# Sunseeker 145 and awnings



## sunseeker145 (Apr 27, 2012)

Hi, we are delighted with our sunseeker 145, but because of the limited space inside, I enquired with our local service agents, namely the place we store our motorhome about installing an awning. I was told that we would need a 3.5m awning as a 4m would be too long, but the 3.5m one will just miss the door and come 3/4 along the rear window. Also they did not recommend installing an awning with the aluminium body due to possible leaking issues. Any suggestions on the type of awning if any I could look at, it was suggested a drive away, but not fixed!. Many thanks Sarah.


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## teamsaga (Feb 26, 2006)

Hi Sarah
there is no problem fitting a wind out awning to an aluminium sided van , there are thousands of such vans running around with awnings fitted. Most elddis/compass, a lot of swift/bessacarr/ace vans have ally. sides.
I probably would not fit the leg support brackets to the side of the van in case it dents, but rely on spiking the legs to the ground. Regards Phil


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

Hi Sarah

Sounds to me as if you need to go to someone who knows what they're talking about.
If fitting an awning to a van with aluminium sides was "iffy" then most awning manufacturers would have gone bust years ago. When properly fitted there should be no danger of leakage. Give someone like Hillview a ring and ask them to advise you.
http://www.hillviewawnings.co.uk/


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*GH*

Have you considered a GH Awning?

http://www.theawningcompany.co.uk/


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## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

gaspode said:


> Sounds to me as if you need to go to someone who knows what they're talking about.


I'd take issue with that. If the dealer meant it wasn't a good idea to fit a Fiamma/Omnistor, then I agree, they don't know what they're talking about. If, however, they meant that it's not a good idea to fit a conventional awning (i.e. screw awning strip into the side of the van), then they're absolutely right....it's a recipe for leaking & also not a good idea as it can get ripped off in the wind.

Sarah, as you've identified, the problem with the 145 (and 140 for that matter) is that the only convenient sized Fiamma will end up half way along your back window, which is fine as a canopy but in "safari room" mode, means the wall is half way along the lounge window. There's pros and cons to that...on the one hand you can't open the nearside lounge window, on the other that window will have a view of either outside or what's going on in the awning depending on which end of it you look through  . You will find, though, unless you get a pretty narrow porch awning, the same issue arises no matter what awning you buy (even driveaway).

You could get a 3.5M Fiamma, then buy Windblockers, but get the front panel made at e.g. 3M, so the sidepanel at the back of the van doesn't align with the edge of the Fiamma but instead sits in front of the lounge window, effectively creating a 3M awning and 0.5M storm porch at the back. Useful for standing under when BBQ'ing in the rain...

The other issue you've not mentioned...not sure if you've thought of it...is that if you buy an awning where the front edge sits between the habitation and passenger cab doors, you'll only be able to open the hab door 90 degrees, not open it the full 180 degrees to clip to motorhome wall.

Paul


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

Rosbotham said:


> gaspode said:
> 
> 
> > Sounds to me as if you need to go to someone who knows what they're talking about.
> ...


Hi Paul

The actual quote from the O/P was:
*"they did not recommend installing an awning with the aluminium body due to possible leaking issues"*
My assumption that they may not know what they're talking about is based on that blanket statement and my own experience. Many thousands of Fiamma/Omnistor awnings have been satisfactorily fitted to aluminium bodied vans without any leakage problems. If there was a specific problem with fitting an awning to that particular van then that's a different matter but as a generic statement???

I have recently researched awning fitting quite extensively before having one fitted to our Rapido and have been horrified at the expertise of many so-called "experts". The only awning dealers who I spoke to that seemed to know the correct way to fit an awning to our van were Hillview Awnings, Rose Awnings and Rapido Wokingham. Of the many others I had one Rapido dealer who actually insisted that it wasn't possible to fit anything shorter than a 4m awning and a Fiamma dealer who intended to fit one using the standard Fiamma brackets (free with awning) rather than use the proper bracket made specially for my van (cost £150). He explained that he could use some packing to make the standard brackets fit and then seal it to the van body with a rubber strip. That I suspect is why some awning installations either leak or get ripped off in the wind.


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## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

gaspode said:


> The actual quote from the O/P was:
> *"they did not recommend installing an awning with the aluminium body due to possible leaking issues"*
> My assumption that they may not know what they're talking about is based on that blanket statement and my own experience. Many thousands of Fiamma/Omnistor awnings have been satisfactorily fitted to aluminium bodied vans without any leakage problems. If there was a specific problem with fitting an awning to that particular van then that's a different matter but as a generic statement???


I think you missed my point. I absolutely agree with you, if the dealer was referring to a Fiamma _canopy_...I had one on my old Elddis 140 and there is no issue.

However if the dealer was referring to fitting a conventional/caravan _awning_...as in fitting a rail with self-tapping screws into the aluminium bodywork as commonly available in accessory shops...then they were absolutely right. I'd considered doing something similar on mine to fit a porch awning (*), and Crossleys were able to point me to a series of vans they'd had to repair where such strips had been torn out : instead they rigged me up a solution where the strip was fastened to the underside of the Fiamma.

_(*) to head off the query, reason I wasn't using the inbuilt strip on the front of the Fiamma was because it would lead to the porch awning standing 3 inches proud of the motorhome wall, plus the extra height of doing that ruled out using many porch awnings_.

So to be clear I'm not saying Fiammas shouldn't be fitted and the dealer was right, I'm saying that neither you nor I know exactly what the dealer said to Sarah, and in absence of that it is wrong to call them incompetent.


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

Rosbotham said:


> So to be clear I'm not saying Fiammas shouldn't be fitted and the dealer was right, I'm saying that neither you nor I know exactly what the dealer said to Sarah, and in absence of that it is wrong to call them incompetent.


I quite agree Paul, fitting a caravan awning rail would not be my recommendation either but aren't we getting a little pedantic here rather than giving the Sarah sound advice?

I certainly didn't call the dealer "incompetent", I just suggested that the advice she had been given sounded questionable and that she should go to someone who knows what they're talking about. My advice remains to contact a dealer with expertise in fitting awnings and I suggest that Hillview would be a good starting point.


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## sunseeker145 (Apr 27, 2012)

Hi, thanks for replying, I am not sure what to do regarding the awning, I think we need to look around, see whats available. I would have liked to have something in place before we go away in August, but I might leave it for a while. We have only had the motorhome since February so things are very new to us. Let us see how we get along. But thanks again for all your comments. Kind Regards Sarah.


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## tyreman1 (Apr 18, 2008)

Had a virtually full length Fiamma wind out awning on my old Elddis 400 with no probs at all.


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## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

But did you put sides on it though? If so didn't the sidewall towards the rear of the van end up half way across the lounge window?


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