Date:         Tue, 13 Jul 1999 21:00:43 EDT
Reply-To:     Ssittservl@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         S Sittservl <Ssittservl@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Hellfire missile ...AKA Vanagon awning
Comments: To: lindgre@online.no
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

> Date: 7/13/99 7:02:26 PM CDT
> From: lindgre@ONLINE.NO (Per Lindgren)
>
> Kevin Faison wrote:
> > I just bought a 9'8" Catalina 2500 [awning] ... But what I like best is
that
> > it looks like I've mounted a Hellfire missle on the side...
>
> I've always wondered, what does these awnings weigh, and are they very, very
> securely fastened? I mean, in a head-on collision (neither of us wanna be
> there, right), wont this awning just become that missile? I'm pretty sure it
> could almost blast a hole through that Neeon that could be so unlucky to be
in
> front of you :-o
>
>  PerL
>  87 Syncro 112i

Camping World lists a shipping weight of 38 pounds for the
8 foot awning.  From lifting mine, I would guess it's somewhat
less than that when installed - maybe 30 pounds.

The awning is hooked and bolted to three screw clamps,
and the clamps are clamped to the drip rail.  I would say
the chance of it launching like a missle is pretty much
zero - all three clamps would have to slide along the drip
rail, the rearmost one for about 10 feet.  However, I could
imagine a sufficiently violent force somehow pulling the
awning off sideways (or upwards or downwards), either
mangling the drip rail or pulling the bolts through the sheet
aluminum casing.  It still would be unlikely to become a
projectile, I think, and in a collision that caused that much
sideways force, I'd bet that "Woah!  There goes my
awning!" would be among the driver's lesser concerns.

                                   -Steven Sittser