This is a refurbished 1952 Airfloat Navigator travel trailer, it’s one of the rarer vintage trailers we’ve featured and was a period competitor to the likes of the Airstream.
The Airfloat Navigator measures in at approximately 20’ long, it has an aluminum body with corrugated side panels, and it has unusual porthole side windows that give it an almost maritime feel.
Fast Facts – The Airfloat Navigator Travel Trailer
- Airfloat Coach Manufacturing Co., founded in the mid-1930s by Omar Suttles, was an early competitor to Airstream. Initially using Masonite for construction, they later switched to aluminum alloy bodies. The company experienced a boom in the 1950s, with their trailers used by celebrities and inspiring at least one best-selling book.
- The 1952 Airfloat Navigator, featured in this article, is a rare vintage travel trailer measuring in at 20 feet long. It has an aluminum body with corrugated side panels and distinctive porthole windows, giving it a nautical feel. The trailer was refurbished in 2015 for use as a guesthouse.
- Airfloat played a significant role during WWII, producing trailers for the US Army. The company celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1955 by introducing gold anodized aluminum bodies, which became their trademark. However, the company ceased operations in 1957, shortly after Suttles’ retirement in 1956.
- The refurbished Navigator features a classic mid-century interior with a kitchenette, lounge area, toilet, and rear bedroom. Upgrades include a reinforced frame, new axle, brakes, plumbing, electrical system, and period-correct LED lighting. The trailer is now being sold in California with a clean Arizona title.
The Airfloat Coach Manufacturing Co.
The Airfloat Coach Manufacturing Co. was founded in the mid-1930s, either 1934 or 1935 in Los Angeles, California. It would pre-date the arrival of the polished aluminum Airstream travel trailers, which made their debut in 1936.
The Airfloat Coach Manufacturing Co. peaked in the 1950s, James Dean used one as his trailer while shooting the Warner Bros/George Stevens drama “Giant” and another Airfloat trailer would be the inspiration for the book “The Long, Long, Trailer” by Clinton “Buddy” Twiss. Images courtesy of the Airfloat Coach Manufacturing Co.
Airfloat was founded by Omar Suttles, a man who would go on to have a major impact on the American travel trailer industry, and become a founding member of the TCA, or the Trailer Coach Association, this was the predecessor of the modern RVIA, the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association.
Initially, Suttles made his Airfloat trailers from Masonite, this was a product made by steam-pressing wood fibers into rigid boards. It was both strong and affordable, and many early travel trailer companies made use of it for body construction.
The outbreak of WWII would see Airfloat contracted by the US Army to build as many travel trailers as they could, along with their competitors at Western Trailer Co., Airstream, and the Masterbilt Coach Trailer Co. In total, hundreds of trailers would be made with most sent to San Diego as temporary accommodation for military servicemen and their families.
The company would later switch over to the use of aluminum alloy for the bodies, by about the mid-1950s, often using a distinctive corrugated lower side section below the signature rough porthole windows running down each side.
The 1950s would be a boom time for the firm, James Dean would use a 1952 Airfloat LandYacht as his trailer on the set of the Warner Bros/George Stevens drama Giant which was filmed in Marfa, Texas during the summer of 1955, then released in 1956.
Another Airfloat travel trailer would be the inspiration for the book The Long, Long, Trailer by Clinton “Buddy” Twiss. In 1949 Mr and Mrs Twiss bought a 28′ LandYacht for the adventure that would form the basis of the book.
Here on the left you can see images of Airfloat travel trailers being used as accommodation quarters for soldiers and their families near San Diego during WWII. The news clipping on the right goes into more detail. Images courtesy of the Airfloat Coach Manufacturing Co.
Sadly, it would be a 1953 Redman New Moon 32′ travel trailer that was used in the 1954 film of the same name, starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. This meant that Airfloat missed out on much of the exposure they would have received otherwise.
Exactly what happened to the company after this remains a bit of a mystery. Airfloat celebrated their 25th anniversary in 1955 and decided to use gold anodized aluminum for the body. This would become a trademark for the firm and most trailers they made would be gold anodized after this time.
Company founder Suttles retired in 1956, and the company survived just a year or so without him, producing their last trailer in 1957 before disappearing forever. The Airfloat travel trailers that have made it to the current day are now considered highly collectible by vintage trailer and RV enthusiasts.
The 1952 Airfloat Navigator Travel Trailer Shown Here
The travel trailer you see here is a 1952 Airfloat Navigator that was refurbished for use as a guesthouse in 2015. This refurbishment included reinforcing the frame, refinishing the cabinets and furniture, replacing the axle, brakes, plumbing, electrical system, propane lines, flooring, and porthole windows, and installing period-correct-looking LED lighting.
The corrugated aluminum side with the circular porthole windows would become signature features of many Airfloat travel trailers.
Inside the trailer you’ll find a classic mid-century interior with a kitchenette, a lounge area, a toilet, and a rear bedroom with a full double bed. There is ample wood paneling throughout and the kitchenette includes an oven with three gas burners, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator, countertop space, and plenty of cupboards for storage.
The trailer is now being sold out of Santa Paula, California on Bring a Trailer with a clean Arizona title and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it, see more images, or place a bid.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer + The Airfloat Coach Manufacturing Co.
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Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
