Tiny Camper on Craigslist

[GrumpyGrizzly]

Brace yourself.. This one might just make your head explode.

This is a 1954 Kom Pak camper. Now, take a look at the pictures and like me, you might wonder why that roof is like it is.. And what is that on the front of the camper bolted to that hitch..

O.M.G.!!! I said to myself.. The roof is a BOAT and that contraction on the front is a small 2 stroke motor!!

2 more pictures in the next reply..

[GrumpyGrizzly]

I've got a couple of trailers sitting around and I've even got a Jon Boat..

Now where's mah hammer?!?!

[GTS225]

To my eye, that looks more like a custom build, using the sheet metal from the back half of a '52-'54 Ford wagon, and shaping it to match the boat hull. It might have been built on a Kom Pak chassis, but I can't imagine that Ford allowed anyone to utilize their auto bodies in such a manner.
It appears to be a good build, and quite ingenious, but I'm skeptical about it being as original.

Roger

[GPW]

Still, it’s Very Cool !!! Retro as an old Toaster !!!

[dmb90260]

I have seen a number of boat/trailers at vintage trailer rallies but I do not recall the rear end looking like that. I tended to agree with the idea that it was a one-off job until I looked harder.
Check https://www.pinterest.com/pin/379006124881591300/?lp=true. Among the odd things there are a couple boat/trailers that look to have the same rear end.
I used boat/trailer combo as my search subject.

The ones I have seen had the boat on the roof but it was not the roof of the trailer.

[gudmund]

the trailer body of these is 'fiberglass' and YES they used the shape of the Ford when they were built in the early/mid fifty's. I have read that upwards of 500 or so were built. There also was another company that started making them again for awhile in the early 60's. Also heard that in later years people would sell the boat and than later there would be a problem with restoring the trailer in finding another boat that would fit properly. Today finding the 2 'original' items together (like seen in these pictures that 'fit' so well) is rare. I have seen quite a few of these over the years at teardrop get-together's with very few fitting/mating up as well as what I see in these pictures. The question I always have had is - when you remove the boat and head out fishing for the day - what will you be covering up the trailer with for 'rain' protection while it is off??

[gudmund]

Also if by chance you have a copy of the teardrop book published in 2008 by Douglas Keister - "Teardrops and Tiny Trailer" on pages 12 and 36 you will see the first one I ever saw years ago (about 10 years before this book had even been published) before it ever looked as good as it does in these pictures, I had seen it locally here where I live, not knowing what it even was?? Found this book and recognized it as soon as I saw it along with the name of the owner. Here is a picture of the one I saw a few years back (2014) at a body shop in Willis, Calif. after it had just been painted.

[Pmullen503]

So what did you do when the boat was off? was there some kind of soft top that was attached?

[gudmund]

have never seen anything on the ones I have looked at and was told by one that he just throws a 'tarp' over the trailer when he has the boat off of it. Another concern of mine would be the fit/mating of the boat to the trailer when traveling down the road and how much water would be coming though in the rain???? Not something I would want to be dealing with after the all of the "problems" I had had with my last teardrop and it door/body leak problems!!

[GPW]

Nice the idea of the "open boat" gives you so much more headroom … Like Gmd sez’ ^ ... guess you’d bring a tarp when fishing … ???

[Pmullen503]

https://www.hemmings.com/users/277107/gallery/5852.html#PhotoSwipe1550773437631

Here you go, a soft top attached with snaps. Explains the things that look like bows in the photo.

[rainjer]

this looks like the same model.