Now that I have your attention I need a new rubber for around my pop top which happens to be from a Late Devon sort of 76 and onwards. I’m almost finished with the roof lining and it’s taken less than ten years So I’ll be looking to improve the lockdown facility because these Velcro straps work a treat but are such a Ppppfaffff to fiddle about with. So where’s a good place for rubber trims to finish the pop top where it butts to the roof. While IM on here pontificating and generally dithering about, has anybody managed to fit a decent over centre type latch to the four corners? I’ve been giving these a very very hard staring at for several years and not managed a successful way to betterment down on a vertical plane. As we all know, the stock standard Devonian latches are away with the fairies and only work well if they’re not needed and as soon as you are presented with any sort of exceptional wind lift, they’ve given up the ghost and your roof springs into unexpected action which makes for fun times all round (not) You May remember the Ozziedog goes topless thread from over on the other site. http://forum.earlybay.com/search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&keywords=Ozziedog goes topless Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,not a pleasant sight !
Sorry, prototype bay site is private members only and I can't remember my log on. If you have pictures of your roof being torn off I for one would get a giggle out of seeing the carnage.
The tricks I found to the over centre latches was to make sure the hooks are pushed well outboard - there are slots for the bolts. I also fitted through bolts from the top of the poptop to keep tension. And then to make really sure, the ends of the latches are tucked under the covers for the bunks.. My nearly topless Devon on the way to Bristol before turning north for Dubfreeze.
Just went out to the beer fridge in the bus.. and I saw this. From a boat supplier.. I know they are always at the Southampton Boat Show outside the hotel. I now have to remember their name. . The stand was a wonderland of stainless steel bits and pieces... Not the same place but the same part. Seascrew.com in Eastbourne. Just bought another 4 for £21.74 including postage ...
Woolies Trim will sell you new edging for the bottom outside of the poptop, if that’s what you mean. If you’ve got the four late Devon flippers to hold the roof down...good luck with those. Unfortunately, they’re hard to reposition. Only two of mine actually do anything.
Hi again, Thank you yes that’s what I’m after for my pop top trim. Mike, yours is an earlier Devon top, I’ve got the later one with the struts front and back not-the side struts like you have. This is a pain to get clips on. Because the roof flexes in the centre then a decent bit of wind lift will will bend it just enough to let the flimsy catches slip off their catch plates then the other end is up almost instantaneously because of the powerful springy struts. At the moment, I’ve got double sided Velcro straps around the sub frame and wrapped around the strut bodies to contain it until I have a decent solution, I’ll possibly have to use some decent L shaped brackets to get a good enough vertical surface for these catches, but still struggling with the receivers or visa versa. With the standard flippers, only one has to come loose and youre in the lap of the poppy gods. Ozziedog,,,,,,,, but I’m on it, like a car bonnet
I'm surprised yours lifts. My catches barely hold on, and it's fine. The arms don't really push when they're horizontal.
The worstest one was on the old Severn Bridge A few years back but I’ve had it three times in total. The wind on that day was possibly the catalyst flexing the roof a tad and both other times it was entering a field so I’m assuming it was a good bump giving it a bit of rise and fall action or weightlessness as your going up and down. I don’t go racing around in fields like some Herbert in his beach buggy And you’re spot on, while it’s flat down it’s great and it’s got to get to about two or three inches off horizontal then it flies up. So my safety precautions for the last few years has been about a foot of ten mill double sided Velcro ribbon threaded through the sub frame where it meets the fibreglass, then wrapped around the arms and velcroed onto itself, two at the front and two at the rear nearish the corners and that will take more than a bad curry to get that badboy airborne Ozziedog,,,,,,,,, it’s called entertainment I think
That looks fab bud, and that’s sort of how I wanna end up, but I’m really struggling to find a place to put them / fit them . Realistically I’d like one nearish the four corners. I’ve fallen foul of that type of place before and have at least four possibly more sets of four of different styles of catches including ones just like that, but I don’t seem to be able to suss a great place for them without having a clip on a bracket riveted to a stay glued near a corner etc etc etc I’m after just realeasing four catches and giving it a shove and cracking open a beer, not undoing four catches and four Velcro straps and two buckled straps (I’d forgotten to mention them hadn’t I) It’s like point to point when I set up in the back of my van Then just roofo collapso with a little fabby fabric folding and click, click, click, effing CLICK and we’re off, not half an hour fiddly fiddling in this corner and that corner then back again . Oh, just tighten this bit and is that clip on etc etc etc Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,and then ,,,, there’s the O C D kicking in as soon as that keys in the ignition
Ozziedog goes topless Lhttp://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=57359 Ozziedog,,,,,, think that’s the right link
Try this then http://thelatebay.com/index.php?threads/ozziedog-goes-topless-on-the-way-to-sids-charity-meet.35201/ Ozziedog,,,,,,,hope this works, sorry buds, I’m off to work now.
I would do something involving ropes attached to the top ends of the struts running to boat cleats on something or webbing straps going to over centre latches. Move the cleats/latches to somewhere the pull is always flat. Use fairleads to guide the rope or strap.
There are so many varieties of clip down latches on the market you must be able to find something like Mikes photo that would work.
That happened to me as well!! Ended up driving like a snail so as not to damage anything. I was Brizzle but now South Wales and ALWAYS go new bridge in the van!
Have you seen the Protex range of latches? They manufactured the original latches on my early type Devon roof.... https://www.protex.com/toggle-latches
If you've still got the Devon roof "staples" for the bunks, you could try putting velcro straps through them and around the struts to stop them trying to lift?
I’ve already got Velcro straps, just like you’ve suggested but I have mine going right to the top of your pic and around the ally sub frame between the frame and fibreglass top, so they hang down both sides of the square tube in your pic and then tug the roof down and Velcro it down, this is what I have and it works well but I have to faff faff and faff a bit more getting it down. Maybe after my little experience, I’ve become a trifle over sensitive to self popping pop tops I’m now wondering if I could have my clips pulling horizontally instead of vertically because there just isn’t a place to fix them nicely that would work. Yes I could fit them perhaps / possibly with the Catch on one surface and the keep on the opposite surface and that’s a possibility but I wouldn’t be able to operate the catch because it would be behind the struts. I don’t have any height above my bunks to fit one like Mike has. But, as Mr Snotty has suggested, and I hadn’t really considered the implications of this, but the spring action isn’t immediate so the issue of catch strength doesn’t arise until it’s a couple of inches up, so I’m now thinking of fixing my four over centre catches horizontally in each corner because it’s all about keeping it down initially and possibly using the goggles as well but fitting bigger catch plates to toggle on to. That web site with the catches on is an eye opener innit I’d never heard of an undercentre catch before, I liked that. Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,did the LateBay link work ?
Yes it did @Ozziedog disappointing lack of pictures though...we like pictures. Yes to each corner, my earlier Devon is like that. The obvious (structurally) place for them is at the top of the struts, but I'm guessing because...again...no pictures.
