Looking at OTT

[Tim Shig]

Hi all - I've been checking out your forum here for a couple days and just joined.  My wife and are looking to get our first RV after many years of boating here in the PNW.  OTT's look like they might be the ticket - we've been in contact with the company and hope to look at a local one before we make a decision.  If we have any info or questions for the forum, we'll be posting.

Tim and Lorri

 

[topgun2]

Tim & Lorri - 

Since you're familiar with boating then you have at least some knowledge of molded fiberglass.  Welcome and let us know if we can help in any way. 

Bill

[Jim_Oker]

28 minutes ago, Tim Shig said:

hope to look at a local one

FYI, I'm in Woodinville (and am happy to show ours) and when I was shopping the Oliver sales team put me in touch with someone who had theirs stored up near Snohomish/Clearwater. There are at least a few other Ollie owners scattered around the region.

[Tim Shig]

Yep Bill, we have had a few nice fiberglass boats, so fairly familiar with that. 

Jim, Thanks for the offer. We appreciate that gesture.  Hopefully we can find a LEi to peek at.  If not though, we would like to see your LEii.  I am talking with Josh at Oliver who should be contacting some owners up here to set up a meeting - we'll see what he comes up with.

For the LEi, I'm a bit concerned with a few things like on-board storage, counter top space, and the east west sleeping arrangements.  We like the size of the LEi and what that brings to the table, so we're coming up with ways to deal with the issues.  Looking at videos and pictures helps, but seeing one IRL would be much better.

Tim

 

[John and Debbie]

On 8/26/2021 at 9:56 AM, Tim Shig said:

Hi all - I've been checking out your forum here for a couple days and just joined.  My wife and are looking to get our first RV after many years of boating here in the PNW.  OTT's look like they might be the ticket - we've been in contact with the company and hope to look at a local one before we make a decision.  If we have any info or questions for the forum, we'll be posting.

Tim and Lorri

 

I am doing the same thing considering the Oliver.   The cost is one stumbling block for my wife,  but I just don't want to get some sub-par trailer.   I have seen two OTT.   I am very sold on them. 

[csevel]

11 hours ago, John Welte said:

I am doing the same thing considering the Oliver.   The cost is one stumbling block for my wife,  but I just don't want to get some sub-par trailer.   I have seen two OTT.   I am very sold on them. 

I was in love since the day I saw one in person about five or six years ago.  I was content with my Casita for ten years and never expected to ever own an Oliver.   Sadly, we too had a hard time swallowing the cost as it dipped heavily into our retirement savings.  The thing that sold my husband was the resale values of fiberglass and finding one close to home eventually sold us.  We were lucky!   I expect this to be my last travel trailer but I feel confident we can recoup much of our investment if something springs up.  Good luck !

[Tim Shig]

@John Welte
I hear ya.  We're between spending less on a Casita, or going all in on the Oliver.  There are only a few others that we have considered given our requirements, the main one being it has to fit thru a 9'x9' garage door.  For the Casita as well as the LEi, I'll probably need to let some air out of the tires to get them in.

Good luck.   With us in the Seattle area, we're practically neighbors.🙂

[John and Debbie]

11 minutes ago, csevel said:

I was in love since the day I saw one in person about five or six years ago.  I was content with my Casita for ten years and never expected to ever own an Oliver.   Sadly, we too had a hard time swallowing the cost as it dipped heavily into our retirement savings.  The thing that sold my husband was the resale values of fiberglass and finding one close to home eventually sold us.  We were lucky!   I expect this to be my last travel trailer but I feel confident we can recoup much of our investment if something springs up.  Good luck !

That's my thinking too.   I figure if I buy an Oliver for $80k and use it for ten years,  I could possibly sell it for $40 k.   If I buy a stick built trailer for $40k,  I can maybe get only a few thousand for it.   The ownership cost would be about the same,  but I would have a trailer that wouldn't be as nice for those ten years. 

[John and Debbie]

14 minutes ago, Tim Shig said:

@John Welte
I hear ya.  We're between spending less on a Casita, or going all in on the Oliver.  There are only a few others that we have considered given our requirements, the main one being it has to fit thru a 9'x9' garage door.  For the Casita as well as the LEi, I'll probably need to let some air out of the tires to get them in.

Good luck.   With us in the Seattle area, we're practically neighbors.🙂

Can your garage opening be enlarged?   It would require a new garage door.   I would want any trailer to be garaged here in the Pacific Northwest. 

[SeaDawg]

We installed a 10 ft garage door, for safety margin, when we built our new house.

Total height depends a lot on rooftop gear. We used to be 9'5" or so, then we removed the kingdome, then swapped out ac to a low profile unit, so our overall high pont is now a maxxair cover over our FanTastic vent fan, by about 1.5 inches.

We probably lost 2 to three inches. But, we have always run on 15 inch st tires, not the 16 inch LTs that Oliver (i think)  installs today.  That would bring the height back to our original height, somewhere between 9'4 and 9'5", as I recall.

We have a "flipped" axle, and I don't know if that's standard today, or not.

Best bet, get your rep to give you a true set of  measurements,  including higher points that could possibly be reduced by alternative gear.

9 ft door would likely be tight, with my modified 2008, even with reducing air pressure. And, what about clearance of the rails and door opener? That could be tight, even with a Casita. 

I'd volunteer to drag the ladder up the hill and remeasure, but I think it's immaterial to a new trailer. 

You need current info, from Oliver. Then, you can figure out where you can or can't shave a few inches.

 

 

[Tim Shig]

Thanks for the info.  Agree on getting accurate measurements from Oliver.  Other than the garage door opening size, there would be no other clearance issues.  I can maybe get an inch or 2 more on the height, but no more as it's a concrete structure.  I'll be talking to Josh at Oliver more about this.