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In 1954 Chris-Craft astonished just about everyone when they introduced their new Land Cruiser Kit, a 14-foot mobile home that would sleep four adults. The kit contained everything from a steel chassis, aluminum roof covering, aluminum frame windows with screens, to wheels and a hinged door with lock.  In issue #49 of the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine we featured a 1948 Horner & Thatcher Trailer Boat Prototype. Like a Trailorboat or KomPaK, the Thorner & Thatcher toted its boat upside down on top of its teardrop sized trailer. While researching “boat trailers” for the feature in the magazine, we stumbled on a boat company that offered a camping trailer along with their famous wooden boats. Since the product was so unique, Chris-Craft formed the Land Cruiser Kit Division just to accommodate the new product.  An article at the time proclaimed the following: Think of it! Now you can own your own mobile home. You can go wherever you want, whenever you like, without the fuss and bother of stopping at expensive hotels and restaurants. You can follow your heart to new fun and adventure - and take your home right along with you! The new Land Cruiser Kit by Chris-Craft makes all this possible. Now - for the first time! - anyone who can afford to drive an average car can afford this big, comfortable mobile home.  Finished in gleaming aluminum, with an all steel chassis. the Land Cruiser is a full 14-feet overall Inside, there's plenty of room for a double bed, a dinette that converts into another bed, a heating unit and cook stove, refrigerator, closets and cupboards  The Land Cruiser peaked our interest in trailers that were either offered in kit forms or built from plans. We are looking for history, literature, or information on these types of trailers for an upcoming issue of the VCT Magazine. If you own one or have anything to contribute, let us know. email me More Photos of a Chris-Craft Land Cruiser: http://woodenrunabout.com/projects/1954-chris-craft-land-cruiser 
 Documented Owners
I was looking on the back roads up by Reed City, Michigan, and saw some old campers. I liked the look of this one the best. It had been used as a chicken coop with no interior at all. I couldn't find any information on it. I happened to find out what it was when I was looking at a West Michigan Vintage Boats type of club on Facebook. I paid $300 for it, which was way too much, I thought, but I liked it. The guy thought I was buying it to make a small hauling trailer. Mine is in a little rougher shape than the other Cruisers that have been found, but it's still a unique little gem. George Marsh Big Rapids, West Michigan
I had read an article 8 or 9 years ago about the Chris Craft Land Cruiser that the co-owners, Mike Teusink and Kirk Wingard, had found and restored. After fully restoring theirs, I “heard” that they acquired a second one only 10 miles from their shop. I had lunch with Kirk at an ACBS event in Cassopolis in April 2017, and had asked if their shop had to restore the second one before they were ready to sell it. Kirk said, “No!” so, for about a year and a half, I continued to think about it and finally decided, “If I don’t get this camper now, I might lose my opportunity.” It made its debut at our house on Christmas morning 2019 nestled in the pines by a campfire. I’ve completed the interior, and it’s now in usable condition. The next task is polishing the aluminum. Our family has owned a wooden boat since 1973, built by Chris-Craft employee. I’m from Algonac, Michigan, home of Chris-Craft, so this purchase is very meaningful for many reasons. We now have a group of 13-14 campers and hope to do a reunion of sorts at the Antique and Classic Boat Society’s Michigan Chapter’s “Where it all Began” Wooden Boat show on the grounds of the original Chris Craft Plant the weekend of June 25-27, 2021, David Irvine Shelbyville, Southwest MI
I bought my trailer in Holt, Mi. in 2018, it was simply titled “Vintage camper”. Tim Heintz identified it for me and I was “off to the races” trying to track down as much info and other owners as I could; even joining some Chris Craft boat pages. I found David Irvine a few months later in a CC group and he has been my research partner ever since. We have since started a fb group for Chris Craft Land Cruiser owners. My trailer had “Peekstok” stenciled on two sides of the aluminum. While undergoing a rebuild I discovered the insulation was manufactured in Flint, MI. (these were kit trailers and you went to the local hardware store for the basics) so I figured it was a local build. I researched “Peekstok” until I was blue in the face, I finally remembered that my grandfather used to carve his ss # on everything he owned back in the 50’s, so I thought maybe it’s a last name? I joined a “finding lost friends of Kalamazoo” page and found a relative who got me in touch with the original owners, they were ecstatic to hear the trailer was still on the road and sent me tons of old pictures including the build and camping into the 60’s. They owned it until ‘76, it was rear rended back in the 80’s and rebuilt. It is undergoing a ground up rebuild now. I used it for vintage rallies as well as family camping before it went under construction. I even found a vintage Chris Craft Cabin Boy folding bike to match the camper. These were an option on the bigger Chris Craft Constellation boats for riding around the marinas. I use it for riding around the campgrounds and rallies, I’m looking forward to having my trailer done for the 2021 camping/rally season! Carrie Schmidt, aka “Sakibear”
From what I remember, the trailer was found in Maryland. It was purchased by an attorney in southern California who restores Chris Craft boats. He completely disassembled it and rebuilt it from ground up. It is totally restored. There are a few very minor things I want to do to it, but nothing to change its originality. It is a museum piece for sure. Please feel free to give my contact info to any other Chris Craft Land Cruiser owner or interested party you know or meet. Tim Nickerson Colorado Springs, CO  I needed a challenge. I had been on the hunt for a small vintage trailer to completely gut and redo. That’s when I came across a Facebook post of this little silver trailer located in Maryland. I didn’t know what it was or if it was worth anything. I was more excited of how little it was. My husband and I grabbed the trailer and were on the road. Once we got to the house where the trailer was located, I found out it had been in the family since it was assembled. The lady I bought it from inherited it from her dad. I tried to do some research on line and there was basically nothing out there. That’s when I posted on the Tin Can Tourist Facebook page and found Carrie Schmidt and David Irvine. They clued me in to just how rare it was and how neat it is to be a part of such a small community of owners. I don’t have plans to restore to original but more of a mostly white, nautical theme per say. I haven’t officially done anything with it but I can’t wait to actually get started. Starr Long Harrisburg, Pa
This is a rare 1954 Chris-Craft Land Cruiser. We know of only five or six of these trailers in existence. Chris-Craft produced them as a kit for fewer than 6 months during the 1954 model year. We found this rare Chris-Craft Land Cruiser in northwest Minnesota. Chris-Craft produced these trailers as kits for less than one year. With the exception of the plywood floor, which we replaced, all of the components that came with the kit are still original to this trailer. Mike Teusink Kirk Wingard Holland, MI
I bought the camper in early 2017 from a lady on the west coast of Florida who had it in her backyard after having it on the road for years. It now resides in my photo studio in Orlando and was once used as part of an "Indoor Camping" photo set. It is in unrestored condition but seems to be in great shape for its age so I haven't changed anything as of now. The original owner/builder looks to be from the Michigan area as there are some drawings in the owner's manual that show where some extra parts were bought. The lady I bought it from had the cushions made for the bed that you can make when you remove the table. I am looking forward to getting it on the road with my girlfriend at some point in 2021. Bryan Soderlin Orlando, FL
I was looking for a Chris Craft Land Cruiser and had heard that one was for sale in Murray, Kentucky. I contacted the owner and he stated he was in the process of restoring it, and had lost interest. I purchased it in pieces and brought it home in an enclosed trailer. It took us an hour to load it with a fourteen hour round trip to bring back to the Lake James, Indiana area where we live. I am presently in the process of reconstruction and am appreciative of all the research that other owners have been providing me with. Mike McBride Angola, IN
For the last several years I have had a big dream of turning a vintage landcruiser into a roaming sewing studio/mobil shop. I am a fashion designer and wanted to find something that I can take to craft fairs and schools all over the country. I have been searching for a canned ham style camper periodically over those years but never found anything that I particularly fell in love with. Recently, while unemployed due to Covid 19, I have been making masks, and remembered my little dream of that vintage landcruiser. I typed canned ham camper into my internet search engine and this one magically appeared on Ebay!! I read the details, then looked at the location, and much to my delight it was located only 30 minutes away from me. I thought this must be ment to be!! I traveled to John Parello's home and checked it out. I contemplated it for a little over a week, found a friend to look at it with me and commit to helping me fix her up, and then purchased her on Memorial Day. I am very excited to tackle this project. I am currently removing all of the walls due to mold and water damage. I am going to try to salvage what I can and keep the layout very similar to now it currently looks inside. The outside of the camper will be shined up and have a simple logo scrawled on the side. Additionally, I hope to add some awnings and a little flower box. I plan to sew the awnings, and do the upholstery work myself and my friend Chuck Downey, an engineer by trade, is excited to take it apart and put it back together, and seal her up tight, just like an original Chris Craft Landcruiser. I will be blogging the process and hope to have her road ready by summer 2021. Miranda Kay Levy Cudahy, WI  I found my Chris Craft Land Cruiser on eBay and purchased it after a short negotiation. It is currently in Arizona to be picked up soon to bring home to California.n I’m looking forward to learning more about our special trailers and doing a ground up restoration/rebuild. We are familiar with vintage trailers and have a 1956 Santa Fe that was completely rebuilt. Walter Montti Loomis, CA 
A recent purchase from a neighboring town about 20 minutes north from where I live in beautiful south central PA. With no camper on my mind, I was scrolling through Facebook and a local business posted a photo of the exterior buffing. My exact words on the post were “I want that!”. Of course I fell in love. The seller’s information was passed on to me and within weeks the deal was made! Previous to me Joe Faulkerson owned and restored this 1954 Chris Craft #LC 297. He did many upgrades including electric. The camper still features the original porcelain gas range, sink, and quaint refrigerator all still in working order. Not to mention the click-clack bed, sconces, the cast dolly wheel, and the cork screw jack are all original as well. There are many ideas and plans to take my children along in the coming years to adventure and make memories. We’ve used this as our weekend “getaway” in the yard for the past several weeks. It serves well as a quiet reading place or the perfect place to make a batch of pancakes on a Sunday morning. As of this writing I’m on my first official camping trip of the year at Lake Raystown in Entriken, PA. A few places I plan to take my camper this year are Shenandoah National Park Virginia, and Letchworth State Park New York. As well as and other local places. A close friend gifted me with vintage Impko window decals thus creating my Chris Craft bucket list. I’m elated to be part of the community of Chris Craft Land Cruisers! Bonnie Sue Casey Roaring Springs, PA
I was not looking for a vintage camper. My parents and I had just finished renovating a 1969 Nomad travel trailer, and I thought I was done with anything that needed the kind of constant love and maintenance an old camper often requires. Two days after selling the Nomad, my dad forwarded an email about a rare Chris Craft camper for sale in Colorado Springs; after seeing photos, I had to have it. Its former (and second) owner, a member of the Colorado Springs chapter of the Antique Boat Society, had restored the original interior in the last decade - it was in great condition and had retained that vintage boat cabin feel. And so in July of 2014 I became the excited new owner of a 1954 Chris Craft travel trailer. Since then we’ve had lots of memorable adventures around our home state of Colorado, as well as Utah, New Mexico, and even Lake Tahoe. Six years in, we have a laundry list of maintenance items that need to be addressed, including water damage in the rear - a project my husband Jay would love to avoid by finding the Chris Craft a new home. I sometimes pretend that I’d consider selling, but it’s almost certain that he’s stuck with this cool piece of history for the long haul. Meghan Grabow Wright
I saved this Chris Craft from being scrapped. The inside needs to be rebuilt. The outside is straight. Richard Tokos
This is Tim Nickerson’s Parent’s trailer. It is stated that it is a 1953 Red River Manufacturing Trailer out of Moorhead, Minnesota. It looks very similar to the Land Cruiser. A possible theory is they purchased the kits from Chris Craft and then sold them assembled under their own name. This article lists the 14 known Chris Craft Land Cruiser Campers known to exist. My 8th Grade History Teacher and friend Spencer Adkins, Sr. knew I had acquired this camper and found an original 50-page instruction manual that no one knew existed. His wife Mary (Ames) Adkins had a brother who worked for the “kit” division of Chris Craft Boats and may have been involved in the design. I have shared the manual, affectionately known as “the holy grail” with the 14 owners, as well as the Mariners Museum in Newport News, VA. It has been fun to research and meet these owners since acquiring mine a short 18 month ago. Issue # 50 of The Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine features the Chris-Craft Land Cruiser Trailers. If anyone has any information on the Chris-Craft Land Cruisers, please contact me at jirvine123@yahoo.com or at 269/664-5274 (evenings). We will add the information to our database. David Irvine
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 This Westcraft Capistrano is the brilliant result of more than a decade of meticulous restoration, craftsmanship, and modernization. It is the largest and most rare model that Westcraft ever offered The 'Capistrano' is 33 feet long and features a Pullman roof (commonly referred to as a trolley top). Flanked with seven windows on each side, the raised center of the ceiling provides 6'4" of headroom. You would be the talk of the rally if you showed up in this one! Sound like fun? You'll be glad to know that this trailer is for sale.  When the current owner purchased this rare model coach, it was in poor condition. Being one of only two known to exist, he felt the trailer deserved a restoration by a team of some of the best craftspeople in California to achieve the finest restoration possible. The team was led by Steven Butcher to envision a resto-mod unlike any other. Butcher brought his years of trailer and vehicle restoration experience to the project. A collector himself, Butcher's eye for design and knowledge of vintage Americana made him a worthy collaborator.  The original design was modernized to improve the coach by integrating the latest in safety features, luxury, comfort, and connectivity. The Westcraft is featured in a 6-page spread in the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine issue #48. If you are a subscriber to the magazine you have seen many more of the incredible photos by Pawel Litwinski. A profile shot of the exterior made the centerfold!  The trailer was most recently displayed in Palm Springs at Modernism Week in February of 2020. If this was your trailer, where would you take it? Trailers of this caliber are often displayed in museums, company show rooms or on estates where they are used as a tiny house or guest home. If you are looking for a vintage trailer to camp in or go to vintage trailer rallies his one would certainly be a contender if your budget will allow you a one-of-a-kind piece of art like this one.  The Calypso boasts an audio systems that can be played independently in the living and bedrooms, utilizing individual amps to drive NHT, Focal, and Sunfire speakers. Each room has a Sony flat-screen with Bose soundbars using common connections to both surround-sound systems. Concealed throughout the trailer are USB charging sockets, Ethernet, and coaxial cables and modern grounded outlets. There is even a remote-controlled quiet and energy-efficient Duotherm heating/AC system. If you are interested in purchasing this trailer, see the ad with more details and photos here. 
One cold but sunny April day, I just needed some sun. I wanted to layout, but there was still snow on the ground! I found an old sleeping bag, wrapped myself up in it, and went and laid outside – it was freezing! I was feeling what old-timers called “cabin fever.” Many of us have never had to deal with those feelings until the recent quarantine. I know my vintage trailer friends are a breed of doers. We are not used to staying put, and this quarantine is challenging us. We are also a group that is kind, inventive. We have the willpower to do whatever it takes to accomplish our goal of protecting our community so we can camp together soon.
Wednesday morning, we had a meeting with business owners, builders, suppliers, etc., all connected to the Vintage Camper Trailer world. We are all trying to figure out how to help each other weather this storm so we can all restart again when the quarantine is lifted. Many great ideas were shared, and our community leaders are strong and innovative. If you are able, support our people. They are working hard to stay in business to support our hobby. We had received a Zoom invite text to a virtual trailer rally from a random phone number. The invite said it was BYOB, so I replied and asked who I was going to be drinking with on Wednesday night. Turns out, that it was quite the group of trailer riff-raff! What a great way to check-in and connect with some of our trailer buddies! I miss them desperately but love them too much to see them in person. We had some good laughs, and it was nice to see everyone was in good spirits and adapting. Cabin fever does pass as the sun sticks around and melts the snow. I am feeling a need to see my friends and go camping, but I know it is not yet the right time. So, I am sending you all my love and prayers and lots of long-distance hugs. -Caroline 
 The Coronavirus (COVID-19) quarantine may be the most significant negative impact to the American economy in history. Many people are out of work for an undetermined amount of time, making the future unsure. A government stimulus may help those that are eligible. As time goes on, some families may need to liquidate assets to make ends meet. Fortunately, vintage trailers have been appreciating in value should it become necessary for you to sell yours. For most of us, the thought of HAVING to sell our vintage trailer is something we may not want to think about. If selling your vintage trailer or tow vehicle becomes a necessity, we want to help. www.buyvintagetrailers.com utilizes the social media following of the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine to notify the community every time a new trailer becomes available. Your ad is posted to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Standard and Featured ads include targeted boosted posts on Facebook and Instagram. Your ad is seen by even more potential buyers in your region. Buyers can use tools on the website to search for specific types of trailers or to search within a particular region of the country. Buyers are notified on one of several social media platforms when a new ad is placed. Your ad shows up in the feed of their choice. We don’t wait for buyers to come to the site, we go to them. If you are selling a vintage trailer or classic tow vehicle, we have over 700,000 contacts waiting to see what you've got. FREE Ads
  Some vintage trailer rallies have been cancelled or postponed and campgrounds are closing or changing their status due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. We asked the hosts of the rallies in the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine what the status of their rally was. We also contacted several of our favorite parks and found some resources online to help you pre-plan before you make travel plans. This post was accurate when published but things are changing rapidly. Call ahead. June Rallies are still “As Planned”. Based on local requirements this may change as the June dates get closer. Rally in the Pines, May 29-31, 2020 in Grass Valley, CA is “As Planned” at the moment, but a final decision will be made within a week. Confirmed Canceled Rallies
 Some of our Favorite ParksLIST YOUR FAVORITES, AND THEIR STATUS (IF YOU KNOW IT) IN THE COMMENTS BELOW. Bonelli Bluffs, San Dimas, CA Effective Monday March 23rd, 2020, Bonelli Bluffs RV Resort is closed. We are currently taking reservations for arrival on April 20th, 2020 and beyond. https://www.bonellibluffsrv.com/ (909) 599-8355 Casa De Fruta, Hollister, CA Open for campers. http://www.casadefruta.com/ (408) 842-7282 Durango RV Park and Resort, Red Bluff, CA Open with some limitations: However, during these unprecedented times, we feel it’s important to prioritize the health and safety of our guests above all else. As such, we have temporarily closed all amenities including the restrooms, pool, spa, lodge and exercise room. The laundry facilities will remain open and we have taken extra precautions with our cleaning. https://www.durangorvresorts.com/ (866) 770-7001 The 49er Village, Plymouth, CA Our offices will be staffed with reduced hours and will not be open for resident/guest interaction except for emergencies. Please contact the resort directly for revised check in processes. Clubhouses, activity/club rooms, and other indoor amenity spaces will remain closed. Activities programming, pools, waterparks, golf courses, stores, and restaurants will be closed to avoid the congregation of individuals. Website (209) 245-6981  Other ResourcesPismo Coast Village, Pismo Beach, CA For the protection and safety of our staff, guests, and the community, and in compliance with San Luis Obispo County's emergency mandatory shelter at home order, Pismo Coast Village will be closed until 4/17/20. The county plans to reevaluate the situation every 14 days, and they may extend or shorten the order. Kampgrounds of America Some KOA campgrounds have been closed. Below is an updated list of campgrounds who are closed, due to local government shutdowns. We will continue to update this list in as real-time as possible. https://koa.com/blog/update-on-covid-19/
Campendium has a list of public and private campgrounds, RV parks and camping locations that are either closed, not accepting new reservations or are operating with restrictions. https://www.campendium.com/camping/covid-19-state-by-state-campground-closures-responses/  From “business as usual” to “closed to the public,” the Covid-19 virus pandemic has altered the way many of us live, play, and work. Along with many other events scheduled for this spring, we had to cancel our Cajun Rally in San Dimas, CA, less than a couple of weeks after hosting Boot Camp. We are under a mandatory Shelter in Place order in Sacramento, CA. We operate our family business from our home, so while we are required to stay home, we can get caught up on projects that usually get pushed to the side. As far as the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine goes, it is business as usual. We always appreciate the support and the input of the community and our subscribers. I wanted to know how our advertisers were handling the current situation, so I reached out to them. Many are operational, and one is even observing the Shelter in place order and staying at the shop to be able to finish customer’s trailers. These dedicated professionals are just some of the businesses that cater to the vintage trailering hobby and would appreciate hearing from you. Steve at Hemet Valley RV says it’s business as usual. If you need siding for a project, give them a call. Hemet Valley RV can match most aluminum siding patterns and supply you with everything you need to reskin your trailer or make repairs. www.hemetvalleyrv.com or (951) 765-5075 Rachel at Harps RV Service says that although it is a tough time, they are still open and working and hoping to continue to do so. “We will stay working as long as it is safe,” Rachel said. Harps services new and vintage RVs and reminds us it’s easier to prepare than repair. www.harpsrv.com or (916) 434-9151  GT Services Vintage Trailer Works is open for business! Glenn let us know, “We have no storefront; in fact, we are located next to a huge wheat field, so we have almost no interaction with the public.” They are taking new Restoration, Repair, Modernization, Maintenance, and Service projects for the summer season. GT Services Vintage Trailer Works is also Montana’s premier Airstream collision repair center, for vintage trailers all the way up through the 2020 models! They are offering new clients a 5% discount on any work totaling $25,000 or more. GT works on all makes, models and years of trailers in an effort to support the members of our small community. Glenn said, “We always make room in our shop so local Montanans can get service work done!” www.gtservicesvintagetrailers.com (406) 599-6963 Gary at Heffrons Retro Design is up and running. Full staff, taking precautions, self-quarantine to the best of their ability and self-distancing in office, warehouse, and workspaces. It seems people are taking advantage of the downtime to catch up. “I believe this may change, how some things are done, in our workforce, all over the world, and how we conduct business futuristically, for a long time to come,” Gary shared. He went on to say, “Without this pandemic, it would be nice to slow our bump and grind workforce, to be more casual, as it was years ago all the while, still keeping up with demand. It seems like it would make for larger productions, with people more relaxed, rested, and being able to enjoy the family, just a little more. Like taking a drive through the Smokey Mountains.” Heffrons is starting to sell a lot of Metal Vintage Lawn Chairs, Gas Pumps, Car Sofas, Neon’s, as well as stools, booths, and all of the other items on their web site. www.heffrons.com (315) 363-7726 Airparts Inc. is still taking phone and online orders and shipping daily! Chris agrees that now is a great time to work on at home projects. She is hoping everyone’s projects get lots of attention during this time. www.airpartsinc.com 913-831-1780 James Polk Appraisals is business as usual if you need an appraisal. www.polkValuations.com (805) 646-7293 At Vintage Campers, Dan says it’s business pretty much as usual. The majority of their business, whether it be vintage trailer sales or parts, is done online and via telephone. The trailer restorations are done at their shop in Peru, IN. Correspondence with customers is done by email and phone. Dan is still very actively selling and shipping parts. If you are stuck at home because of social distancing, what better thing to do than work on your vintage camper. Vintage Campers is very proud of the fact that they have all their “custom made” vintage trailer parts manufactured in the USA. Even though it costs more, Dan would rather support American workers. You should not see any problems or delays in receiving custom made parts from www.VintageCampers.com. All of their vintage trailers and campers are on sale. FREE storage of any trailer you buy from them for up to one year. (765) 473-8088 Retroluxe Vintage Trailers, for the most part, is following the direction of the Shelter in Place mandate in California. Damen (one of the crew) is temporarily living on-site with his wife in their vintage Silver Streak trailer. (even though they just bought a house). He will continue to work on customer’s trailers at the Retroluxe shop. Scott and Wendy, the owners, are caring for Wendy’s elderly disabled mother, and they have chosen not to go out for her sake. They will continue correspondences and schedule future projects by phone and email. They said, “We will get through this and hope to be back up and running with our full staff after the crisis.” www.retroluxevintagetrailers.com (530) 303-3936 At this time, Heintz Designs will be closed to the public. This will include shop tours, consultations, trailer inspections, and client meetings. Any previously scheduled trailer deliveries and/or pick-ups will still be executed as long as the CDC will allow such activity. Tim says he has already seen an increase in delays from our suppliers. Tim will continue to do his best to move forward with all client projects. Please monitor their website www.HeintzDesigns.com for updates. Tell us how the current state of the nation has affected your life in the comments below.
This 1954 Boles Aero is truly one-of-a-kind. Although it has endless unique features, the thing that I always remember about Billie and Dave O'Neel's trailer is the narrated audio tour that is played over the sound system as you tour the trailer. Billie recorded a narrative of the trailers vintage journey along with details about it's restoration and information about America in 1954, the year the trailer was built. You can listen to her audio recording above or read more about this trailer in the Vintage Camper Trailer Rallies Book.
Books available from Vintage Camper Trailers
 If you have ever attended a vintage trailer rally you likely have at least one trailer that you remember. An incredible restoration that took years to complete. A project where money was no object and someone bankrolled a mid-six figures budget to have a renowned restorer work his magic on a carcass that was headed for a scrap heap.  We have been publishing the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine for eight years and hosting the Trailerfest Rallies even longer than that. We have seen and photographed 100's of trailers over the past decade. We are privileged to have seen some incredible work and many one-of-a-kind and unique builds. Several of them stand out in my mind for different reasons.
One of my favorite builds wasn’t highly polished, didn’t have fantastic woodwork and was built with stuff the owner had sitting around. While Scott has restored some trailers in his day, he does not do it professionally. This project came about in part because of Scott's large collection of vintage camping-related gear. How better to display it than in a trailer? It just so happened that Scott had a 1952 Boles Aero Montecito sitting around.
I first saw this trailer at the Pismo Beach Rally and was taken aback. I had long had the vision of doing something similar, but for me, it was just a dream. Scott had exercised restraint in not over restoring the trailer and made it look like it was a survivor. The trailer has plywood flooring with a shuffleboard court down the middle! The finished display struck me in such a way that it inspired me to build our Mid-Century Mobile Museum. Scott's trailer was featured in Issue #26 of the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine and in our second book, Vintage Camper Trailers Rallies.  Collecting vintage camping gear is part of the hobby. Scott's collectibles that are displayed in Arnie’s Sporting Goods Store appear to be in very good and even “new in the box” condition. Usually, we don’t get that lucky and we need to restore all the goodies that go with the vintage trailering hobby. This year at Boot Camp we have both an appliance repair and troubleshooting class along with a class on getting your vintage lanterns and stoves in good working order. If that doesn’t sound like fun we have sewing classes and crafting like making Rag Rugs.
Scott Burud’s Boles was sold at the first rally it was shown at. The Murphy Auto Museum bought it and it was displayed at the museum for a couple of years before being sold to another collector. Looking at the photos in the book and the magazine remind of how cool this budget-minded trailer is and why it still stands out to me as one of my all-time favorites -PAUL  Click on the above image for information regarding the magazine.
Vintage trailer prices are based on supply and demand. A limited number of vintage trailers available in the market has driven the asking price of trailers up over the past decade. The large demand for classic trailers makes RIGHT NOW a good time to sell. If you are waiting until spring, you may want to re-think that. Buyers are looking for trailers now to be ready for the camping season. With fewer trailers for sale in the winter months, the supply is less. Limited supply, high demand, you do the math. A Testimonial that we received this week: Please place a SOLD SIGN on my De Ville ad, I have always had great results with ads on Vintage Camper Trailers Classifieds. I got a hot buyer the same day the ad was placed. The money, and title changed hands the same week. He lives only a few miles from me and came over to look at the trailer "in the rain" the first day it was listed. It was a full price sale, and he's paying me expenses to tow it up to Zephyr Cove in South Lake Tahoe in the spring. Thanks for all of your help, Happy Holidays. -John P.  Tips for Selling Your Vintage Trailer:
If you have a trailer for sale and would like to use the VCT classifieds to let potential buyers know about it, use the coupon code BEST to save 30% on the cost of your ad. (Offer Expires 12/31/19) VCT Magazine Subscribers ALWAYS save 20% on classified ads. Click Here to read the rest of our blog.  Click on the banner above for more information about the VCT Magazine.  Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine subscribers have online management tools at their fingertips. This includes a free digital issue every month with your subscription and improved ways to change your address, renew your subscription or give a subscription as a gift. You don’t even need to know your password. Simply use your account number on your mailing indicia or use your email address attached to your account to access the digital copies or manage your account. Here are links to help you navigate:If you have a recurring payment set up through PayPal you do not have access to these features. We can fix that for you. You need to re-subscribe on the new platform and then email us to let us know to “Merge My Subscriptions” (in the subject line). We will add any issues you have remaining on your PayPal account to your new subscription and cancel your old PayPal account for you. You will not miss a beat and you will have access to the digital issues beginning with the next issue.  |
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