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Hi DanielBoondock, Blake works by himself and is the owner of Triple B Detailing. He works one project at a time so he’s 100% committed to the task at hand. I dealt with only him, start to finish and he was wonderful! We dropped our Ollie off on a Monday and picked it up on Wednesday. The wash, prep, and application was a full 10 hour day. We had everything except the awning coated, including the solar panels. He used Stark yacht products. It’s not really a double coat but is a double step process of base coat/prep, then topcoat. I highly recommend him! If you want more in depth information or have any other questions, reach out to Blake! He is passionate about his craft and I found him more than willing to help us by text/phone/email.

I was corrected by my wife... the order of bedding components, starting from the "bottom", is as follows: (1) 1" pink foam insulation board, (2) Hypervent layer, (3) OEM Cushions, (4) 2" memory foam, (5) Wool topper, (6) Super Cool Comfort Mattress Pad, (7) Full-size fitted bottom sheet. The 2" memory foam was a hand-me-down from another family member. It is just a piece of uncovered, unlabeled, unbranded memory foam. We had to cut the two rear corners with a large pair of shears to match the curve at the back end of the Elite. The "Legends Hotel Wool Mattress Pad - Natural, Full" came from here a long time ago when it was significantly less expensive: https://www.thecompanystore.com/legends-hotel-australian-wool-mattress-pad/11027D-F-NATURAL.html The "Columbia Super Cool Comfort Ice Fiber Mattress Pad" came from here, also a long time ago and less expensive: https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-3044533/columbia-ice-fiber-mattress-pad.jsp?skuId=63361129 At least for our vintage of Elite I, the rear dinette/bed is an "RV Full" size, which appears to be just over an inch narrower than a standard Full size mattress, and has the 2 curved corners at the rear of the camper. We did not modify the sheepswool pad or the mattress pad; they just fit a bit sloppy on the slightly-less-than-full-sized "RV Full" bed. Clearly what is "comfortable" varies from person to person. This has been working for us; hope you can arrive at a bedding configuration that works for you.

Take a look at Veritas Vans Starlink mounts, I have the magnetic mount version with bolt-on handle for the Mini and very pleased.

Yeah pain to get to the valves for sure. In the ‘26 layout its well thought out at least. I think they designed it to easily switch between regular use (either city or pump) and boondocking mode (pull water from jugs into the tank). The two modes are reversals of the other, just switch all the valves to the other setting, don’t need the graphic. Winterizing/sanitizing are the oddballs but that doesn’t happen a lot They could do a Nautilus panel but it would involve a lot of extra plumbing which is more places for problems. I think it’s a fine solution, the bed is light.

189 here 😅 If you have an Apple watch there’s an app that puts it up as a widget (complication?) At this point fun to watch it count down, very soothing …

I’ve got dual awnings and am happy with the built in gutter system. This 8.5’ ladder is small and easy to work with, and is the perfect height for the Oliver. No problem to keep the gutters relatively clean, only bother is getting a pressure washer up there occasionally for the dirt. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJF4PXM2 But the gutters do mean I get brown trails at the four edges. It took a bit of work to buff those out before clear coating, and I hope the oxide will make it a non issue now. Regardless I’ve been thinking if there was a way to have a kind of downspout on the edges. Maybe there’s a 3D part that could be put there while it’s stored. Probably over thinking it

The few times so far when I had no connection was a blessing I have to admit 😅

I'm also considering placing the Starlink mini on the cap of the truck, that way it's always available for the truck or camper use. But put it on a removable mount to find clear sky if under light tree-cover.

@jd1923 I'll drive out to see you soon enough. I'll bring your favorite ice cream and drink.

😍 Love it! The Dog House is certainly getting high-tech. Love to see your take on this one with all of your great Mods! Mike/Mossey, I hope to meet you at The Rally! (Your hull graphic should be easy to find.)

Chris, didn't I just read you have 122 days left. Yeah do it now, get all of your "IT" work done before you retire! 🤣 Many of my installations are complex. One thing about me, is I'm not afraid of work. I like to work extra in preparation so that we have less work while traveling and when camping. I design systems to minimize the need for campsite setup/tear-down, maximizing time away enjoying our travels! We've been fortunate that in 3 years and 188 overnights to date, my Maintenance & Repair and Mod efforts have all been done at home where I have the time and tools (again, knocking on that large chunk of wood, my forehead)! We add to the to-do list but do not work the list while camping! 😎 This Wi-Fi setup is complete and never again will we need to change the Wi-Fi source on our phones, laptops, TV screens or anything else while traveling or at home. We are connected while towing, at any rest stop and when we first get to the campsite while others are connecting to slow campground Wi-Fi, asking about and entering passwords, setting up their poles, running wires to boot their Minis, we're not even thinking about it. Our systems are always ready, up and running! Should we rush to plug-in? No, first we lay out the camping carpet, get out two camp chairs and make a drink! 😎 Already leveled with the LevelMatePRO, we have 900 Ah power, 35-gal extra water, Inverter and Internet always running, the A/C running has the cabin cooled while towing, and all is ready even before we arrive. No hurry, I may not plug in until the day we're leaving if we need a charge that the DC-DC charger will not handle on the road. Refill the fresh tank, dump waste tanks and we're ready for another week away. Easy on the road only stems from good planning and prework. I love Pareto's Law, the 80/20 rule! I'd say 80% of the time our 5G setup will suffice for campsite Internet connection and 20% of the time when cell coverage is weak, it will take 2 minutes to add the Starlink Mini. Either way, all Internet sources feed the Wi-Fi devices already set to our Home Network. I believe it's worth the trouble and now we're saving lots of money not needing home Internet service.

I wish I had see the performance of the RecPro before I put it on this year. I'm not happy with it. I will try Trim-LOK next time. It won't be long before the rest just falls off.

@dewdev Krunch says that I am deaf, so I’m not a good judge of noise. The Dometic Penguin AC does not bother my sleeping either! I don’t know which inverter you have, but I never ran our OEM Dometic refrigerator on our OEM Xantrex inverter and I have never run the Nova Kool on inverted 12v DC. I always thought it was a waste of battery power to invert the 12v DC to AC, to power anything that was capable running on 12v DC. The microwave was one of the few appliances that we run with the inverter. jd1923 brought up an very good point, verify that you are actually powering the refrigerator from you 12v batteries without running the inverter. I am currently working on a Victron MultiPlus II installation and so I can’t test your scenario in 'the dog house'. Mossey

Does everyone's outdoor shower head basically stink? As in horrible water pressure? I even replaced mine in the past two years with the same model as original, because original cracked as they all do. Maybe I have junk in the Pex line to the shower head, or the head stinks. I'm sure there's a thread around here somewhere. I figured I'd ask since it's being talked about. Thanks.

When I installed my accumulator tank in my old #110, I put a new mounting board up for it, I think it was PVC board maybe. Anyways, my first attempt to glue it to the fiberglass hull near the water pump did not hold long. I then tried Gorilla Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive (white). Oh man, was I impressed with that. That board has not moved since, and may never. I've used it now on other projects. It seems good to me. I'm also surprised that the remainder of the adhesive, in the opened tube, has not hardened up yet, nearly two years later. Then again, I keep it in the air conditioned house. I need to add a small tube or two of this to my tool packing list for long travels.

@jd1923 I'm going to be keeping things as simple as possible when I travel all around that nation soon. I'm hoping just having a Starlink mini will be good enough. Naturally trees as obstructions will kill the Starlink performance. My first thought when I see all the cool things you've done with the cellular booter and stuff is.... "No! I'm doing all that. I just retired from my IT job." Give me all the bad things I'm not thinking about. Maybe I bring some old DVDs, books, and cuddle more with the woman. 😉

Yeah, I like having a freezer for ice and a good ice pack for the back & neck. Looks like the Nova fridge uses a lot less power at about 4.5A on 12v. My old 3-way burns at least 10amps on DC, but my 4 good AGMs sustain that all day, with Solar coming in. I'm estimating that the Nova, without a freezer, might run on a Jackery 1000 for approximately 30 to 35 hours. I always travel with at least one of my Jackery 1000s portable power units, for among other things, running my 12v Truma Cooler that I either carry in the cab of the truck or in the camper itself. The Truma cooler runs at least two days on that portable power unit, and I seldom charge past 85%, depending how hold I want things and the ambient temps. I'm estimating that the Nova, without a freezer, might run on a Jackery 1000 for approximately 30 to 35 hours. But that remains to be seen, and weather dependent. In theory, and if I put my money where my mouth has been, I'll be retired in 122 days. (Fine, yes, I'm counting)

Aw thanks, good to hear. I was wondering if anybody is listening Yeah definitely I'd pay somebody, but let me tell you how expeeeeensive it is around here to do anything. Remember that $1500 Alcan install quote I got? It's wine country, Bay Area money and generally rich people around here which makes you a DIY. I called around on coating my truck and couldn't even get anybody willing to do it 🙄 Anyhow unfortunately the front has more minor coating defects, but only from the right angle in the light. Sides/back/top is perfect, but on the front I was really tired and let the coating dry for too long before attempting to buff off. I did find later that you can reapply and the new will liquefy the old, if you don't wait too long. Oh well, nobody will notice except me, and it'll abrade off eventually and I'll do it better next time in X years. In other news I found my breakaway battery was dead. Put in a ticket, diagnosed no 12V AUX off the seven pin. Chased down a burned out 30A fuse in the frunk/eTrunk fuse box I should say an expensive $8 30A fuse. Hard to find too ... did various investigations, unfortunately the SLA in the controller is dead, they don't take getting run down for long, so that'll need replacing. Everything looked fine, maybe it blew on an adapter I use for the lights on my bike rack and ... no. It blew again. I have one fuse left, tried it without the trailer hooked and it's fine, so it's not the truck. So will need to figure this one out ... the wires deadhead into the front bulkhead through the propane. There's probably junction there I'll need to get to by taking the small towel hanger off the bathroom cabinet. Or, maybe the controller is just bad. Don't know what Oliver did in the past but now if it's any component they send you off to the manufacturer.

Glamping, who said glamping? 😄 My camper is stuffed, explaining the 700 lb tongue, because I want it 'always ready' to go. Partly because if we get a wildfire or other emergency we can leave in 10 minutes. Also so that I don't have to bother packing for each trip, so we've got cold weather, hot, mountains, coastal, desert gear. Anyhow there's definately no room for an icemaker, though when I took my ice trays out I did toy with the idea 😄 The one appliance I did compromise on is this Both a toaster and a small oven, gotta have toast. Fits in the electrical cabinet above the stove, on the side don't have to take it out. Unfortunately not available anymore ..

Hard-wired 12VDC connection is always better. It just takes connecting two wires anywhere in the trailer! 😎

I’m fit, I used to always weigh 240+ now 220 LBS or less. We played 2 hours of pickleball today, and generally play 3 times a week. We play against couples in their 50s, winning more often than not, just us in our early 70s! 😎 No fricken way I’m washing/waxing a vehicle anymore! After 50 years of keeping every vehicle I have in A+ condition, my energy for wax-on/wax-off has grown extremely weak! I’ll pay $100 to have a neighborhood kid work all day long washing my truck! Paid $2K for the best Ceramic Coating I’ve ever seen (just one guy, he kept our Oliver for 2 weeks). Taking our hull back to “the guy” for our first annual decontamination wash. I could not believe when just last week he said, the annual will be $180 (based on how I kept it, mostly untouched). Thanks Dan, I enjoy reading “Dan’s Mods!”

We need my good friend, our friend @Geronimo John to chime in! He showed us an ice maker he travels with and I purchased a larger unit which we now use everyday at home (use distilled water to minimize cleaning). Still planning on the Oliver Rally this year, though I missed registration (have a campsite). 😎 We're bringing the icemaker with us for sure, for campground wanderers that need hydration! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09133YZL4/

Oh that’s a good idea, don’t know why I didn’t think of it. The one thing I miss about the freezer is having ice cubes, I’ll keep ‘em in the cooler. I need a bigger buffer battery, the small Jackery runs out overnight. I can tell the truck to stay on and power it for however long but its overkill I got a small dedicated drink cooler behind the drivers seat with soft drinks for the road, but my full sized Montague folding bike has been going there now. We eat a lot of veg and good stuff isn’t always available. Four of these store in the fridge part of the cooler, two in the Oliver and eight of the smaller ones also in the Oliver. They have little packets that capture - I think it’s C02, which wilts vegetables. Cut cabbage for example will literally keep for weeks without wilting or browning, its amazing. Anyhow great way to organize the veg https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-GreenSaver-Produce-Keeper/dp/B00TO8X0BA

I'm with Dan on these comments, but many like and use the Calmark cover. I sold our Calmark a couple years ago to Gary in Minnesota. I would not have purchased one but it came with the deal used. I'm sure up north it keeps the snow off! We had 2 ft of snow once on our Oliver, but that kind of snow around here only blows in every few years and it will always melt in a couple days. 🤣 We all have different needs. Don't forget the rub marks on the gelcoat, unless your storage is well out of the wind. Down here, if I left a cover on, even for a couple of weeks, we would have 3 kinds of nests under the cover and the Pack Rats would chew the fabric all along the bottom edge to make their nests! I also like the rooftop solar showing, so I can leave it unplugged most of the year. 😎

Mossey replaced his over a year ago, so these days he could let you know how noisy the new Nova Kool is on DC. Given you have the 3-way Dometic (we have the same model), if you have it truly set on DC the inverter does not need to run. First push it to AUTO and then sensing 120VAC from the inverter it will automatically switch to AC. Then push the other button to switch from AC to DC. The DC light should then be ON. I have very good hearing and the Dometic fridge on AC or DC barely makes a sound, most people would not hear it. When running on LP you can hear a slight clicking sound when it's lighting the gas and then it too should run awfully quiet. The absorption fridge should be quiet in all three modes. Low noise is the only benefit of having absorption vs. a compressor fridge (and LP of course). Running the fridge on inverted AC is such a small load, about 1A on 120VAC (10A on DC), you should not hear the inverter unless your sleeping above it there would be a very light hum. The only time I turn off our inverter because of noise is if our LiFePO4 batteries are very low and the inverter is in full charge mode, producing full out 120A DC. Full out charge should be easy to hear, but when merely running the fridge, not. Noisy inverter, or a noisy 3-way fridge? It could mean there is an issue creating the noise. Is the sound coming from the fridge, your inverter, or both? Make sure your fridge is actually on DC, turn your inverter OFF if you have to and see if the noise is still present in DC mode.