Recommended roll out awning?

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AuldAlliance
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Recommended roll out awning?

Post by AuldAlliance » Wed Feb 07, 2018 10:57 am

As the title above, what's the best roll out awning members would recommend? So far I've been considering the Fiamma F35 which is £315 plus extra for the fitting kit.

cheers
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Jillygumbo
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Re: Recommended roll out awning?

Post by Jillygumbo » Wed Feb 07, 2018 11:07 am

The best one in my book is the Fiamma F45S. The F35 is the one that really needs 2 people to roll out manually and rolling it up to close is even trickier. The 45S is easily managed by one person.

Get one that's about 2.6 M long though.
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MalcW
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Re: Recommended roll out awning?

Post by MalcW » Wed Feb 07, 2018 11:25 am

We've got an F35 which is fine but, as has been pointed out, takes 2 people and is fiddly. The F45S is much easier, but I seem to recall a post on here somewhere querying the weight of it on the guttering?
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Re: Recommended roll out awning?

Post by g8dhe » Wed Feb 07, 2018 12:55 pm

They are heavy but not had a problem with it on my gutter in the 11 years its been on. I did have a rust problem on the roof behind the awning but as far as we can tell it wasn't associated with the awning on the gutter itself, rather poorly applied mastic between roof and sidewalls on the gutter at manufacturer of the vehicle which allowed moisture in and hence the rusting.
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Re: Recommended roll out awning?

Post by BigPanzer » Tue Feb 13, 2018 5:00 am

Geoff -
I was one of the people who flagged up a possible connection between the type of awning brackets that put weight on the gutter and corrosion from the inside on the rear n/s roof. What I think might be happening is this:
You have commented on the poor mastic on the joint, the mastic on the average Bongo is around 20 yrs old now and there could be the occasional tiny breach in it. If so, there is little more than a coat of paint to keep water out and paint is not that flexible. While it will be adequate to keep water out for years under normal circumstances, with additional movement resulting from an awning, this paint seal will eventually crack. Movement could be as a result of bumpy roads, flapping in a wind or winding it out too far before dropping the legs.
Once the paint has cracked, water will slowly wick in because of capilliary attraction and because the van is alternately heated & cooled it will condense on the coldest close point - the rear n/s corner.
This might be a possible cause of the problem and the number of posts I've seen about it are really too small a sample to base a definative conclusion on, but any comments from folks wishing to shoot the idea down in flames would make an interesting point for debate.
Also, for anybody who has roof rot but no awning - it could have been fitted with one in Japan for years.

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TheLongRoad
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Re: Recommended roll out awning?

Post by TheLongRoad » Tue Feb 13, 2018 10:00 am

Thanks @jillyjumbo and @MalcW. Is 2.6 the best for fitting purposes or do the smaller ones fit as well - I can see we have very limited positions for the two brackets. Still can make my mind up which one t go for.
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Re: Recommended roll out awning?

Post by g8dhe » Tue Feb 13, 2018 10:54 am

BigPanzer wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 5:00 am I was one of the people who flagged up a possible connection between the type of awning brackets that put weight on the gutter and corrosion from the inside on the rear n/s roof. What I think might be happening is this:
You have commented on the poor mastic on the joint, the mastic on the average Bongo is around 20 yrs old now and there could be the occasional tiny breach in it. If so, there is little more than a coat of paint to keep water out and paint is not that flexible. While it will be adequate to keep water out for years under normal circumstances, with additional movement resulting from an awning, this paint seal will eventually crack. Movement could be as a result of bumpy roads, flapping in a wind or winding it out too far before dropping the legs.
Once the paint has cracked, water will slowly wick in because of capilliary attraction and because the van is alternately heated & cooled it will condense on the coldest close point - the rear n/s corner.
This might be a possible cause of the problem and the number of posts I've seen about it are really too small a sample to base a definative conclusion on, but any comments from folks wishing to shoot the idea down in flames would make an interesting point for debate.
Also, for anybody who has roof rot but no awning - it could have been fitted with one in Japan for years.
I wouldn't challenge that aspect myself, but the only thing which doesn't quite make sense is that the moisture doesn't appear to have damaged the gutter metal itself with rust at all, all the damage was away from the actual joint. We had expected to find the gutter metal rusted along the bending line forming the gutter on the inside but it wasn't all the major damage was a good 1/2" above the join line ...... ????
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Re: Recommended roll out awning?

Post by Jillygumbo » Tue Feb 13, 2018 2:59 pm

TheLongRoad wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 10:00 am Thanks @jillyjumbo and @MalcW. Is 2.6 the best for fitting purposes or do the smaller ones fit as well - I can see we have very limited positions for the two brackets. Still can make my mind up which one t go for.
The 2.6m one sits neatly to the rear of the vehicle and stops halfway along the passenger door. Any shorter would either leave the sliding door area more vulnerable to rain ingress or not fit as neatly in my view.

Remember that the shorter ones would not extend out as far either, as the arms would be shorter.
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TheLongRoad
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Re: Recommended roll out awning?

Post by TheLongRoad » Tue Feb 13, 2018 4:16 pm

@jillyjumbo - thanks for that. Just saving the £'s and will be sorting something out in the next few months. :D
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Flanners
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Re: Recommended roll out awning?

Post by Flanners » Tue Feb 13, 2018 4:40 pm

I fancy one of these but worried about the weight and possible damage to the tintop?
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the1andonly
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Re: Recommended roll out awning?

Post by the1andonly » Tue Feb 13, 2018 11:15 pm

MalcW wrote: Wed Feb 07, 2018 11:25 am We've got an F35 which is fine but, as has been pointed out, takes 2 people and is fiddly. The F45S is much easier, but I seem to recall a post on here somewhere querying the weight of it on the guttering?
I've an F35 and is Ok.
2 points
there is a tube vid showing how to use it with one person, I had no prob opening it.
if you intend using a drive away awning as well you cant with a F35 without additional faffing about, serious faffing needing the mounting of a new rail.
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Re: Recommended roll out awning?

Post by Jillygumbo » Wed Feb 14, 2018 12:55 pm

Flanners wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 4:40 pm I fancy one of these but worried about the weight and possible damage to the tintop?
My F45S was on a tintop. No damage that I was aware of. Was fitted above the gutter though, not on the gutter.
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TheLongRoad
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Re: Recommended roll out awning?

Post by TheLongRoad » Wed Feb 14, 2018 1:34 pm

the1andonly wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 11:15 pm I've an F35 and is Ok.
Thanks for that info / confirmation. I'm going to go with the F35.
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TheLongRoad
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Re: Recommended roll out awning?

Post by TheLongRoad » Sun Apr 08, 2018 7:19 pm

F35 Pro fitted. Used the Volkswagen gutter brackets, did a few ‘mods’ to them before I was totally happy with the fit. Went for the longer length as advise and think it looks fine.

Roll on Summer and roll out awning. :D
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WestyK
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Re: Recommended roll out awning?

Post by WestyK » Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:03 pm

I am just about to do exactly the same thing. F35 Pro and T2 brackets.
I only looked at the brackets briefly but it looks like the bit that goes into the gutter just needs shortening by a few mm.

I would be interested to here what you had to do so that you were happy with the fit.

Thanks
Ian
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