SeaDawg

Larry, what brand is Betty's oven and cooktop? I've been thinking about asking for one in my "Dear Santa" letter this year. I know Betty loves hers. I do most of my cooking on the campfire, when possible, but on rainy days, it would sure be nice to cook outside under cover. Some of the rental RVs we've used had ovens, and I have to admit, it's really nice to be able to make a quiche and muffins on a rainy day. In the top photo, the table top appears to be some type of plastic. Are these well-insulated enough to use on a plastic picnic table? Thanks. Sherry

Hidalga, I don't think your account lockout was intentional. We had a number of problems with the old site... good members got locked out for no reason. I'm sorry, and glad you're back on the new forum site to keep us informed on the event. Are there still sound front sites available? Sherry PS Should you ever have a problem with this site, you can pm me thru the Fiberglass rv forum, where my member name is SherrynPaul.

Wasn't that a sweet gift. Sherry

Our ollie is in NC for the summer... out of the heat. Don't know of any legacy units in the keys. Yes, the build quality is amazing. I'm in total agreement on that. Our sailboat (CSY) was overbuilt, as is the Oliver. Meant to last. Sailboat is 40 years old, Ollie is 8. We expect a long, long life from both. Sherry

Randy, I just thought about this. Where are you? Anywhere near one of us with an original 2008/2009 legacy I that you could see? Sherry

OK, I'm back. Daughter's bus was two hours early in arriving from port of Miami. (Now, isn't that a surprise) I only saw one of the new Elites briefly at a factory visit, so I'll compare as best as I can from memory. The molds used are the same from the 2008/2009 models to the 2016/17. So, bathroom, closet, seats, bed size, refrigerator size, etc. are all the same. Some differences I noted, that I like, are the fibergranite tabletop and the wheel well trim fins. (Liked the fins so much we had them added to ours. Nice completing detail, and done very inexpensively and quickly on a factory visit.) I suspect you could get the fibergranite tabletop fairly reasonably, too. I haven't decided on that, though it's quite attractive. I may change ours to wood someday. Or not. Our tabletop is usually covered by a tablecloth, so, might not be worth the change. The heater location has changed from under the cutlery drawer to under the forward small dinette seat. Nice location. Our trailers used that space for a power reel for the electrical cord. That's a tradeoff, and depends on a. how often do you run the furnace and so forth b. how often do you plug in, and where you store the electrical cord. Our furnace heats the trailer just fine where it is. Tom and Karen have done some updates to their trailer along the way. I believe they have the awesome double step (which we added, too), which is a great option. I believe this is an option on the newer trailers, not standard. Aside from different flooring and fabric options, I think the only other big difference is all LED lighting in the new version of the smaller trailer. We changed over some of our lights (the few that we use all the time) for a few dollars with new bulbs, so that's probably an easy fix for you, too, if you want all LED. And, our cabinets are accessed by marine style sliding doors instead of the drop down doors on the newer models. The fire extinguisher is mounted on the wall, and we have mirrored closet doors. I believe the new ones have a molded closet door, with the fire extinguisher inset into the door. We have about 80,000 miles on ours (compared to Pete's almost 100k). The marine gelcoat interior and exterior clean up so very nicely and easily, and we receive constant comments about how new ours looks at eight+ years of age. Karen and Tom have taken great care of theirs, and looks like new to me. Hope this helps. If you have other questions, fire away, and one of us will try to answer. Sherry Well, that's what I can remember for differences.

Welcome to the forum, Randy. Your F150 is a great choice. We've towed our 2008 17 (now rebadged as the 18.5, which includes bumper to tongue in the measurement. The molds are the same) with our Volvo xc90, our Silverado, and our Dodge Ram 1500. Both the trucks have done an admirable job, and a half-ton is gracious plenty as a tow vehicle. The Volvo is rated to 4900 lbs, and did fine on our inaugral run from Florida to NC to Hohenwald and home via the panhandle. I wouldn't want to tow the Oliver up mountains with it, though. We have never used a sway bar or Anderson hitch, and never felt the need. I'm sure Oliver could install one for you, if you decided you wanted one, but I don't know of a single 17 with an Anderson or sway bar. We've camped with Tom and Karen a number of times. They're great people, and take wonderful care of their Oliver. I've got to run now and pick up my daughter, who is returning from a cruise. I'll add more later. Sherry

As a kid on the farm, haying was one pf my favorite times. Dad and his siblings moved from family farm to farm, so we got to spend lots of time with our cousins. Wonderful, hot, smelly days. And wonderful suppers on the big table. Sherry

Make sure you have breakfast at the Mt Pisgah Inn across the road from the campground. The morning layered views of the mountains are amazing. Truly. The restaurant has floor to ceiling glass, and there's a porch outside with rocking chairs to while away a few more minutes with the view. About 11, the sun moves around and the views diminish. We've eaten dinner there, and the view was a disappointment in the evening, compared to the spectacular morning views. Oh, and the menu is good, too, and reasonable for the view. Sherry Edit: I saw you'd posted about camping at Pisgah before, so you probably have already seen the amazing views. I'll leave the post for others. It's just so great... we take all our Asheville visitors to see it.

Mike and Carol, We've discussed that over the years, and we've had some "mini rally" gatherings, but never the "big one." I think it would be an awesome idea, still. Long ago, I looked for places with Oliver in the name... There are a number of Oliver lakes, towns with the name Oliver. Paul and I talked about it again this year when we passed an Oliver Lake in Canada. BC, I think. But it's too far. If you ever want to work on this idea, I'd be happy to help. Meeting our forum friends in person is always fun, and really cements the relationships we've built online. Look forward to meeting you one day. Sherry

Okay, we're now among the old timers here. I have to tell you, it's an amazing community to live in. We have met the most interesting, and nice, people on this forum. Tom, Karen, Pete, Aubrey, Larry, Betty, Chuck, Geri, the Keifers, Lois, Herm and Kim, Stan and Carol, Steve/tali and so many, many more. We're excited to be an "old'timer", at the same time, yikes, does that mean we're old? Hope you don't think so. We love this space, and the people here. We've met folks we've never thought we'd meet. The camping life is a great denominator. Our camping friends come from all different backgrounds and occupations. Our little Olivers, and our camping life, is the medium for great friendships. When we are in the neighborhood, we drop in. When they are in ours, likewise. It's an amazing connection of people, and I love it. . Those friendships,we will always cherish. To all my Oliver friends, old and new, all our best, Sherry and Paul

Paul and I have spent many of the best months of our married life camping. It's a complete release from the daily life. Yes, even retired, there is "stuff" that hangs around your head.r We both agree that the best thing that we bought in our retirement planning was the Oliver. It has taken us, many times six to eight weeks at a time, to places we've either not been, or not explored the way we'd like. Most of the eastern US and Canada have seen the Ollie, and the strip states on the west side of the Mississipi. Camping is the best (not the only) way to see North America. You are in control, can take your time, move as you please. Reservations not required, when you're willing to go to the road less traveled. Sherry PS Our Oliver is not our only camping vehicle. We have rented around the world. Last year, in a minimal camping van, we met some of the nicest people in our rented camping van in Australia. A special greeting to Jenny and Kevin Harrison in Tasmania. We hope we'll see you again, soon. S

That's the beauty of (fiber)glass. It can be made to look original, with care. You'll find a lot of sailboat and power boat owners on the forum. We all know the durability and repairability of fiberglass. Our sailboat celebrates 40 years soon. And looks like only a few years old. Ollie is eight and a half. Still looks new. In our family, fiberglass rules. Sherry PS Steve, sorry about your bad luck, but hey, stuff happens. Looks great now! S

I suspect, with a few modifacations, the black tank might be easily modified to take the sink water. The shower water would likely be another story, though much more possible, than, say, retrofitting the kitchen sink to flow uphill to the black tank.... The problem is, the Ollie has a "marine bath." Like most marine baths (even the large head in our sailboat, with a separate shower compartment), there's a curb to create drainage, and a stepup to the toilet to allow some space for the black tank. And, the inlet to the black tank is directly beneath the toilet. Who wants another nonfactory inlet, subject to leaking? In many of the big stickbuilt rvs, (actually, all the ones I've owned and rented over the years), the toilet is floor mounted, and the shower is elevated. The shower water could easily be diverted to the black, and maybe is, in a few cases. The composting Nature's Head is, from my conversations with the reps, much more popular so far with boats than rvs. Why? Finding a legal pumpout station is much more difficult with a sailboat/houseboat than finding a dump station with an rv, in my humble opinion. We never have a tough time finding a dump station with the Ollie. Special trip (raise the anchor, go to a marina, etc.) with the boat is another story... It's true, most of us who have purchased Olivers are likely to be lifetime owners. I suspect we are. But who knows? We're in for eight years so far... but? If our trailer were not plumbed for a typically desired toilet, and we wanted a Nature's Head instead, we'd be forced to sell to a really narrow market in today's world if we decided to sell. Not ideal. I think Oliver is wise right now to "duplicate" systems with extra plumbing and a black tank, inoperable, or perhaps linked only to the sink. At least you'll never be stuck with a really narrow resale market if you order the composting toilet. By the way, when we looked at the Nature's Head, I think it was about $950, install it yourself. If that's still true today, I think Oliver is offering a great price at $800. Sure, you don't get the usual Thetford. But you get everything else, and a complete, pro installation with your new Nature's Head. My 2 cents, and probably only worth that much. Sherry

Welcome to the forum! We're hoping all works out soon on the medical side, whether you purchase the Oliver or not. I suspect you'll find some info here to fill the gaps. If you don't ask away, and someone will likely chime in... Keep checking in, and hope you find what your looking for. Sherry

We've taken our Oliver to a nearby Camping World for refrigerator repairs. They took care of the warranty work with the manufacturer, too. They have techs qualified to work on most of the Oliver systems--refrigerator, furnace, etc. Sherry

And, if the wind picks up, take that awning in. You do not, not not want your awning ripped off in the wind. Sherry

I'd agree. We have been in "gully washers." The whole fam damily stood under the awning, and not a lot of drip. The seal we have, which is what I think you have, is fairly bullet proof. Some corners of chairs got wet. Try that in any awning, in any rv. It's the way it is. I'm happy. And if it's raining cats, dogs, and bulls.... I'm inside, anyway. Sherry

I've been following the Nature's Head discussion for a long time. Paul and I met with a couple with two installed in their houseboat at a boat show a fe w years ago. It looks like a simple operation, good system. The owners, who were working on a per diem basis, loved the results on their boat. Has anyone actually installed one in an Oliver? A year ago, we were camped in the same park as the Wynns (Lake Louise), but too tired to walk and find where they eventually camped. I spoke to Nikki as she drove thru looking fo a campsite for the bus, but..... Composting toilets and incinerating toilets offer a lot of freedom, and little water use. Incinerating toilets use a bit of energy, so we;re evaluatating. On a funny note, one comment on a website said, well, it's funny to look at a composting toilet, but hey, we've all been taught to pee in a bowl of water.... How funny is that? Yes, after 45 days of primitive camping in the Yukon and Alaska, pit toilets kind of rock (from an evnironmental standpoint). Why, indeed, is a bowl of water the preferred place to do business? Yes, it is what it is. Sherry (Paul may not agree)

Thanks, Matt. We can count on you. And we appreciate all your help to keep our sandbox fast, clean,and fun. Sherry

Agreed, Laps. Love the new modern look, and intuitiveness of the new forum mormat. Bringing the old forum to a new home without losing all the legacy posts and photos was a great deal of work for our administrator. I know Matt continues to work on features and efficiency, and he's a very skilled guy. We're still in the infancy of the new forum, so bear with us. Often, I find Matt's on top of an issue before we even bring it up to him. I suspect he's already done some tweaking today. My pages are loading in half the time they did earlier today, on same equipment, browser, and speed. Sherry

I think in deleting my test post, I may have deleted someone else's as well, unintentionally. My apologies if so. It seems to me there were more posts in this thread yesterday. Sherry

Scotty, I just reread your post. We have two 12 volt batteries, and I see you have six volt batteries. I'm not sure what this means in the per centages you are seeing displayed since we have different systems. Perhaps someone who uses your system can be more helpful. Sherry

My edit loaded today, but I still could not find a way to delete test posts. My fiber optic connection is 55 mbps download, 52 upload on this mornings speed test. Asus laptop, using Chrome. Sherry

quite slow, actually, compared to the old forum standards. 15 seconds for me, this time. We just got back from a 45 day camping trip. Hadn't tried too many times to load the page, but had weak signal most of the time.We were in remote areas of Canada and Alaska for a month and a half. I'm sure Matt will work on it. chrome, btw Sherry returning to "recent topics" was way worse. Maybe a minute. Also had trouble editing my posts. Hope you all are doing better.