SeaDawg

We're planning a trip later this year to the area around Banner Elk, Boone, and Blowing Rock. We're looking at Lake Julian Price, as one. Has anyone camped there Suggested sites? Other favorites? We're not big on full service rv parks, but a friend who may be joining us doesn't have solar, so we're entertaining that option, as well. Thanks.

I think that's a very good question. As you've probably noticed, many owners here are buying their first camper. They, too, were unfamiliar with typical rv systems, much less the many optional items offered by Oliver. Most have learned what they needed to know, and are happy. In my opinion,, the people most likely to leave Hohenwald with the highest satisfaction level are those who have studied ahead of time, rented an rv or two to learn some of the basics, and stayed in Tennessee long enough to make sure everything really works in their trailer the way it should. It's much easier to get systems corrected at Hohenwald. As far as having to learn how to repair a lot of things, that's really up to you and your comfort level. I have friends who don't do much of any of the maintenance on their trailers, beyond washing it and checking everything religiously. They rely on their trusted local rv shop for repairs. Others, well, they seem to enjoy working on and tinkering with their trailers as much as they enjoy camping. We don't do everything ourselves anymore, either. We usually take the trailer to our independent mechanic for greasing the zerks, etc., as he works on trailers as well as our trucks. It's a mind numbing job, and we're happy to have him do it. We can get the oil changed, and etc., on the truck at the same time. Leaves us more time for the interesting and challenging projects.😅 My advice is to learn the basics, tackle the things you feel comfortable with, and hire the rest. And, warranty support is excellent with Oliver. We are probably part of that "insane" group Overland mentioned, so you may want to take everything I just said with several grains of salt.

I agree. We did one with Volvo, at the Daytona speedway, and it was indeed a lot of fun!

Paul and I just talked (again) tonight about sealants, and our many (20 or more) ports and hatches on our 40+ year old sailboat. Many of the original ports are still fine, probably bedded with butyl, many years ago.. The few (4) plastic (acrylic or polycarbonate) ports we replaced with metal, 14 or 15 years ago, and were bedded with good quality butyl. We've never caulked any of the butyl bedded ports, old or new, and they don't leak. This is the source of my love affair with butyl.

@DavePhelps, thanks for posting that link. It's one of the many I use. Practical Sailor doesn't accept advertising or compensation. Kind of like the consumer reports of the marine world. Much of which applies to our boats on wheels .

50 db is pretty quiet . Like quiet conersation. But pretty loud for a fan. I know you get it, but for others reading this, db ratings increase exponentially, not linear.

They have other campers sold in Europe, on their usa website, "coming soon " I saw the low hanging drain line. This is more if a European camper, narrow for city streets. Probably not narrow enough for some of the places we've driven in Italy... But, oh, it's beautiful. The bed is actually an inch wider than the one in our Elite. And, I love the table . If I just wanted a really lovely design to go campground to campground, or driveway to driveway, this could fill the bill. We need 4 x 4.

This was in Paul's feed this morning. The company is based in Italy, 2 or 3 hours from his cousins. It's a lovely design, with some great features (heated floors! Pull down bed! And, look at the kitchen cabinets!) that i really like. I saw another video made by a guy who was 6'2", who could actually stand in the small but well designed marine bath shower. It's very small, but very pricey. 90k British pounds Is available in the USA, but I have no idea of us price. https://www.motor1.com/news/511583/wingamm-oasi-540-mini-rv/

I think your dad was a pretty special guy.

Fritz, we have a xantrex 2000 on the boat. It is not noisy, at all. We have progressive dynamics in the Ollie. No sound, either. It's under the small dinette seat, so I don't even hear the fan unless the lid is open. How is yours mounted? I'd open a service ticket, if I were you.

To get to the gas jet, and tubing beneath, I have to lift up the entire cooktop. You're under warranty. I'd let someone else do it. Dometic ships those assembled. I'd believe this is a dometic issue.

What came loose? Just the top? (2) or the spreader beneath? (1) My smev is attached though the canceling cap (2), with screws , so not like yours. If the spreader (1) came loose, I'd start a service ticket. It should not come loose, and the assembly should be attached to the lp line under the cooktop, I'm thinking. I poked around trying to find a service manual for your model, and came up empty handed. I'm thinking its kind of like my smev, and there's a gas jet in the center hole.

Use your preferred marine caulk, but keep some caveats in mind. Don't use 3m 5200. 5200 shouldn't be used in any situation that's not permanent. Too difficult to remove. Besides, it's not a good choice as a sealant, anyway. Don't use any polyurethane caulk, as polyurethane doesn't play well with acrylics and polycarbonate. Some formulas just don't stay affixed. Others actually attack the plastics. We've been using loctite marine fast dry, lately, as it tested well in Practical Sailor. Not as easy to use as silicone based, but I am personally not a fan of silicon with fiberglass. Lots of people do like it, it's easier to use, and I have read that some of the marine silicone will last for years. West Marine did a good article on choosing the right sealant for the job at hand: https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/How-to-Select-Sealants-and-Caulk I usually research any new sealants we're looking at on Practical Sailors testing reports.

The Houghton is very, very quiet. Katana pilot found it at recrpro, and provided a link. The Coleman mach 10 ndq is also quite quiet, according to reliable reviewers like fitrv and technomadia. It's pretty difficult to find, also, though one dealer has the black (not for me) outdoor unit on sale this week. Coleman has been around a long time, and Winnebago uses the ndq in some of their vans, so it might be easier to find parts and service for the ndq, going down the road. Dometic is supposed to have released one of their European inverter ac units for retrofit, but I haven't seen one anywhere, yet . Good luck.

Will Prowse posted this youtube this morning, reviewing Renogy mppt controller/b2b charger.

I'll second the advice on Lamoine. Unfortunate it is booked.. we scooped some first come/ first serve sites , a decade ago. Thats a tough call, with the current situation. We, along with my friend Lois, pulled into Bar Harbor one year. A cruise ship or two had just arrived, and dumped thousands of folks into the lovely little town. We got the heck out, since we were all towing. Acadia had only a few scattered sites, nothing close together,, as it was leaf peeper season,, so we moved on. Lamoine was really pretty, decent sized sites.

Pennie, We towed with my 2005 Chevy Silverado for awhile, including a couple trips to the Midwest, and parts of Canada. Different engine, of course, but fairly similar size and specs. I still drive that truck as my daily driver. We only bought the ram for a couple reasons-- we needed the 4 x 4 for our roads at our camping property in North Carolina, and we wanted seating for at least three and the dog. Oh, and there was a huge sale going on... We still use my Silverado for shorter trips on paved roads, and for backing the Oliver into its parking spot, and towing the little powerboat. The Elite is a really nice size for one person, or, a couple like us who spend much of our time outside. It has everything we need, in a compact size. It tows great with either of our trucks. I think there is someone here towing an Elite with a Colorado. I'll see if I can find the post for you. Most of the Colorado discussions are about Elite II, which is much heavier.

In my research for the someday upgrade to lithium on the boat, (much larger battery bank than our Elite), I ran across this video from Victron. It tests two types of alternators charging lithium, and possible consequences. And, a short explanation of solutions, including addition of a b2b charger, as John did, at the end. Watching that alternator smoke is a very clear visual explanation of why Oliver disconnects that charging circuit.

Shipping of new Broncos to pre-order customers has been delayed by the chip shortages, but Ford is opening its first "offroad school" in Texas, using Ford-owned trucks. What better way to keep waiting customers happy than to let them beat up a new truck they don't own? 😃

I love good synthetic butyl. It's my go- to sealant product for ports and windows. It's a wonderful, old school sealant, flexible, self -healing, wide temperature range, etc. But, butyl still requires mechanical fastening with a trim ring or multiple screws. It's not an true adhesive . That's where modern, compatible adhesive/sealants take the place. 3m 4200 is a great adhesive sealant, with many materials. But not for fg to acrylic. Imo. They'll definitely "stick." Great adhesion, and elasticity, but 4200, as a polyurethane, isn't long term compatible with acrylic, according to my research. The older I get, the longer I want my work to last. (The harder it is for us to redo. 😅) The lens is radiused. It will probably do the most movement, as its applied to the outside, within the radiused molded inset. I'm not concerned about the squarish cutouts. Not exactly square peg in a round hole,imo..

Since the rv techs are booked out for months, and it's definitely getting hotter soon, and your ac doesn't drip while running , I'd try this first. Jack the front up just a bit, maybe 0.5 to 1 inch. Not enough to be uncomfortable for you, maybe enough to get proper pitch for the drain line. The drain line could be impropetly pitched, pinched, or partially clogged. With the ac running, pressure could send it out, imo, but drip inside when the ac is cut off. We rarely run ours, so that's all I've got, for the moment. I'm sure someone will suggest how to clear the drain line.

Instead of calling, open a service ticket. You'll have documentation, and so will Oliver service. You can even insert a link to this thread, which will save time. Have fun on your trip, and come back and let us know about the results.

The lens does have a radius, though tight. I "think" the lens is probably acrylic, like most boat ports, to allow similar flex to fiberglass. Therefore, I would avoid 3m 4200 (polyurethane) , as it doesn't really play well with acrylic. Polycarbonate doesn't flex as well as fiberglass or acrylic, from my experience, though it's tougher, and more uv resistant. I'm not sure, so tried to cover the spread. If I were to use a 3m product. I'd probably choose 3m 4000uv, a polyether, in that application. I'm not sure, @DavePhelps, what you meant by good marine tape. I totally agree, as I've said previously a dozen times, that an applied light would be a better solution . It would save a ton of of resealing and aggravation, imo.

We put the maxxair window vents on ours about ten years ago. So glad we did. And so disappointed that they are no longer available. So nice to be able to leave the window open a bit in the rain.

Welcome to the forum! We hope you enjoy your Ollie as much as we've enjoyed ours, now in our fourteenth year. September will be here in a flash. Is this your first camper? We're all here to help, so ask any questions you like. Going through the videos in Ollie University will make pickup easier, as Bill suggested.