaced the bedroom door latch. We did not have a key but I had another one in my RV junk, so I swapped it out.  Next is the wheels, brakes and bearings.  One side of the trailer at a time.

They are in good condition.  And lots of grease in the bearings. However there was something I always expect to see…

Broken brake wire !  And those crappy connectors… Not on my trailer..  I used heat shrink connectors on those wires and loom to protect them.  Thankfully I did not have to remove the brakes. Just blew the dust out and we are good.  Re greased the bearings and painted the drums.

New shoes !  Now we are Rollin ! Now for the other side.  Oh and I’ve been doing other things .. like trying to get the fridge working.. GRRRR.  I bought another control board and it’s the same problem.  So we are thinking about the options. Will talk about that latter..  Another thing I did was paint the propane tank holder and the tongue/ hitch.

Everything here is in good order except the brake away switch. New one coming.  Oh one other thing missing here is the clamps for a equalizer hitch..  Tomorrow I go get the whole setup.  That will help since the tongue weight is 4 – 5 hundred pounds .

Got the new equalizer set up.  A real good deal to.. However had to drive 2.5 hours north to pick it up..  worth it !  Here’s the clamps approximately in the right place.  Next Brake away installed with loom. And the chains back looking new..

  Here’s a cool thing that’s a tad unusual !

This is on the rear of the trailer. Shading the bedroom window !  I’m quite sure we will like this.  Today I got the right side wheels all done and the new wheels installed.  I used the canopy to shelter me while doing that..  Sure-nuff   there plenty of little holes where the fabric meets the trailer.  I figured that..  The future holds a new fabric.. maybe next year.

Well I don’t think I got a great deal on this trailer given that the fridge could end up being DOA.  I took a chance… and it didn’t turn out good..  So.. we are going to try something new.  But not costly like a new RV fridge would be..  I really like the 12 volt Truck fridges.. but they only make small ones.  We are going to put a mini 110 volt fridge in place of the Domedic RV fridge.  It’s only slightly smaller .. still has a separate freezer. And cost just $300..  Yes one tenth of the cost of a RV fridge.  Here’s the thing.  We really only camp where there is power.  And where there isn’t we still own a generator. So lets give it a go..  The trailer really does suit our needs in every other way. And I can truly not find any sign of a leak.  After 31 years that’s amazing.  The floor plan is so near perfect for the way we use a trailer. Here it is…

Could have done without the second door..  But it’s there and it has a good screen door.   Got a lot done so I thought I’d paint the two steps.  They are in great shape and work perfectly… So why not make them look good too.

There’s even a non slip strip on them..  Nice !  Now we are going to take the mattress outside ,and I will start the inside work.  The plumbing is mostly under the bed.

And this is where things get interesting ..  Someone didn’t think they had enough water storage.  So another tank was installed.  Well we wont need that much.  The angled one is the factory one..  How do I know ?  Because it has the water level sensors, and the drain. Plus the other tank is hooked up to the factory water lines with garden hose !  I’m taking it out.  By the way carpet under a tank is ok but under ALL the plumbing is not. There was a leak in here at one time there is water stains, and of coarse the carpet is gross.  Since the hot water tank is missing I would suspect that was the leak.  So it’s taken me most of the day poking around and a trip to the COOP for parts, but I now know what to do with the mess..   But let’s start a new page for the plans and the fixes…

Page 2

Jun 2 2023

Fairly soon the Surf Side will see the light of day.  As soon as some parts get here and I get the door back on.  I have fixed the Bargman door latch, but I need a better key made

I built up welds and re shaped the latch to the original shape. May need some adjustments  after I install it.  I did not like the hinges I bought months ago ( loose pin) and they are too small. So I order a new (bigger) set.  New curtains are being made with a reflective liner.

Adding a bit of color is a good thing.  It’s Slowly coming to completion.

One more change I made was the spare tire holder. I got a new one that is higher on the bumper because I was worried the spare would touch the ground.  Now I’m fighting with the door fit a bit …  I did get the Bargman latch re keyed with two keys.

Yup.. Dog gone Door..  Fitting these is hard.. I’m getting to the point where I give up..  You get the hing side lined up perfect..  you get the gap around the door to be even … And then the latch side will not line up and the bottom is out too much.  Gerrrrr.  I Shimmed the door hinges and got a better fit..  So I’m happy again.

Cut loose from the Garage !

And out on the road.. tows great no issues except the front curtain rod bounced off ! You have to make sure there are no loose things …

99.9 % done..  Just a few little details..  But it’s going to live outside now.  And it’s up for sale..  To be replaced by a bit bigger conventional trailer with a bathroom and a bedroom.  I will start a post for that trailer…

Sold !  off to a new home in BC.

1994 21 ft Insbruck :

April 23 2023

The 3/4 birch plywood is perfect for the doors.  My fancy catches need that much thickness to work.  So I got busy one day with the table saw and the chop saw .. and got it done.

They are a good size too.  Glued and screwed so I don’t think they will ever come apart..  Total over build !

Let’s not mention the fiddling to get the slides and the latches to work good..  And now came the time to paint them ?  What color ?  We brought a blue cushion in and thought about it for a minute.  White..  My original color ( or non color)  If we don’t like the look they can be repainted..

In a week or so we will know if it looks ok.   I’ve now installed most of the doors, and painted the drawers.

Hmm I think we can live with the white for now.  But it’s gonna show dirty finger prints.

The closet door looks great .  What I’m up to is not all doors and drawers..  The electrical needs to be finished too.

So it was also time to get this done and working.  The three position switch with the red labels, chooses between the 110 battery charger and the 100 watt solar panel charge system.  Below that is the power for the diesel heater. To the left of that is the touch dimer for the main lighting, and it has a remote on the bed side of the closet. Then far left is what seams light something missing.  Nope..  the fuse panel is back there and it will show a red light for a blown fuse.  And with this all done I installed the fridge.

And yes the light goes out when the door is closed. Remember there is no propane in this trailer.. The fridge is cooled with a 12 volt compressor.  You can leave it running while driving without fear of a fire.   This is what my finished drawers look like..

Progress is a bit slow these days.  But I did get the solar system installed and working.

The flexible panel fit nicely on the bug screen, (that I rebuilt ) and even inside the garage it’s putting out power.

So If I need to use it Just raise the cover..

I’m picking away at the last details as I find time.  I’ve ordered some Geocell sealant to use around the windows and other outside things. I finally took the trailer off of the jack stands and down on it’s wheels.

Having the axles set at 10 degrees up instead of 22 was perfect.  With the trailer level the hitch is 16″ high. And the wheels have lots of room in the wheel wells.  The only concern is the spare tire.

Kinda close to the ground !  This may need a modification.  So I ordered one that goes straight up from the bumper and higher.  I’m waiting for that and a few other things that will complete the trailer. So lets start a new post about the last details.

The Final finishing:  Page 14

March 28 2023

YES.. more places to store things.

And let’s not forget a place for the lighting too.  I just can’t let those window frames go without using them to attach shelves too.  They are perfect for this..  with the added bonus of providing a place to mount lights and run wires.

And just like the bottom of the kitchen overhead cabinet..  These are hollow too.  This construction is strong and light, and you will never see the wiring for the lights.

These are the under cabinet LED lights I bought. And they are controlled by the fancy touch dimmer you see on the face plate  for my electric panel cover.  Plus! there is a wireless remote that I can mount on the closet wall above the bed.. or carry it around.  Four of these lights will be under the rear shelves. Two of them will be under the front shelves …with..

These two LED reading lights.  They will be independent of the flush mount lights.  Meanwhile at the rear of the trailer..  Here’s the shelve across the back done.

The top is already cut. It will get shelve liner glued on then fastened in place ( after the wires are run ) .

And of coarse I cut the holes for the lights.  Gimp in the corner too.  I’m getting really good at fitting the curves.  It did not take long to build these shelves, because they are so simple.

And there you have it !  The wood trim that makes a lip is made from the flooring. All that’s need now is the gray glued to the top peice and that nailed in place. Here’s the underside.

This is how you do it..  These will be on a dimmer and a remote.        On to the front shelves.  It’s taken a while to get those done due to other things needing attention.  Ok mostly done now.

Still got to put the edging on..  I need to figure out the solar panel wiring .  And that means I need to get the solar panel installed.  Meanwhile I’ve been building drawers and doors.  So let’s start a new post for that work.

Page 12