Rally ‘round the Airstreams

Airstream owners are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.

We found that out at our very first Airstream event, the Florida State Rally in Sarasota, Fla. Feb. 15-17.

We had our guard up because our initial encounter with Airstream folks wasn’t the most pleasant experience. Right after we bought our 1960 Overlander, we started calling various dealerships and folks selling parts on Craig’s List. They were very dismissive, and one even said that most people who buy vintage Airstreams end up giving up on the restoration and selling their trailers. They had their doubts about us and would barely give us the time of day. 

So needless to say, there was some trepidation about attending our first rally, a Wally Byam Caravan Club International (WBCCI) event. WBCCI is the official Airstream owner’s club, with a rich history that dates back to the early 1950s. Wally Byam, the founder of Airstream, Inc, formed the club and hosted rallies and caravans around the world. 

We woke up at 4 a.m. Friday morning and left from Stuart to get to the rally in time for an 8 a.m. seminar on polishing. We arrived right on time, got our registration packets and badges, and headed over to the continental breakfast. 

As we crossed the threshold, it was quite evident that we were the youngest people in the room by a good 20 years, give or take one or two people. All eyes were on us as we got our coffee and breakfast. There was plenty of staring, but equally as many smiles and kind greetings. 

Again, more curious looks as we entered the polishing seminar. The older gentleman who told Justin, “You’re too young to be here,” at the breakfast must’ve been joking because a few minutes later, he sat down next to us and pulled an iPad out of his backpack. Pretty fly for an old white guy. 

The turning point was when Justin asked a question during the seminar and the facilitator asked what year our trailer was. When he replied, “A 1960 Overlander,” everyone raised their eyebrows. They were impressed, or at least surprised. 

All of our questions were answered and after the seminar, a gentleman named John who was brimming with vintage Airstream knowledge greeted us. We exchanged stories about our trailers and got each other’s contact info. 

It’s so nice to meet others who have- or are going through the same restoration processes. There isn’t exactly a wealth of knowledge available on restoring Airstreams. It’s out there, but you have to hunt for it. It’s nice to relate to someone face-to-face about the intricacies of vintage trailering. 

Throughout the weekend, we met lots of incredibly nice people, some who owned vintage trailers and others with newer models. We strolled through the RV show and toured the newest Airstream models, which averaged between $75,000-80,000 (yikes!); checked out the trade show, and attended a few more seminars. We were like sponges soaking in all the information. 

We were also invited to a couple Happy Hour gatherings for the various WBCCI chapters in Florida. It felt like a reverse rush for a fraternity or sorority – we were being courted! Trailer courted, I guess you could say.

Our favorite part of the rally was the vintage Airstream open house. It was so neat to see all the different trailers and how each one reflected its owners' personality. 

We asked lots of questions and took pictures of interior layouts and holding tank configurations. Yeah... that's what we get excited about these days, lol. Everyone was eager to hear about our Overlander and share their vintage Airstream knowledge.

On the last day of the rally, we eagerly awaited the flea market. We were hoping to find some parts for Riva, but there wasn’t much of a selection for vintage items. As I was walking out the door, I discovered some vintage taillights and an indoor propane lamp that I snagged for $20 total. I couldn’t leave without something for my aluminum princess! 

I must add, no trip to Sarasota would be complete without a trip to the beach to see the sunset on the Gulf of Mexico. We also visited Sarasota Architectural Salvage - a very cool place with lots of great junk.

We drove home Sunday afternoon, thrilled with what we learned and the new friends we made, but eager to return to our pups and our own beds. We vowed that the Riveted Roost would certainly be attending next year’s Sarasota rally, appropriately deemed “AlumaFlamingo.” We can’t wait to bring our dogs and aluminum abode with us next time.

View more photos from our trip to Sarasota on our Flickr page. Follow our Airstream adventure on Twitter @RivetedRoost or find us on Facebook.

Logo reveal

It's official! The Riveted Roost has a logo. Drumroll please...

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Follow our Airstream adventure on Twitter @RivetedRoost or find us on Facebook.

Subflooridian

{By Justin}

Kelly gives me a hard time about planning things out. I tend to do projects at my own pace, but there’s usually a method to my madness. 

Sometimes I breeze down our checklist, but there are times when I move at a snail’s pace and spend hours on something that appears simple from an outside perspective. 

It was clear when we bought our 26-foot aluminum can that the subfloor would be an issue and some areas needed replacing. I tried to remain positive, but the visible water damage on the tongue-and-groove wood flooring was a glaring imperfection that suggested otherwise. 

When we finally moved the Riveted Roost into the backyard, I knew I’d have to pick a day where I was free to curse, spit, drink beer and get to work without offending anyone. So one Saturday, Kelly left for a horse show at 6 a.m. and I was working on the trailer by 7. I started by removing the full-size pink porcelain toilet from rear of the trailer so that I could begin ripping out the wood flooring. 

The toilet came out with ease, as did the wood planks, so I proceeded to rip out about ¼ of the flooring to access the entire rear end cap subfloor. After about 20 minutes on my hands and knees I stepped away to open a beer. It was about 8 a.m., but sometimes that’s just the fuel the body and mind needs for something like this. 

It's gotta get ugly before it gets better. The full size pink comode must go!

The previous owner lived in the trailer full-time and removed the original camper toilet and holding tank. I’ll give him a little credit though, he replaced the entire end cap subfloor; however, he didn’t fix the leak in the roof and his plumbing joints leaked, which meant I needed to replace a 2-foot section of subfloor. No big deal, I thought. 

As I continued to remove more of the wood flooring I began to see additional signs of water damage behind the street side (port/left) wheel well. I tried to remain optimistic, but each wood plank I pulled revealed more and more water damage. 

Kelly came home to find me standing Fred Flintstone-style in the camper.

Once I removed all the flooring, I stepped away to grab another beer, not sure what time it was. The oat sodas were keeping my mind limber and going down the hatch nice and smooth. 

Some people are tidy when it comes to deconstruction and probably use proper foot and eye protection. Not me. I rip, yank and saw my way through the process while wearing Rainbow sandals, board shorts and a T-shirt. 

I accumulated a decent pile of wood outside the trailer door and after a quick sweep, I was finally able to get a good look at the subfloor. I didn’t like what I saw and proceeded to open another beer. 

Parts of the subfloor were OK, while other parts had been replaced and some had rotted as much as a foot from the sidewalls. The subfloor beneath the refrigerator was previously replaced, but the wall and roof vents leaked (probably the refrigerator, too) and that section needed to be replaced again. 

New plywood subfloor, treated with Kilz on the underside.

I also discovered an interesting solution to repair an outlet. Instead of replacing the damaged outlet behind the refrigerator, the previous owner decided to tie in a 2-ft section of extension cord that hung freely from the outlet opening in the wall. Black electrical smoke stains suggested the outlet failed a long time ago and we’re lucky it didn’t burn the Airstream to the ground. 

Really?!?

The rotten subfloor near the window-mounted A/C unit didn’t come as a surprise, but I wasn’t sure how far into the front end cap the rot had progressed, since the dinette was covering it up. It was time for another beer. To be continued...

Follow our Airstream adventure on Twitter @RivetedRoost or find us on Facebook.