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Sat Oct 29, 2022 9:44 am

I should post some updates on my Puck. We've had a full summer using it pretty much every weekend. I'll maybe try to get on that soon.

I did want to reply to this though:

Daddybus wrote: The front door of the Trucker fridge has a removeable panel. I painted the trim aluminum and I painted the panel blue like the stove & sink.
I used one of these
https://www.acehardware.com/departments/paint-and-supplies/spray-paint/hobby-spray-paint/1514157

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/paint-and-supplies/spray-paint/hobby-spray-paint/11886

As it turns out, that particular line of Rust-oleum isn't available in Canada. I even emailed the company to see if any of the colours were the same in any other lines, but no luck.
We did a road trip through Idaho and Washington in July and stopped at at least 6 or 8 Ace Hardware stores hoping to get a can, but struck out. It seemed like there are product shortages, since half of the paint shelves were bare. And of course, none of the stores had the Maui Blue or Harbor Blue cans. Just my luck. So that will have to be a next year project when we make it back to the US.

I also spent more time than I care to admit working with a sign printing shop, hoping to have a sheet of vinyl cut to cover the fridge door. No luck there either. We would get close, but when compared to the sink and fridge, it just wasn't close enough and didn't look right.

Thu Dec 29, 2022 9:18 am

Greetings Folks,

I was very glad to find this thread. I spent most of a day by the fire reading through it from beginning to end. It was both educational and entertaining.

I have been the proud owner of a '67 Puck for 15-20 years. I bought it off eBay from a NYC police officer who lived in NJ. There is a furniture manufacturing company in my hometown. They send furniture everywhere and they also back-haul different items. Lucky for me they were able to pick up the camper in NYC. So, at around midnight, at the end of the George Washington Bridge, with help from a rollback belonging to the city of NY, my Puck was loaded into a semi trailer. Many hours later, it finally made it home to me.

It came with an original sales brochure. According to the brochure, it was imported by Eriba Travel Trailer Importers, Inc. of Glendale, NY. There is a stamp on the brochure from L. O. Gould, an authorized Airsteam dealer in Bloomsbury, NJ. I can only assume that was where it was bought new. Not sure though.

I have always towed it behind my '79 Superbeetle. The convertible was my first VW. I have owned it for going on 36 years. Together, we've gone on many camping adventures.

The Puck wasn't perfect when I got it. It's still not perfect. I doubt it ever will be. The stove still works and so do the interior and exterior lights. The water pump is still operational. The cabinets are in good condition. I would like to find a couple of small items that it didn't have when I bought it. Over time, I have had the cushions reupholstered, had new curtains made, replaced the bearings/seals, and bought new tires. It came with a heavy, blue/white striped awning and some wooden poles. I have since purchased a new awning and poles. The canvas needs replacing and the headliner is coming loose. Both are on the to-do list. I'll have to seek out a professional shop to do the work. The convertible has the original top, padding, and headliner. They also need replacing as they are showing their age. I'd like to find a shop that would be willing to do the car and the camper.

I have never seen another Puck on the road, at a VW show, or in a campground. People, as you all know, are always curious about the little camper. They don't know what it is, where it came from, or anything else about it. It makes for good conversation. I've met lots of interesting people. VW owners are generally interesting in our own right. A rare breed you might say.

I added a couple of pictures of the two together. They were taken in the Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I've also added a link to an album with more photos of the Puck inside and out along with some pictures of the brochure.

I'm glad to have found some other Puck owners. Hopefully, someday I'll get to meet some of you. That is, if I haven't already and just don't know it.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/92451820@N00/albums/72157648595315953

Thu Dec 29, 2022 10:03 am

That's a nice looking Puck! It's nice to see you get lots of use out of it. The brochures you have are great- are you able to add them to the gallery here to make sure they're always available to view? There's not a lot of that kind of info out there.

When you decide to replace the canvas, get in touch with Matt's Soft Tops in the UK (https://matts-soft-tops.co.uk/). Amazing quality, and probably cheaper than having one made locally.

You're not alone if you've never seen another Puck! I previously owned a Troll, and the guy I bought my Puck from has a Pan, but that's it for me. I've heard legends of 4 other Pucks within Montana, Alberta, and BC, but they are pretty few and far between for sure.

Thu Dec 29, 2022 11:20 am

CanStan wrote: That's a nice looking Puck! It's nice to see you get lots of use out of it. The brochures you have are great- are you able to add them to the gallery here to make sure they're always available to view? There's not a lot of that kind of info out there.

When you decide to replace the canvas, get in touch with Matt's Soft Tops in the UK (https://matts-soft-tops.co.uk/). Amazing quality, and probably cheaper than having one made locally.

You're not alone if you've never seen another Puck! I previously owned a Troll, and the guy I bought my Puck from has a Pan, but that's it for me. I've heard legends of 4 other Pucks within Montana, Alberta, and BC, but they are pretty few and far between for sure.

Thanks CanStan. Good to hear from another Puck owner. I am planning on adding the brochure pictures to the gallery. I'm just not sure what category they fall under. VW parts and accessories or VW literature or something else? Any suggestions?

Thanks for the heads up about Matt's Soft Tops. I think I saw something in one of the threads about it and I saved the link.

At one point, I had two Pucks and a Familia. The Familia was too big to be towed by my Superbeetle and I really didn't need two Pucks at that time so I sold them. I think the Familia went to Arizona, but I can't remember where the Puck ended up.

Take care.

Thu Dec 29, 2022 4:48 pm

Nice puck and story!

The literature section is fine for the brochures even though it's not "VW" literature, that section is for any sort of VW accessory or add-on.

Fri Dec 30, 2022 5:14 am

EverettB wrote: Nice puck and story!

The literature section is fine for the brochures even though it's not "VW" literature, that section is for any sort of VW accessory or add-on.

Thanks Everett! I'll add the photos to the gallery today.

Sat Sep 16, 2023 6:32 am

I hope this link was not previously posted but I'm trying to determine if some pucks were lighter than others. According to this link they weigh 1.1K lbs. According to my 2013 Honda Fit Sport I can only tow up to 900lbs. Are there lighter pucks?

https://www.bugpuck.be/en/eriba-caravans/eriba-puck.htm

Sat Sep 16, 2023 6:59 am

LAGrunthaner wrote: I hope this link was not previously posted but I'm trying to determine if some pucks were lighter than others. According to this link they weigh 1.1K lbs. According to my 2013 Honda Fit Sport I can only tow up to 900lbs. Are there lighter pucks?

https://www.bugpuck.be/en/eriba-caravans/eriba-puck.htm

I have a '67 Puck. I think it weighs around 660lbs. My convertible has a stock engine and pulls it fine.

Sat Sep 16, 2023 7:51 am

LAGrunthaner wrote: I hope this link was not previously posted but I'm trying to determine if some pucks were lighter than others. According to this link they weigh 1.1K lbs. According to my 2013 Honda Fit Sport I can only tow up to 900lbs. Are there lighter pucks?

https://www.bugpuck.be/en/eriba-caravans/eriba-puck.htm

I think that’s bad info in that link. Maybe they got the pounds and kilograms mixed up?
I can’t see any possible way to double the weight of a Puck unless you loaded it with bricks.

My old Eriba Troll posted a few pages back in this thread was only about 1800lbs and is literally 3-4 times the size of a Puck.

Mon Oct 02, 2023 6:46 am

Hi folks, I'm looking for some advice/information. I have a '67 Puck. I have never used the dining table because I was unable to attach it to the rear shelf. One of the brackets on the rear shelf is missing and one of the brackets on the table is missing. Are these still available anywhere? Does anyone have any ideas on what I could replace them with?

Thu Jan 11, 2024 8:11 pm

Professor39 wrote: Hi folks, I'm looking for some advice/information. I have a '67 Puck. I have never used the dining table because I was unable to attach it to the rear shelf. One of the brackets on the rear shelf is missing and one of the brackets on the table is missing. Are these still available anywhere? Does anyone have any ideas on what I could replace them with?

I know you can get used hinges (maybe new ones as well?) from EribaSar in Germany.
For what it’s worth, my old Troll was missing the proper table hinges too, and the previous owner just screwed on some residential interior door hinges. There was a loose fitting pin that was easy enough to slide in and out as needed.
A bit of a hokey setup, but it did work just fine. And it wasn’t noticeable.

Home Depot has a huge selection of cabinet door and other styles of hinges. Maybe there’s something you could find there?

That said, getting the proper hinges from Germany likely won’t be very expensive.

Thu Jan 11, 2024 8:36 pm

Has anyone come up with a solution to mount bag awning to the side of a Puck?

I have an aluminum case awning for my bus that I thought about trying to mount to the Eriba, but there would just way too much weight pulling down and outward for the rain gutter to handle.

I picked up a light-weight bag awning, which seems like it would work well. The issue is brackets. The GoWesty style have an arm that comes down and braces against the body. That won’t work on the thin, hallow walls of the trailer. At best, it would make a dent. At worst, it would push right through the aluminum.

Has anyone found an existing bracket that would work for this?
I could probably have something custom made, but the cost would be prohibitive for one set. Maybe if there were several people interested in them, it could be worthwhile.
But ultimately, it would be great to find an off-the-shelf solution.

Thu Jan 25, 2024 7:50 am

Quote: I know you can get used hinges (maybe new ones as well?) from EribaSar in Germany.
For what it’s worth, my old Troll was missing the proper table hinges too, and the previous owner just screwed on some residential interior door hinges. There was a loose fitting pin that was easy enough to slide in and out as needed.
A bit of a hokey setup, but it did work just fine. And it wasn’t noticeable.

Home Depot has a huge selection of cabinet door and other styles of hinges. Maybe there’s something you could find there?

That said, getting the proper hinges from Germany likely won’t be very expensive.

Thanks! I actually found the missing/broken piece. It appears to be nothing more than a simple lift-off hinge. I'm going to take the broken piece to a hardware store to see if I can find a match. If not, I may contact the supplier in Germany. Take care

Sun Aug 11, 2024 7:20 am

Anybody have a replacement for my damaged Eriba Puck sink? I’m in California.

Looks like something heavy fell on this one in its previous-to-me history.

It’s 10.75” wide by 15.5” long and 5.5” deep, interior measurements. I’d love to have an original in better condition for my 1971 Puck, however, would make do with stainless steel or some other material.

Also, I’m curious to know what experiences folks have had contracting out replacement of the interior liner. What kind of artisan did you choose, and what was the approximate cost? Any unexpected difficulties getting someone else to install it?

Sun Aug 11, 2024 8:09 am

i've not personally used tub liners, but do have some first hand experience with refinishers.

years ago, i used a company franchise of Miracle Method. it was basically two days of prep, two hours of nasty spray, and a 3 day drying period. this was for a tub in place.

the other was a removed sink, but cannot remember the company. the product was fine, but the technician sprayed it in a dusty garage with pi$$ poor lighting. the surface 25 years later has held up to use, but still has specks imbedded & an uneven thickness in coat which shows as grey in bright light.

i would urge you to remove it, send it out, sans the trim ring/ drain in order the finish gets under them so it is virtually a single sheet of high tech coating without seems.

Sun Aug 11, 2024 8:18 am

Great idea! I wonder if I can match the aqua blue? I’m not super-worried about returning the Puck to absolute authentic original condition, but it’s nice to not create new junk for the landfill. I will look into refinishing. Thank you!!

Sun Aug 11, 2024 8:29 am

https://www.nufinishpro.com/pasadena/

https://youtu.be/X8YwhUtABu4?si=DlXQ7if0LIc32w8i

Tue Aug 13, 2024 1:20 pm

Thanks for the links.

First estimate from a different place came in at $500 and that’s for white porcelain, not even the blue color matching, which is vendor-talk for they don’t want my small job.

I’ll check a few other places.

Tue Aug 13, 2024 2:06 pm

One more question — My new-to-me 1971 Puck has lots of shallow and a couple of deep dents and scratches on the thin aluminum. I’ve read through this entire thread and seen some very good examples of replacing the skin. Are there also examples of taking it to a body shop or metal worker to try to smooth or hammer out the dents?

If you’ve replaced or looked into replacing the skin on your vintage Puck, could you give me an estimate of what might be a reasonable cost to do that? Any physical challenges, like where to screw the new panels in, or getting the new skin to fit the window seals?

Little bit of backstory and finally a request:

I have a small but decent budget to restore the trailer, and will be looking to piece out the work I can’t do myself, which is probably much of it.

I’ve got all the replacement window seals, inserts to the seals, red trim strips for the metal seams, pop-top fabric and pop-top edging. Door seal is already good, the previous owner did that work and said he re-packed the wheel bearings.

The trailer needs bigger wheels, I need to get 10” rather than the 8” wheels on it now, just need to find some with a four-bolt pattern and trailer tires to go with it.

The stove and icebox are in good shape and the marine battery wiring works so the lights switch on. The gas tank sits nicely on the towbar. It does need a different jockey wheel because the one that’s clamped on now hits the truck — it was probably fine when being towed by a much lower VW bus, but doesn’t work with my vehicle. I had to bungee it up for the first tow across town.

The sink — I’m looking into resurfacing it. I haven’t found a source that has a replacement the same size. Sure, I could go with a different size sink, but this sink is sized to fit the cabinet divisions below the counter top, so I’d rather use what I have rather than complicate things below the counter.

And I sew, so it’ll be no problem to replace the cushions for the bed. And I have awning replacement on the way. I also got a replacement pop-top hinge to put where one is missing. (Random piece of precisely-cut tree branch holds up the pop-top now.

And the entire headliner needs to be replaced, I think I’ve got a line on an auto upholstery person who can do that. Once the headliner and fabric walls are off, is styrofoam the best insulation material or is there something more current you’d recommend?

Window seals are shot, but the windows themselves are in good shape. The wood cabinetry is fine, although shows signs of water seepage from the floor. So I’ll probably have to replace that, and am looking for the right material to do that. So far, it seems like marine plywood sealed with marine paint is the right way to go, but I could be wrong.

Now my request — Please feel free to Man/Woman/Puck-splain me what I might be missing, how you’d handle the renovation and any other advice you care to give. I would appreciate benefitting from your expertise.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!

Sharon

Tue Aug 13, 2024 3:12 pm

the best i can do now is to turn you over to the pros:

https://www.tnttt.com/

https://cannedhamtrailers.com/

https://ditzygypsy.proboards.com/thread/296/links-websites-usefull

https://vintagecaravans.proboards.com/

https://ourtouringpast.com/

https://www.rvhistory.com/blog-1

sign up for free information at boot camp in two weeks - https://www.vintagecampertrailers.com/

https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f80/ny-1967-eriba-puck-71013.html

https://forum.expeditionportal.com/forums/expedition-and-overland-trailers-retail-models.42/