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Hi Alan, Will 512 withstand the heat from the Flue?

I would have thought you woould need a specialised sealant for a heater flue.

Quote: Originally posted by LobeyDosser on 30/7/2009 Compare the strength of a yacht mast to that of a caravan! They both hold material that gets buffeted by the wind yet the former is far stronger and more robust than the latter.

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A mast needs to be much stronger as it both supports the weight of the sails and the thrust developed by them. An awning rail does neither - it secures an awning to the van but the frame takes the vast majority of the weight and the pegs and guys massively reduce any "thrust".

You can't really compare the two.      

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* You never know where you're going 'til you get there...

Hi Viggo, you are ofcourse entitled to your opinions but could you please explain to us all why so many caravans first show signs of water ingress along the path where the awning channel is bonded to the caravan.

Modern awnings do not use a steel frame but light aluminium or worse, carbon fibre. This sways in windy conditions putting further strain on this rail.

Yes the mast of a yacht has to do more work but when you look at how the rail is attached to the mast and compare that to the awning rail in a van, well your are correct, there is no comparason. Unfortunately for us!!!

I know a bit about yachts and I know a bit about caravans and it is only natural that I would choose to compare similar situations between the two.

Hi Guys,

In my opinion, (gained form working in structural engineering for 30 years) the load on the awning rail is very evenly distributed and I feel that the mastic alone will make a huge contribution to the load bearing capacity of the rail, never mind the screws into the timber.

I worry about a lot of unnecesary things but not an awning pulling off the rail.

cheers Mr UM

Quote: Originally posted by LobeyDosser on 02/8/2009

Hi Viggo, you are ofcourse entitled to your opinions but could you please explain to us all why so many caravans first show signs of water ingress along the path where the awning channel is bonded to the caravan.

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I'm not denying that there may be a problem - I'm merely questioning your comparison of the relative strengths of an awning rail and the mast of yacht.

Quote: Modern awnings do not use a steel frame but light aluminium or worse, carbon fibre. This sways in windy conditions putting further strain on this rail.

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I don't think the material of the frame matters, as aluminium and fibre are just as stiff as steel, just not as heavy. My awning has a fibre frame, and it does not overly sway in the wind as it's guyed down properly and pegged all round the mudwall. Perhaps it's incorrectly erected awnings, swaying and therefore putting a strain on the rail, which are a big part of the problem?


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* You never know where you're going 'til you get there...