SeaDawg

Microfiber cloths and pads. By hand. Wax on/wax off. Really good for upper arm exercise. Lol.

@dewdev, and others, we use the west marine pink soap because it's economical (in proper concentration), it doesn't strip wax (in proper concentration), it's biodegradable and safe to use for boats in the water, and it has worked for us for a very long time. Any quality boat soap, labeled to not strip the wax you worked so darned hard to apply, is fine, imo. Don't be a bad bartender/boat tender and "overpour." The best soaps become harsh in high concentration. And, don't use anything labeled "degreaser" like dawn, awesome, etc., unless you plan to rinse, rinse, rinse, and rinse again... maybe even neutralize with a mild base solution, and then spend hours applying layers of wax to replace what you've lost. Washing frequently, with a clean soft bristle brush, like @dewdev stated, is the key. You can't expect perfect results if you wash once a year, with any product. (Use an extra bucket with just water to rinse the brush, as you go. You'll be amazed at the grime released. That grime would otherwise scrub your wax and gelcoat.) Any good wax, with uv protection built in is good. Liquid waxes tend to leave a thinner layer of protection, requiring more frequent application, or multiple layers to build up. Paste waxes are more work. Higher carnuba content sinks more "into the tiny pores" of gelcoat, for a better seal, imo. The hybrid waxes with high carnuba,,and polywhatevers, are a win win. The marvels of modern chemistry. Routine cleaning, and waxing, is really the key. Imo.

Imo, any good -50 pink rv antifreeze is fine. Concentrate may be convenient to carry, but, whoah, that price? Autozone, camping world, even walmart should have it soon. September is winterizing time, in many parts of the country. Autozone often has it year round, near us.

Little while longer

So very beautiful, @routlaw! Worth the time, and extra preparation, I'm sure. Thanks for sharing with us.

I just want

Gelcoat is fiberglass , without the mat and roving. It doesn't look like it, but it's still porous. And, brittle, without the glassmat reinforcement. As we're aging, I'm also becoming more ladder adverse. I know a bunch of people have opted for the longevity of ceramic coating. I'm still on the fence. And, still on a ladder, from time to time. Our Oliver is 16 seasons young, so.... yeah, we're not as young as we used to be, either.

@Wandering Sagebrush, if I were going to change to a liquid wax, I'd study practical sailor tests, which would probably lead me to a Starbrite, or Collinite, product. I think the woody wax likely requires multiple coats. Since we store outside, I really need the uv protection built into the wax. If you like it, all good. I'm not at all familiar with that particular product. Woody wax for nonskid deck applications is highly rated, on all the sailing forums, where you don't want to slide barefoot on the deck! In 2009 (I know, a long time ago), practical sailor tested both liquid and paste waxes in the florida sun, near me, in Sarasota. I tend to follow their recommendations from testing, as they don't take promotions from advertising. Kind of like the consumer reports, of the fiberglass world.

And, then, there was this. Hail storm in a town in Germany, that left a foot (!) of hail on the ground. In August! https://www.theguardian.com/weather/2023/aug/07/weather-tracker-german-city-reutlingen-hail-freak-summer-storm

Do you think perhaps you accidentally set an alarm, causing the music to play "on its own?" My husband does this occasionally on his phone. Or, forgets to turn off the daily alarm setting, and I'm up at 3 or 4 am, searching for his phone...

@Steph and Dud B, the Barilla precooked pasta is a winner. Without a microwave, (like me) you can heat sauce, and heat the pasta in it. I also like the Ronzini 3 minute pastas, which usually take more like 5 minutes to cook, but less than half the time of my home favorites, bronze cut semolina pastas. (I'll take some of those, cooled at home, in flat baggies with a little evoo, but they only keep a week or so in the fridge.) The Hormel Compleats are a good choice for some, but too much sodium for our diet. I do like their Hormel no salt added canned chicken (as well as the Costco canned chicken) for adding protein to a quick meal.

"No refrigeration " and "quick and easy" is sometimes for the win! I remember one really cold, rainy, and windy night in Canada, when we tried repeatedly to start a fire with wet pine. It was a no go situation. Although late summer, it was really cold. We had dried soup mix, on the stovetop. Satisfying and good. And hot. I always have some in the Ollie, and I carry it in my luggage when we fly and camp... Iceland, Scandinavia, Australia, etc.. There's always water, somewhere. Stores may not be open. Especially landing on Sunday. Made freeze dried chili in Norway, in a dry cabin, one night, after landing in Bergen, and driving an hour and a half toward my cousins. No real stores open, en route. Good to have, as backup. Not our usual meals, but they are great in certain circumstances. Tonight's camping dinner, everything fresh. Vegetables from my neighbors ' organic garden.

Some nights, after a long day of adventures, I don't feel like slicing and dicing. One of my favorites is Idahoan Red Mashed potatoes, as a side for something on the grill. Two cups of boiling water in the tea kettle, a big dollop of sour cream and a bit of butter, stir, cover, and stir again, good to go. So easy, and tasty. I also love the microwave rice packets, though I don't have a microwave. I just add a little water, and heat. Both store in the pantry, and require no refrigeration.

Totally agree with you, @topgun2. We've had microfiber towels for travel for a couple decades. It takes a little getting used to the different texture, but an added bonus for those of us with long hair (and no hair dryer) is that they get your hair much drier than terrycloth towels, for faster air drying.

Hi, and welcome! And, congrats on your Oliver. Which bath fan do you have? MaxxFan, or ventline? (The Maxx dome has a clearly visible fuseholder on the inside. The ventline doesnt.) As a temporary fix, i've seen folks use a piece of pvc or a rolled up towel through the handle to keep it from opening. Scroll down through about halfway, and you'll see some solutions. Your fan may have been installed incorrectly.

Well, that's another "potential " problem, not one anyone is likely to face with quality lifepo4 batteries, but it could happen. Fighting a lifepo4 fire is different from a traditional fire, from what I have read. Not unique to Olivers. Many manufacturers now offer a lithium upgrade. And, many owners have done their own upgrade, hopefully to a reliable source. Someday, near in the future, we'll likely see a requirement for a lithium hazard symbol. Everywhere. For now, my home is powered by solar and lithium, and one car. Tesla markings on the outside of our home, at the transfer switch, should help firefighters, hopefully, if ever needed.

Pretty much the same info requested when I filed warranty claims on residential windows. It was a bit of a hassle, but worth it.

A other annoying big welt from a bug bite today. Ivarest to the rescue. I think I'll try the much cheaper calamine next time, first.

I'm a big fan of most Camco products. That looks like a nice mat. I'd probably make a bag for storage, or use an old sail bag, as we do now.

Well, I guess I "gumped" myself with that comment. Our Eccotemp has given up the ghost, we think. Fortunately, as we have a small group coming and need the outdoor, spring fed shower this weekend, Asheville Camping world had the Eccotemp L5 on sale, and in stock! Ordered online, and picked up a few hours later. We'll try to repair the old soldier as a backup, but, honestly, it doesn't owe us a dime, if we can't fix it again. With the hundreds of great showers it has provided, and years of service, I wouldn't even look for another brand.

We bought ours at IKEA, probably 12 to 14 years ago. It's getting a bit threadbare, but still hangs together, and serves the purpose. Camping world has some very nice ones that are made to fold up in small sections. Watch for their sales and closeouts. The ikea mat has a limited life left. I'll be watching at camping world, amazon,,and overstock.

@JD_ your question has come up a myriad of times,, over the years. The answer, unfortunately, is always, no. But, an easy solution has always neen, an extra water source in the truckbed. Good luck with your decision.

Back to the original op idea. Is it wonderful to have a dedicated, shaded, enclosed storage solution for your Oliver. Sure. I often have "storage envy." We lesser mortals, and those with lot line constraints, and hoa, city constraints, can definitely make it work. Wax on, wax off. 😃

We used 3m marine ultra paste wax for many years, boats and trailer, early spring and fall. Amazing uv protection. It's been, sadly, discontinued. When we used up the last of our 3m ultra marine, we switched to another Practical Sailor tested, and highly recommended paste wax, Collinite. Collinite is definitely more difficult to apply, but great testing and reviews. There are other products from Collinite, and other brands, available in a liquid form, for easier application. We're old school, and hate to mess with success, but, we'll consider those, as it gets harder to do the paste wax. Check out Practical Sailor testing and reviews. Imo, it's important to remain consistent with product. And,xthere are many great products our there, today. Ps, you asked about wash. We use the west marine pink soap. We don't want to wash the wax away. I don't remember the name, but I can look it up in the bills. Edit to add: it has a very fancy name, so I didn't remember it. "boat soap," lol. This one. It goes on sale several times a year. It's quite concentrated, so a gallon lasts a long time, even with regular washes. You can carry a pint or quart in a small container when traveling, instead of the whole big jug. It's biodegradable, and doesn't strip wax like some cheap soaps (and dish detergent.) Maguire's, Starbrite, and other big names in the marine world offer really good options, as well. We've found the West Marine to be pretty cost effective for our little "fleet" of fiberglass vessels and trailer.

The plastic used in black tanks generally, and specifically, in Oliver, is not rated for fresh/potable water. The plumbing system in Oliver (and many other rvs) cojoins the grey and black, allowing for the leakage of grey and black, so, yuk, no way I'd use the black for fresh. You could find a way to use the black tank for additional grey, which can be helpful in the east. And, carry fresh is the truck bed, as we do. This has been discussed many times. It's just kind of a ",just don't do it, don't even think about it" thing.