Date:         Sat, 8 Dec 2001 01:51:38 -0500
Reply-To:     Warren Chapman <vwsyncroguy@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Warren Chapman <vwsyncroguy@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Questions about (making) 3 window Westy Canvas

Before I became a Synco Westy owner, I owned a Eurovan camper and one of
the (few) things I liked about the Eurovan (besides the furnace and the
front AC) was the three window canvas.

I liked:
the extra ventilation on hot days
the extra light inside, whenever the top was up
the view to all sides from the top bunk.  (privacy is available when you
close the things (duhhh!)
I liked the LARGE windows of the Eurovan. The larger the better for me.

I immediately missed them when I sold the Eurovan and bought the Westy and
have been trying to duplicate them ever since.

I tried to get a boat canvas shop to add the side windows to the original
but it was prohibitively expensive.   Also the original canvas is a very
fine weave and soft canvas that noone seems to have a match too.  This is
one thing you should consider.  Will the extra canvas that is needed to
make the windows match ...or look wierd.

First I bought a three window version from Busboys and returned it because
the side windows were too small, IMHO.

I have since bought a Busdepot 3 window version and while the side windows
are larger, they are not as large as I would like.  I would give the
BusDepot canvas an "O.K" rating, ..... acceptable but not great.   The
canvas is much coarser than the original and not as supple.  The window
screens, edge borders, and sewing thread are black which I find
unattractive compared to the white of the original.  It doesn't fit that
well and requires a lot of adjusting to get a nice fit.  It doesn't have
the bead in the seam at the top which makes fitting it to the fiberglass
top easy.  (does have the bead in the bottom).

Good news is the price is very reasonable at about $300.  Its a good
afternoon's work to install.

That's my experience, opinions, and general 2 cents.

Warren Chapman