SeaDawg

It is not mine to share. Their boat is in my backyard slip. Drive tube failed, tensioner bolt and washer blew through the steel tube. Hopefully, covered under warranty as a manufacturer defect.

That sh#t happened, unfortunately, for many of us, back in the day. And even I f we didn't fall, we were scared, as little kids, by the big drop. I read an article the other day about how failures and errors make us stronger, and why parents today should let their kids fail, and learn. I guess our parents knew that, all along. "Riding in the back of a pickup truck?" Loved it. More great memories.

And, running thru the lawn sprinklers, on hot summer days, right? (We took a few sips there, too.) Thanks for the memories. And, apologies for the thread drift. Sherry

Oh, I so remember dialing only 5 digits. Great, wasn't it? Now, with cell phones, I don't even remember anyone's number. Just hit contacts, search, and go. (Always funny when some prompt says "dial." Haven't had a dial in how many decades?) Kind of like when I write to my cousins in a very small village in Norway. No street address. Just a name. Town. Post code for the town. It gets there.

So, the 80 per cent rule bit tonight. Not us. And, different scenario. Around 5, my husband was upstairs, I was downstairs, and we both heard a big metallic crash. Couldn't find anything around the house or yard to explain it. Then, my neighbor 3 doors down texted for our help. Their two year old boat lift collapsed, and they asked for help. They had it built to 20 per cent over capacity, but... well... Their boat is now tied up in my backyard/extra slip. Thank goodness no one was on it, when it dropped and collapsed. No one hurt, boat seems fine. We'll see tomorrow what the installing company determines as the fail point. Extra capacity is always good. I'm still in the "love the one you're with" group if your current TV is adequate, but, if you're buying new, size up. Imo. Better capacity, (towing and payload) just makes for a more carefree, enjoyable, and safer experience. With the Silverado or the Ram, we have no doubt we can accelerate or stop when necessary. The Volvo was another story. And, we don't enjoy the slow truck lane.

Interesting. Well, I can tell you from personal experience, you likely don't need it for your Ollie. Some years back, we came back from dinner with friends in Waynesville, one crazy night. Hail looked like snow in the banks, on i40, approaching Asheville. When we got back to Asheville, hail bits were melting, but still the size of steely marbles. Zero damage to our Ollie. Zero damage to our solar panels, as well. Can't say what would happen with extreme "grapefruit size" hail, but that's yet another night we were happy to have an Ollie, and not an Airstream or sob with a rubber roof. Vegetation around us was like a shredded salad, along with inches deep hail around our campsite. Life is good. Especially with my trusty Ollie. We've we developed a deep trust in our trailer, 16 seasons in. We take care of it. It takes care of us.

@Dwain Kitchens, my 2008 elite 1 weighed in around 3900 pounds, (cat scale), loaded for camping, with some water (not all tanks full, partial grey and fresh.) We've towed with three vehicles. A Volvo xc90 ( heavy, and somewhat anemic t5, 4900 tow capacity), 2005 chevy Silverado(7500 tow capacity, 5.3 v8) , and a 2008 4 x 4 dodge ram 1500 hemi, 5.7). Best tow vehicles are in reverse order of what I listed. The Ram has been stellar. I would say that unless you really plan to stay on flatland, get a vehicle with a higher tow rating than the Subaru, and make sure that whatever you buy has a true tow package (not just a hitch.) Google "Subaru ascent towing issues" and you'll likely find lots of negatives from actual users, imo. I'd be looking at a truck, or, at the least, a SUV with a higher tow capacity than the Subaru. 80 per cent is just part of the equation. Tow vehicle Weight vs trailer weight, length of wheel base, transmission, etc., all impact the joy and safety of towing.

Been there, done that, just letting them "air out" and overnight "dew wash" or at least "dew rinse" on lifelines, on sailing trips. If we camped in poison ivy country, I'd be afraid of turning any clothing inside out. (But then, we all drank from the garden hose, in those days, too, and we lived to tell the tale, right?) 😅😅😅

When I was a little kid, in farm country Minnesota, the party line was probably as entertaining as the one or two channels we got on TV, for some folks. My mom was adamant about counting the ring pattern, so that we respected privacy. Not so, with everyone.... I know my mom and dad would sometimes drive into town to use a pay phone to have a truly private conversation. (Pay phone = yet another relic.)

Well, my bad. I thought all Trojan t105s were flooded, not agm, but, apparently, trojan has been selling t105-agm versions, also, for some period of time. I certainly have no idea if your original t105 batteries were agm, or not, but it is possible that the ones you recently acquired are agm_sealed. Please make sure your charging profile is set for agm, not flooded, if that's what you got. Likely $300 each, from what I've seen. (I always thought Oliver installed Flooded lead acid t105's ... ☹️)

Last year, my sister have me an instapot, gifted from her sil. She never used it. I didn't either, so I forwarded it to a friend, who uses it all the time. best of all worlds!

That's a good thing. And, engine much more easily repaired/replaced. (Not cheap, of course, but certainly easier.) The thing about boats vs camper is not the view, it's the usable living space. All our trailers live really big, on the outside, at campsite. The inside of a comparable sized boat can become quite claustrophobic, for me, at anchor, even in nice weather. At least, I've not found a floating platform for chairs, grill, etc, to be practical to tow behind. 😀 dock fees are ridiculous around me, in sw Florida.

I'd say that's a pretty good deal for quality fabric, and custom sizing.

I will also say this. I really, really hate hanging doors. It's a very tedious PITA. Even "prehung" doors. For example, we spent a number of hours on 4 doors in our new pole barn/workshop a few years ago. Every time my husband and I install or re-install doors, I tend to think it's a test of our good and long marriage, and our patience.. I wish you luck. Look for the obvious out of square situations, and, proceed.

Someone, likely @ScubaRx, will step in on specifics. Do you usually camp with hookups? You do realize with only 2 x 6v, vs 4 x 6v batteries , you're cutting your power storage in half? You may also likely have to make changes to your battery charging, going from agm to lead acid.

So,actually, how much is two sets of twin sized sheets? Just curious. The customization is super, but I can ( and do) that, anyway. With bedding that I like. Not everyone wants to go to the effort, obviously. And, they do look like a great product. We actually prefer good quality microfiber, much of the year.

Agree with gj. That's a big sag. Also appears to be a gap in the frame corners of the door. Have you measured the diagonals? On frame, door, raw opening? And, some sag in the frame/glass. You're obviously way out of square. That long hinge is called a piano hinge. How did you reattach the door? The right upper looks square from your first photo, but what about the others? And the door? I would measure everything, also check with a little speed square, and , def, open a service ticket. Pictures can be deceiving.

Very nice mods, and craftsmanship @Ron and Phyllis. It's great that you and your wife can get out and enjoy camping, with your thoughtful changes.

When we towed with my Silverado (no bed cover), I used to "camouflage" my Honda 1000 in an old tomato box... Of course, with the price of tomatoes these days, it might just attract more attention. 🙄 😅

I'm listening to the music of Eurovision. My favorite, Norway. Also, totally love Czech republic. Australia. Austria. And others. https://eurovision.tv/video/australia-artist-song-reveal-eurovision-2023

Thanks. I didn’t want to go through the Oliver site as I will be in the market for a used model. I also hate for someone to clean up their rig just for me to see it. Those of us who are active showing trailers, as I used to be, have the choice to accept or decline. When our trailer was newer, we loved showing it. Made some new friends. (I don't often show ours anymore, as it's 15+ years old, and most folks like to see the new stuff. A few like to see how "gracefully " an Oliver ages. ) Here's a fun story. Back many years ago, I got a request from Oliver to show our Elite 1. I talked with the folks, told them we'd just come home from a long camping trip, and explained that it would not be in "showroom" condition. After spending an hour or so with the trailer, we sat on our patio with a drink, chatting. I explained that we'd just returned from my college roommate's daughters wedding in ***, Connecticut, ending two months on the road. Turns out, they had been invited to the same wedding, though they declined because of prior travel plans. We discovered we shared a mutual, very dear friend. We've stayed in touch now for over a decade. Life is fun, when you keep the door open just a bit.

Very pretty graphics in the bath. Matching towel, even! If mine looked like that, I wouldn't mind so much leaving the bath door propped open ... 😀

So, did you put the cold plate/holding plate in your isotherm? Or, do you work with the food/drink as cold sink? @John E Davies

Well, that's not something I've seen before Did it come with your isotherm, @John E Davies?

Thank you do very much for your detailed information. As always, the best.