Love Your RV!

Port McNeill Resupply Trip – Fog, Sea Lions and Sea Otters

Ray — Sat, 27 Jun 2026 18:07:33 +0000

After riding out some windy days in Lady Boot Cove, Anne and I decided it was time for a resupply run. We had been out about two weeks since leaving Campbell River, so we took advantage of a nice weather window on a calm, misty morning and headed across to Port McNeill. The crossing through ... Read more

The post Port McNeill Resupply Trip – Fog, Sea Lions and Sea Otters appeared first on Love Your RV!.

BougeRV Portable F01 & F02 Fans – Demo and Initial Review

Ray — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:55:12 +0000

I’m back with a quick review of a couple of new fans from BougeRV, the F01 and F02, which should be perfect for keeping us cool this summer on the boat. Our trawler doesn’t have air conditioning, though I do carry their portable BougeRV AC unit for desperate days running off solar. Fair Disclosure: I ... Read more

The post BougeRV Portable F01 & F02 Fans – Demo and Initial Review appeared first on Love Your RV!.

Handy Boating Tool! Vortex Laser Rangefinder

Ray — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:43:39 +0000

Here’s a neat little gadget I picked up for this year’s boating season. It’s the Vortex Triumph HD 850 laser rangefinder. It’s very compact and perfect for anchoring the boat. We use it to measure exactly how far we are from shore or other boats because distances over water can be really deceptive. You can ... Read more

The post Handy Boating Tool! Vortex Laser Rangefinder appeared first on Love Your RV!.

Bluetti Elite 300 Power Station Review – Big Power in Small Package!

Ray — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:19:28 +0000

I’m back with another review for Bluetti, this time on their new Elite 300 series portable power station. I’ve previously checked out their smaller AC70 and Elite 100 models, which are great for easy carrying, but this one packs a serious punch. It’s the smallest unit on the market with 3,014 watt-hours of LiFePO4 battery ... Read more

The post Bluetti Elite 300 Power Station Review – Big Power in Small Package! appeared first on Love Your RV!.

Journey Deeper into the Broughton Archipelago – Boating June 2026

Ray — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 15:22:17 +0000

In this episode, we push farther north into the beautiful Broughton Archipelago on the BC coast aboard our 1976 CHB 34 trawler Vestri. The scenery just keeps getting more spectacular as we wind our way through narrow passages and remote islands. We had our hearts set on Potts Lagoon, a classic spot known for great ... Read more

The post Journey Deeper into the Broughton Archipelago – Boating June 2026 appeared first on Love Your RV!.

Yay! Smooth Travel Through Johnstone Strait to the Broughtons

Ray — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:38:17 +0000

In the last video, we came up to Forward Harbour from Campbell River and anchored in Douglas Bay all by ourselves. The weather out in Johnstone Strait was pretty rough with winds of 20 to 30 knots, so we decided to stay put. More boats joined us seeking refuge as it got windier out there. ... Read more

The post Yay! Smooth Travel Through Johnstone Strait to the Broughtons appeared first on Love Your RV!.

The Trek North Begins! Campbell River to Forward Harbour – Boating 2026

Ray — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 19:22:13 +0000

We have started our northbound trip toward the Broughtons, and in this video, I have some footage from a couple of hops we took. First, we left Campbell River and headed straight up Discovery Passage, then anchored at Charles Bay in Blind Channel. We stayed there for a day because of the rainy weather. The ... Read more

The post The Trek North Begins! Campbell River to Forward Harbour – Boating 2026 appeared first on Love Your RV!.

Visit to Gorgeous Big Bay, BC – Dangerous Tidal Currents & Eagle Viewing

Ray — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 23:03:44 +0000

Well, another great stay in Evans Bay, but today we’re heading out since the winds have finally calmed down. We’re making our way up to Big Bay on Stuart Island to tie up at the community dock. Anne is hoping to photograph the eagles feeding on the fish run there, so we’re excited to see ... Read more

The post Visit to Gorgeous Big Bay, BC – Dangerous Tidal Currents & Eagle Viewing appeared first on Love Your RV!.

High Water Bilge Alarm Installation & Demo

Ray — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:34:29 +0000

In the video, I installed a high-water bilge alarm from Johnson Pump as an extra safety upgrade on the boat. This little unit sits just above the normal bilge pump level and alerts us with a super-loud buzzer or a light if water gets too high, in case the pumps fail or we have a ... Read more

The post High Water Bilge Alarm Installation & Demo appeared first on Love Your RV!.

Em-Trak B954 AIS Transceiver Installation & Initial Tests

Ray — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:51:04 +0000

In this video, I install a new safety and navigation aid called AIS on our 34-foot CHB trawler. The AIS (Automatic Identification System) will use our VHF antenna to send and receive information about us and other boats in the local area. We chose the Em-Trak brand – B954 model. While anchored in a nice, ... Read more

The post Em-Trak B954 AIS Transceiver Installation & Initial Tests appeared first on Love Your RV!.

DJI (Power 1000 Mini) Portable Power Station Review

Ray — Sat, 30 May 2026 22:01:33 +0000

I’m back with another DJI product review (Link to my DJI Power 2000 Review), this time on their new Power 1000 Mini. They call it the smallest 1,000-watt-hour power station on the market, and it really is compact at just over a foot long, 8 inches wide, and 8 inches tall. Inside is a 1,000 ... Read more

The post DJI (Power 1000 Mini) Portable Power Station Review appeared first on Love Your RV!.

First Leg of the 2026 Boating Season – Shakedown Cruise over to Campbell River

Ray — Thu, 28 May 2026 14:30:33 +0000

In this video, we head out for the season from our home base in Lund, BC. First stop is Gorge Harbour to make sure the anchoring gear is working well after I overhauled the windlass this spring. Then over to Campbell River’s Fisherman’s Wharf Marina for what turned into a 1-week stay on the dock. ... Read more

The post First Leg of the 2026 Boating Season – Shakedown Cruise over to Campbell River appeared first on Love Your RV!.

SideShift Bow Thruster 24V Motor Upgrade Installation

Ray — Sun, 24 May 2026 15:57:47 +0000

I’m back working on the boat, and today’s project was installing the new 24-volt motor for its SideShift bow thruster. The existing 12-volt unit is about eight years old and has developed a squeaky prop from a hardened seal that let in some water. The company liked my lithium battery experiments from last year, so ... Read more

The post SideShift Bow Thruster 24V Motor Upgrade Installation appeared first on Love Your RV!.

Splashing “Vestri” – Our 2026 Boating Season Begins!

Ray — Mon, 18 May 2026 14:39:31 +0000

After a month staying in a nearby RV park and prepping the boat, the 2026 boating season begins. About a month earlier than last year. Our truck and trailer replaced the boat, and it got a trip on the boat mover down to the water for launch. We spent the night on the boatyard dock, ... Read more

The post Splashing “Vestri” – Our 2026 Boating Season Begins! appeared first on Love Your RV!.

SideShift Bow Thruster – Squeaky Prop Repair

Ray — Tue, 12 May 2026 00:22:53 +0000

In this video, I disassemble our 8-year-old SideShift bow thruster motor to clean corrosion out and replace a worn-out seal. I recently noticed that when spinning the prop, one side squeaked. It looks like some water had worked its way past the old dried-out seal and was beginning to corrode things inside. This older 12V ... Read more

The post SideShift Bow Thruster – Squeaky Prop Repair appeared first on Love Your RV!.

Portable Suitcase 12VDC Winch Review – Rugcel Tank TK4500

Ray — Mon, 11 May 2026 14:34:08 +0000

This year, I picked up a simple mechanical rope winch as a backup for our boat’s anchor windlass. With 30 meters of heavy chain and a 44-pound anchor, retrieving everything by hand is tough if the motor or gearbox fails. I figured I could hook the winch at the stern and pull from the bow ... Read more

The post Portable Suitcase 12VDC Winch Review – Rugcel Tank TK4500 appeared first on Love Your RV!.