SeaDawg

So, there's been some discussion lately on eze gutters, so I thought I'd resurrect this (very) old thread. We didn't have acetone around, so we used windex all around first, then cleaned carefully with 70 per cent alcohol. This is to remove layers of wax buildup. Or, with newer unwaxed trailers, remove mold release. The toothbrush was a tool to smooth, press apply the adhesive to the trailer, using the handle as a pressor. Of course, i volunteered Paul's. ( lol, no,, it was an old toothbrush.) I'm happy to report that our gutters are still in place, in 2019, 5 years later. Except that darn little bathroom window. I think it's just too tight a curve. I've tried it again somewhere in the last five years, and it fell off again. Even done in very hot summer weather. And same good prep. Oh, well. Done with that. It never leaked anyway, just wanted it to match... shh, don't tell anyone it doesn't match, ok? Our biggest issue has always been the big port side window, because of our side mounted solar panels. Once we figured that out, and kept those weepholes cleaned regularly, and the panel angle set to not run a waterfall toward the weepholes, it's been good. Not an issue for you folks with roof mounted panels... Sherry

Well, I'll go out on my own here, not speaking for the mod team. Back in the day, (over ten years ago) when we created Classifieds, it was intended to share and sell ancillary stuff. Not necessarily trailers. But, that's evolved as there are more used Olivers on the market, because there are more Olivers on the road. A lot more. Over 10 times more... The forum was created for fellowship, exchanging ideas, problem solving and, yes, just plain fun. In my opinion, it's not too much to ask people to take thirty second or a minute to register and be able to read the Classifieds. Registration won't stop spam, though we do our best to watch out for it. But, maybe it will encourage more second owners to stay involved, and join in once they own an Oliver, since they're already a member. Again, I am speaking on my own. No majority opinion here. Let's see how it all works out. Sherry

Hi, Kansas , and welcome to the forum! Congratulations on your Oliver. If you have any questions about the operation of your Ollie, feel free to ask here. Lots of folks here to help. Sherry

Yes, it was called ultra white. I found my post from years ago. The other color was "white", back in the day. Hopefully, ultra white is still the bright white that matches our gelcoat very closely. The other white was kind of a pale greige. Sherry

We recently made a change to the forum. Users must register and login to see the Classifieds. Perhaps more people will be less inclined to post contact info publicly, and use the pm system. And, we hope that new owners will continue to participate in the forum. Thanks. Sherry

John, that's a very cool find. And looks pretty mint. I never knew about Oliver tractor's brief foray into the marine world. From what I read, they took over Chriscraft's motor, and improved on it. Eventually, made some really snazzy fiberglass cowls. But, their venture ladted only about a decade. http://www.pfs-ware.com/Articles/oliver_art6.htm

Greg, they have two different whites. We found the bright white to be a really nice look. Sherry

We're happy dragging our trailer to places where we don't need ac, so a honda 1000 as a backup on bad solar days is our choice. The Yetis were on sale on Costco a few months ago, but with capacity in watt hours vs amp hours, price to storage seemed pretty high. I think we will just wait til our group 27 agms give up the ghost, and maybe replace with higher capacity battleborn batteries someday. For the last 12 seasons, we've done fine with agms. 200 watts solar, recently added 100 watts portable, and the little honda work for us. But, we love shoulder season camping, and avoid heat when we can.

Newshoes, I think the hulls are numbered as created, but trailers aren't necessarily completed or delivered in order. #500 was delivered last month. ( And that was a really big day for everyone!@) I saw something about #537 to be completed soon. As owner of #12, I'm really excited to see the numbers growing. ? Sherry

I had the same 404 errors last night, but not today. Still difficulty logging out, with any of the three logout buttons. I have to logout, close out of the forum, wait a few minutes before going back. Then I am logged out. I'm sure Matt and Jason will resolve this next week. Sorry for the inconvenience. I'm on an Android phone. Sherry

Ditto on our house manifold plumbing system. Eliminates the big hot water loops, even though our max is 50 ft from the water heater. Possibly more useful in a home than a small trailer, though. We spent an hour or so visiting with owners of an xp v1 at a Fairbanks carwash. The camper was beautifully manufactured. And really expensive. I think they had just about every option on the list, so way over base price of $150k. They were living fulltime in the camper, which I don't think I would want to do. It was really trick, though, from the folding steps to get in, to the quiet power lift of the pop top. No wasted space, ingenious storage, but honestly felt smaller inside than our elite, to me. And a smaller bathroom, shower, and grocery storage area. The v1 owners were planning the big Arctic circle to Patagonia trip, and that big Dodge 4 x 4 and especially the camper were made for just that kind of expedition. They certainly had an easier time on the Dalton than we did, though got every bit as muddy. Unfortunately, I've seen reports that Wassman's company closed early this summer. The website is up, but all the videos are gone. Forum doesn't load. Last fb and instagram posts were in April. I feel bad for him and his wife, and their workers. And, any future owners caught up on the mess. Their niche was tiny, and their product, though technical and fantastic, probably just too much of everything, especially the pricetag. I'm also still loving my Ollie, almost 12 years old. We make the mods we feel are important. If we go to Patagonia, we'll fly in, and rent a camper. Which, we're actually looking at doing in the next few years. I'm loving the idea of camping there, but not the idea of dragging a camper that far, and back... Sherry

Jitters, it does look a bit similar, but guessing the price tag is a lot less. The Earthbounds were kind of in the stratosphere. John, I did remember this trailer. Saw it at the Tampa Supershow in 2020 or 2011, along with a couple other new light, aluminum cage, composite and fg trailers, the Galileo and the Evergreen Element. All three were very interesting, but none of them survived for long. The Galileo, especially, was quite pretty, and European styling in and out. Didn't remember the plumbing manifold, but I like it. We built a manifold in our house. Great for instantaneous water heating, and of course for repairs. Sherry Sherry

Thanks, John. That was a great read. So, ready to take that drive?

I hope you took a few days to camp in beautiful Wisconsin. Antigo is on the edge of Door County. I know you've had a long trip, but when would you go back? There's so much to see in Wisconsin. Sherry Ps, what kind of ballast keeps that slideout level with all the stuff you carry? ?

Omg, that's such a great story. I hope you encouraged him to join the forum. Sherry

Teddy roosevelt cottonwood is one of our favorites, ever. The northern badlands are desolate. And, extremely beautiful. Medora is a tourist town, imo. We had bison next to the rv in cottonwood. Keep the dogs on a leash, keep an eye out, and move them inside ahead of issue. Ingomar is a great lunch stop. The burger and ice cream stop, plus quirky ambience, is worth the dusty road. The tetons in May are amazing. Again. we had bison walking through our site. Grizzlys on the road. We've never been late enough to drive the going to the sun road in full.post photos, please, if you get to the end. Sherry

No one asked, but I'll add this. We normally leave indiana around may 15. We try to leave Anchorage by late june. Even then, we are sometimes dealing with forest fire smoke. We deal with closed campgrounds, partial openings, etc. I'd rather be cold, than deal with bugs and fires.

John, Though we try different routes each time, still catching up with family and friends along the way, we have yet to drive the Dempster. If we did, I'd leave my trailer in Dawson, or at yukon river park, and sleep in the truck. From what I have heard from conversation, that road, past eagle, can be a real tire shredder. I'll deal with four tires... not more. Up to tombstone, in decent weather is easy... so i hear. People I have met drove up and back, in passenger cars. Maybe someday. As we've driven most roads, already . My favorite Alaska roads are the fifty miles of the Richardson highway, approaching valdez. Those 50 miles are some of America's best views, imo. Lots of great pullouts for overnights. Especially, the 1890something gold rush pass lookout . In clear days, it's just amazing. On crappy days, it's just clouds and gray. And sometimes, snow, early season. . Timing's everything . Second is the gravel denali highway. Only 100 miles or so, but worth a night or two, if you have the time, and tankage. Lots of beautiful pullout spots to camp. We spend a disproportionate time of our trip each year in the relatively empty Yukon, and almost as empty northern bc. We find the Canadian roads to be better, gas is of course higher, but the camping experience is amazing. Sherry

Not really sure what you are asking here? Sherry

Thanks. Honestly, if I were looking for a van, only, these are nice. I'd be looking for a 4 x4, capable of going where we like to go, and capable of towing my Oliver. For a single traveler, serviced campground habits, the 19 looks ok. Sherry

John Davies, We didn't tour the chicken dredge, but you can ( or could) tour #4 dredge outside Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory. It is, indeed, very interesting. Sherry

Chris, Chena river rec is a beautiful campground south of fairbanks, maybe 15 miles?. Coe and burrough cooperative project. 15 or 20 a night. Big sites, a number of pullouts. Beautiful treed sites, some on the river, lovely open grass at the entance when you're craving sunlight and acplace to run with the dog. Which way are you heading next? Fairbanks is a really nice small city, and good shopping without Anchorage city sales tax. If you're thinking about getting that " must have" photo at the arctic circle, I'd leave the trailer behind in Fairbanks or Fox, and drive up and back on the same day. There is indeed a campground near the sign, but it's buggy as all getout, pretty much empty ( probably for that reason), and that road is even worse than top of the world if it's wet... we got caught in a rainstorm, and it wasn't a bit of fun. The road is constantly under construction/deconstruction, chewing up the old pavement and packing it down. The wooden plank bridge over the river is interesting, but quite safe. Fox is home to Silver Gulch brewery. The restaurant there has been very good in our several visits. There's a pipeline observation pullout near Fox, northbound. It's interesting, but one of those spots also frequented by the tour buses. They only stay ten minutes or so, just wait them out .. You guys are veteran Alaska travelers now... Congratulations. Sherry

#12 here, picked up in February, 2008. First photo is from April of this year. 2nd is at pickup at the factory. We had the trailer in to a local shop for service in April. There was a line up to see an 11 year old trailer that still looked brand new. We get that comment all the time at gas stops and campgrounds. Yes, we take care of it, wax it twice a year, and regular maintenance. But we don't "baby" it, and it's stored outside. Thats over 4200 days in the weather. We've towed our camper less than Pete, but more than many. Over 100,000 miles . We have in the last few years replaced the water pump, the refrigerator, and removed the microwave. Also replaced the water heater. Added solar in 2008, as 99 per cent if our camping is without electrical hookups. On the third set of tires and batteries. 2nd set of electric brakes. We're confident the trailer will be enjoyed by the next generation when we're gone, or no longer able to go camping. Sherry

Whew. I'm just glad you made it across ok in that wet, muddy weather. The shoulders become quite soft, and can give way in spots. "They" should advise people to travel Top of the World in dry weather. Last year, we met a couple with a class a who moved over for an oncoming rig, a d the road caved. They were in mud up to the bottom if the padsenger seat. Tow truck had to come from Tok, cost thousands. A few thousand more to just get their rv driveable. All told, about $70 a mile for their trip, a d they still had repairs to be done when they got home. Are you in Dawson City now? I really recommend the YT govermnent Yukon River campground. If you can snag one of the riverside campsites, it's especially nice. We camped there last year for a few days, waiting for the highway to dry out a bit after a rainy spell. Sherry

We installed the Furrion port because of the more durable cap. My sister's zamp plastic and flimsy cap connector broke within a year. It's a tradeoff, though. There are adaptors out there for renogy or other portable panel brands to zamp. For furrion, you have to buy an aftermarket male socket and solder it into the cable of the portable panel. Tedious, and a pita, but doable. And, cutting the wires and adding the furrion compatible male end would likely void a warranty. Using the zamp adaptor would not make a physical difference... Furrion and zamp ports now both have big market shares in other rv brands, so I suspect (or hope) someone will come up with a furrion adaptor in the next year or two. Zamp just got in first with big stickbuilt players.