Leaderboard

Even with a cover you would need drain holes, for when you wash the trailer or from normal moisture accumulation during rainy travel. There may be a few other spots on the trailer that catch water like the awning brackets up top, and the bottom of the steps, when folded . You can do this yourself easily enough. Standing water is not good. I consider a lithium battery powered drill/ driver to be an essential travel tool, it has a lot of uses when combined with a small set of drill bits and tips. If you don’t have one already, consider an excellent Dewalt 20V kit. It is very powerful, compact, comfortable and can handle up to a 1/2” bit. Like the tool, all the drill accessories are very high quality. .... https://www.amazon.com/Dewalt-DCD771C2-Cordless-Lithium-Ion-Compact/dp/B00ET5VMTU?th=1 John Davies Spokane WA

Ours has a drain hole in each corner.

Yukon - Here's the Oliver warranty on your hull: Limited Lifetime Warranty to the original purchaser on the fiberglass body being free of defects in material and workmanship under normal use. Bill

John, thanks for the article I am familiar with fiberglass boats, having spend 22 years in the Coast Guard. During my day we used steel, and fiberglass boats pretty much for search and rescue. Boston Whaler were the hand lay boat hulls of choice and tough as hell . I actually restored a 13 ft last year, the boat was in great shape for a 90. As you mentioned the Oliver does not need the strength of a Whaler but must be construction correctly in order to be able to give many years of trouble free use. I am spooked over this issue and will insist that they Oliver will make good or replace the unit if so determined. As you can imagine I will be monitoring the hull like a hawk. I at this point have no reason to think they will not uphold there end of the agreement. One of the main reasons we purchased a Oliver was the fact it was a fiberglass unit, as Oliver puts it to be handed down to the next generation. Let’s hope it’s a minor issue, jury’s still out.....Ed

Yukon, you really need to read this article. It has to do with fiberglass boat hull construction, but most of the ideas transfer to an Ollie hull. There is no reason we should worry that parts of the Ollie’s hull halves are primarily chopped fibers sprayed with a resin gun. That method is adequately strong for a trailer when done correctly. I would love to see an Ollie with all hand laid, vacuum bagged, long fiber cloth, but that will never happen, it is just way too costly. This is interesting and more than a little scary.....: https://www.yachtsurvey.com/Fiberglass_Boats.htm BTW I had a 1988 SeaRay with incredibly bad delamination problems, I can relate to this article, and others at that website... like their review of the beyond appalling Carver. John Davies Spokane WA

Space and Rocket Center For those attending the rally, if you travel on I 65 through Huntsville, AL, I would like to recommend a trip to the US Space and Rocket Center. https://rocketcenter.com Here you will see many rockets, missiles developed at Redstone Arsenal and Marshall Space and Flight Center, Huntsville, AL. Miles before you reach the Space and Rocket Center, you will see the top of the Saturn V Rocket. As you near the center, you will see many more rockets and missiles clustered about. A SR 71Blackbird sits by the entrance. If you need to stay the night, within walking distance is the Space Center RV Park. Rates are $18 for back-in, $20 for pull thrus, all with full hook ups. If you want to boondock, here are two locations welcoming boon Dockers Cracker Barrel Restaurant 120 Leghorn Blvd. Madison, AL 35758-8806 256-461-7670 Cabalas 7090 Cabala Drive Huntsville, AL 35801

Stay away from Interstates entirely, wander along on secondary highways, take your time, learn the patterns of towing and living in a trailer. Interstates are full of too many nasty big rigs traveling too fast and too close together. Interstate highway travel is sometimes required if you need to cover a lot of miles, but it is seldom enjoyable when towing. It is always stressful. There are a bunch if camping apps, download a few and study them and you will get a feel for what is out there. I just hate those Interstates.... IMHO of course. John Davies Spokane WA

The manufacturer of the on-board jacks does NOT recommend using the jacks to lift the weight of the trailer even as a temporary use for changing a tire. New model trailers have an extended steel sub-frame assembly that provides ample room for a jack point either in front or behind the tire that needs to be changed. Older models may not have enough room on the steel sub-frame to use a lifting jack(scissor jack or bottle jack). If this is the case you will simply locate the main frame rail point closest to the tire that needs to be lifted and use a lift pad that will help to distribute the weight. Owner’s manuals may state different things as changes occur every year in the RV industry. There are several reasons why these changes might occur from year to year or even in the middle of a production cycle. Sometimes new industry standards/codes are introduced and changes have to occur to meet these new standards. Sometimes components are discontinued and replaced with a new model that may not work just like the previous model. Sometimes companies simply make a decision change within the company to market their product differently. These are just a few of the reasons that change happens and why your owner’s manuals may be different. Product information is provided by the manufacturer of the component and is available online in the Oliver University section. Oliver strives to provide accurate information to every customer. The product information on components not manufactured by Oliver is dependent on the manufacturer or supplier supplying us with the correct information and as such may not always be 100% accurate.

What is Galvanic Reaction? - When two dissimilar metals are in contact and exposed to an electrolyte substance it causes one of the metals to lose ions and slowly consumes that metal. - It works much like a battery. One of the metals will become and act like an Anode(Negative) and the other a Cathode(Positive). This process will slowly consume the Anode and actually strengthen the Cathode. - Galvanic reaction occurs when an electrolyte combines with water. Depending on which electrolyte is present, it will completely(strong) or partially (weak) ionize with the water to form a strong or weak electrolyte substance. What is an electrolyte substance? Strong Acids Examples: Hydrochloric Acid, Sulfuric Acid, and other Acids Strong Bases Examples: Sodium Hydroxide, Calcium Hydroxide, and other Hydroxides. Salts Sodium Chloride Winter Road Treatment: - Different cities utilize a handful of different chemicals to treat roadways for ice. Most of these are from a form of chloride which does become an electrolyte once dissolved with water. TIP: It is always a good idea to clean these chemicals from any vehicle and/or camper when possible. What type of impact does this play on Aluminum? - When oxygen is present (in water), aluminum naturally reacts to form aluminum oxide and this is the key to its ability to resist corrosion. Unless exposed to a substance or condition in which destroys the protective layer, aluminum will remain resistant to corrosion. - When aluminum contacts another metal(steel for example), it sets in place the possibility of a galvanic reaction if an electrolyte substance comes in contact with the metals. What does Oliver do to prevent this natural process? A protective layer, cavity spray, is placed between the two metals. Zinc anodes are attached to the aluminum frame The Zinc becomes the anode part of the equation and if the galvanic reaction process takes place, it will consume the Zinc anode instead of the aluminum frame. How often should I check my Anodes? - Depending on where you live or where you travel you may or may not even have a galvanic reaction but it is still a good idea to inspect your anodes at least once a year and more if you start to notice that the anode is deteriorating.