SeaDawg

Modifying the line from the bath sink to the toilet would probably be pretty simple, imo. We brush teeth outside, whenever possible. So, it's just water and liquid soap. Like I said, still an education issue. And, something to be acutely aware of. Our bath faucet is limited to (I think) .25 gpm or .5 gpm. I don't remember. In the house, all bath vanities are .25 gpm.

Our sailboat sends handwash water from the sink, to the toilet. It's ok ; but we always have to educate new users. It does save water. But, can overflow, if uninitiated don't comprehend the system. A successful grey water recycling system, imo, requires many filters, and a separate tank. And there's a lot of room for error, imo. We spent extensive time on this concept, building our leed platinum home. Hair, soap, kitchen sink debris, etc., just didn't make sense to make it worth the extra plumbing, tanks, and filtering. And, history has shown many issues with grey water recycling. We opted for extra low flow faucets and toilets. (Toilets are the big siphons of clean water, honestly. We opt for if it's yellow let it mellow. Brown, flush it down, plus the lowest flush toilets we could buy.) There are many ways to skin the water conservation cat. If the grey water recycling works for you, I'd love to see how you accomplish it.

@dewdev, we didn't have a laundry in our dorm, in Pamplona. It was handwash, or lavanderia. I remember one time, shopping while the laundry was in cycle, finding American ketchup in a small shop. It was so exciting! Our dorm made the most amazing French fries (papas fritas) and ketchup made everything so much better/ normal/ American. (At least for us. Mayonnaise was the condiment of choice, if any, in those days in the 70s. I kept the ketchup in my room, and brought it down on fried chicken/French fry days. I've yet to find better fries than those fresh cut potatoes, fried in olive oil, in our dorm. ) In those days, it was very inexpensive. Just the hassle of carrying a laundry bag, both ways. Again, thanks for the memories.

@rideandfly, I was excited to see $3.85 here in Florida at a Costco. That's awesome. Well, as awesome as it gets, these days.... 😁

We've been fascinated here by tooletries for years. A lot of folks use them. Great products from two Aussie brothers. Glad you like them. Several more owner experiences here if you search "tooletries " . Have you seen the shower beer video? It's quite entertaining. 😅

One of my favorites (and there are so many!) was on the Gaspe peninsula, Quebec. Most of the Provincial and national campgrounds were closed, so we "settled" for Camping Griffon. Simple rv park, we were one of maybe three campers there in early October, and we watched whales from our campsite. The owners were so very nice, even though we spoke little French, they spoke some pretty good English. Our camper was so small, they gave us a seaside tent site. The showers were older but clean and heated, and a very short walk in the brisk evening! Things have possibly changed. That's 12 or 14 years ago. But, the Gaspe is a beautiful drive.. do it north to south, if possible, as you generally are on the land side, not feeling like you're hanging out on the edge of the cliff (though you are, sometimes. )

Wow. Are there still laundromats that do that? When I was a student in Spain, many years ago, we'd drop off our clothes at a wash/dry/fold lavanderia, and go for tapas and vino. Thanks for the memory!

Liana, til you get it all sorted out, and your trailer tanks are approaching full, you could line the Ollie toilet with a wag bag, and use the camper toilet like you do the one outside. Certainly safer if there's a mountain lion prowling your property.

You might like took at this thread: You could also post something in classifieds-- looking for a front basket for Ollie Elite II. You might get "lucky" and find someone who no longer wants theirs.... I actually think the box is nice for a Honda 1000. It'll stay clean, and out of sight.

Kadey Krogen builds beautiful boats. I had the pleasure of helping on a shakedown cruise, with a friend who worked for them, several years ago. Your manatee is an ultimate, stable trawler for a couple, with its great design. I'm sure you have great memories of a lifetime.

What is the bumper water connection?. 2008 owner here. Only discharge, in the bumper compartment.

Well, there are people like us who literally use the ac once a year, if that. Sometimes, just to test it. I would prefer to keep the price difference in my pocket, if possible. We did install a very quiet houghton in place of the 2008 dometic (roaring) dinosaur, a few years back. In retrospect, we would have been fine with a $100 vent and fan, but I do enjoy the quiet ac in the driveway, setting up for the season. The slimmer houghton still allows us to adjust our now much larger 200 watt solar panels. Main reason for changing up our ac. We rarely camp with hookups, and carry only a Honda 1000, so we have not used our ac much ... We tend to move when temps rise, rain is coming, etc. (I don't mind snow. Actually, we enjoy it, if it melts in a day or two. 😁 We Just avoid heat when we can. Trailers have wheels, for a reason.)

I know. I have friends who carry gens in their suvs, others who won't even consider it. It's all a personal decision. I'd personally discourage anyone from trying to carry a generator on the Ollie bumper, though... @Margaret, what batteries do you have now?

@John E Davies, I think I remember from another thread that she tows with an suv. A number of my friends don't like to have a generator in the back of an suv. I could be wrong... I absolutely agree, the rear bumper is a lousy place for a generator.

The Honda 1000 weighs approximately 30 pounds. The 2200, about 50. I can lift either. If you can leave it on the tongue, in a basket, it's kind of immaterial, except for changing tongue weight. And, having to have the bathroom window and vents closed to eliminate the station wagon effect. (And setting off your co monitor...) Call Oliver about the basket, or you can get something fabricated locally. There have occasionally been some for sale on the forum. If you routinely camp with electricity, it's pretty irrelevant. I know your trailer doesn't have solar, but I'd suggest a portable solar panel, if you only rarely boondock.

I'd personally never put gas, or a gas genset on the bumper, but others might. For a number of reasons. Rear end collision hazard, top among them. Difficult to use rear exit window in a true emergency. Theft opportunities. Changes tow balance, etc. There is a tray available for the tongue, if your trailer doesn't have one already. All you need is a small, lightweight genset to charge the batteries, imo. We only carry a Honda 1000. It charges batteries, when solar fails in crummy weather. It won't run ac. Slightly heavier, in the 220 to 2400 watt range, may run the ac for you, as well. Still something I can lift and move. Not as easily, but possible. Does your trailer have the front generator connection? We do, though we've never used it.

@csevel, we've also enjoyed the weatherstripping. Like you, we have the manual awning, and can roll it back to a short distance. We still have the original on our 2008. It has some stains, but it's still there, and works. But, we don't store in totally direct sun, nor pine trees or cottonwood and the like, and their mess.

I don't carry bikes, but I feel your pain. A carefully worded weight restriction, including "no trailer connection" from their legal team might just allow them to offer the 2" hitch again. Maybe. One bad apple (that we know of...) spoils... it for everyone. Keep asking, folks. People who buy the best trailer tend to buy better bikes and better bike racks, imo.

Not for nothing, as a friend used to say, I doubt the new batteries made that difference. Especially with 110 outlets, which have zero to do with your batteries (unless you'retalking about running them from the inverter. Plugged in, your charger/converter steps 110 down to 12v.) Bouncing down the road could jiggle some connections. A new campsite on return might give you more clean power. Or, fewer campers on the same run might give you better, cleaner power . Glad everything is working, and I have my fingers crossed. I'd still schedule a good rv tech and inspection, were it me. I'm certain replacement of the batteries was a good idea, though. 5 years is likely end of life, especially when your trailer may have not been well maintained by previous owner. What batteries did you buy?

@Margaret, if you changed out batteries today, your thermostat may have reverted to factory settings. Maybe, maybe not. If that's it, maybe your camper friend could take another look. What do you mean by "wonky?" If you are cooler now, and it's night, it might be a good time to check the return filter as @Townesw suggested. Many rv ac problems can occur when the unit is "starved" of return air. Dirt starves the air supply. Are you near a good rv repair facility? Or, can the campground manager recommend a mobile tech? Ac problems rear their ugly heads when temps are high, as they are almost everywhere in the US today. A few things that can help keep it cooler: Are you parked in shade, or sun? Obviously, shade is better. If it's not windy, can you deploy the awning to shade the windows? Keep the shades down. Don't cook inside the trailer, if at all possible, especially in the heat of the day. Minimize door openings. Is your campground crowded? Could also be too many people on a weak circuit trying to run ac in extreme heat, causing the ems to cut in and out. 82 if it's 107 outside is not an unexpected difference, especially with a unit that may need cleaning. But, 82 at 90 isn't right, even though it takes awhile to cool the hull and cupboards, it should be better than that. Best of luck, and please keep us posted.

Per above post, they're heading back to Hohenwald for warranty assistance, as local shops do not have parts. This is a supply chain issue, imo. Parts are difficult to find, even in metropolitan areas.

Yup. Fiberglass products have doubled, nationally. Everything else, not so good, either. Glad I bought mine 15 seasons ago. It is what is is. Since fiberglass is petroleum based....it won't get cheaper, soon.

When we converted our microwave cavity to a large cupboard, my husband wired in a 12v switched pucklight to the ceiling. We've used battety and magnet lights for years in our shed in nc. Some better than others. I'll look forward to your report in a year.

@Margaret, how is the a/c doing now, and are you feeling any better? You're better off inside in the low 80's resting, than working outside in the 90+ heat, with your symptoms. Rehydrate, copiously, preferably with Gatorade or pedialite, imo.. Not a medical professional, just a mom, and that's the advice I'd give our daughter.

If it's any consolation, your order sheet shows you were only charged for upgraded fabric on the small dinette cushions, not the entire trailer. ($300) Ultrafabric runs $75 to $100 per yard. My guess would be bare minimum 3.5 yards to do a decent job on those cushions, and upholsters often charge more to work with trickier fabrics. (I know I would.) Upgrade charge for ultrafabric on all cushions is significantly more than $300. In 2021, it was close to $1000.