Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 23:44:01 -0500
Reply-To: James <jk_eaton@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: James <jk_eaton@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Shady Boy: That bad in wind?
In-Reply-To: <CAB2Rwfje=RgHhotvPuPgi59K6yjif2kXRdpWGJ_eo5F8g-eHgA@mail.gmail.com>
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We love our Shady Boy. It came with the Westfalia, in a matching blue. A couple of viewings of the video the company has on Youtube and it was instantly understandable.
However, you have to use it properly. Being 'tent people' (when we got married Trisha and I had five tents between us!) we always use guy lines. The critical ones on the Shady Boy are the ones that lead back to the van from the front corners. As the company video says, ALWAYS clip those on - the clips fit nicely on the front and back bumpers. To cope with stronger winds, snug up the guy lines, and use the downpoles provided, or fit additional guy lines diagonally forward to tent pegs in the ground. With that set up, we've had our Shady Boy up in winds that had the big RV owners rolling their awnings away.
As to water ingress, whoever installed ours set it up on so no water gets in past the carrier box. And the side poles are so tight to the roof that little water gets in there either.
Our Shady Boy was fine in the winds along the Atlantic Ocean and Northumberland Strait last summer. It also coped with a thunderstorm along the St. Lawrence two years ago.
James
Ottawa ON
'91 Weekender Westfalia
> Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 16:21:00 -0800
> From: musomuso@GMAIL.COM
> Subject: Shady Boy: That bad in wind?
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>
> Hi all.
>
> Searching the archives, it seems that possible water ingress (I think
> a solution was found) and how the awning handles windy conditions, are
> 2 main complaints.
>
> So. Shady Boy owners. How bad is this thing in windy conditions? Do
> the poles actually help to stabilize the awning?
>
> Recent weather conditions at Ft. Flagler Wet Westy event showed that
> Mother Nature "always wins", (it got dang windy at times) but the
> Shady Boy deploys quickly and if I'm not mistaken, can attach to the
> rain gutter with clamps; no holes need to be drilled?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Neil.
>
> --
> Neil n
>
> Blog: tubaneil.blogspot.ca
>
> '88 Westy http://tinyurl.com/c8rlw6p
>
> '81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco" http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
>
> Vanagon VAG *Gas* inline-VR Engine Swap Group:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/d7gd5ej
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