When we bought the Viking, the skylight cover was missing. We quickly discovered these are unobtainable, as it seems everyone loses or breaks them! We found a second hand Fiamma skylight unit on e-bay which, whilst not a perfect fit, was at least large enough to cover the hole. Since then, a short run of new Viking skylights has been produced by a vintage caravan club, but we had already bought the Fiamma, at a third of the price of the new mouldings.
I am very reluctant to cut the roof to make the new cover fit, so it will sit on top of the “turret” with extra seals glued inside. Due to the height of the turret, I am concerned that wind could get under the cover whilst on the road, and tear the cover off, which is probably how most original ones have been broken and lost. I spotted spoilers on the roofs of some caravans but as our roof is curved, I couldn't find one that would fit. So I made a spoiler from the lid of our old fibreglass gas box.
I am very reluctant to cut the roof to make the new cover fit, so it will sit on top of the “turret” with extra seals glued inside. Due to the height of the turret, I am concerned that wind could get under the cover whilst on the road, and tear the cover off, which is probably how most original ones have been broken and lost. I spotted spoilers on the roofs of some caravans but as our roof is curved, I couldn't find one that would fit. So I made a spoiler from the lid of our old fibreglass gas box.
To copy the curvature of the roof, I used the offset-block method described in comment #4 of this page https://forums.ybw.com/index.php?threads/technique-for-transferring-a-curve.406609/ . I cut the lid into a spoiler shape and sanded it smooth. Some plastic angle brackets were glued to the caravan roof with CT1 (a construction industry adhesive) and once painted, the spoiler will be fixed to the brackets and a bead of Sikaflex sealant applied along the join with the roof. The air flow will then be deflected safely up and over the skylight whilst the caravan is in motion.
The final job before painting was to finish replacing the rotten timber frame (if you remember, I started this in Spring 2017, but have only just got back to it). All the interior wall boards were removed and we were pleasantly surprised how good the frame was. After the kitchen area previously mentioned on page 5, the next worse place was the door frame. This was so rotten it actually fell out, making it the easiest removal job of the entire project! No wonder the door wouldn’t close without having to be lifted, as the hinges were screwed to this. A length of Red Grandis hardwood soon replaced it. Planning ahead, some supplementary horizontal lengths were fitted between the door and window frames, as we may want to install a work surface and shelf at a later date, so there is something for them to screw into.
On the offside, only one section required replacing (this was water damage caused by sealant failing behind a side trim; a good reason for removing the trim) ....
...whist at the front there was considerably more water damage. The upper shelf (remember, the screws fixing the roof to the walls go into this) was rotten over half its length, plus a small area in the nearside corner.
The shelf below the window (also structural) had rotted through beneath the offside fixed window. The frame around this window and the bracing below the shelf, to which the grab handle is attached, was also damaged.
Where possible, the old parts were carefully removed in order to use them as templates. The frame below the window was so bad it was removed with a dustpan and brush!
The upper shelf parts were replaced with plywood covered with two coats of yacht varnish. A friend gave us some oak posts which I cut down and planed to size to recreate the window frames, both at the front and in the kitchen. These also received two coats of yacht varnish before being nailed into place. A few of the rounded corners were also re-made from oak and varnished.
After much discussion, we decided as most of the shelf below the windows was in good order, I would just fit some new wood where the rot was cut out, and we will cover the shelf later with a "veneer". Luckily, we have bought some spare interior doors (good old e-bay!) so one will be used for this purpose.
Click here to go to the next page to continue reading our story.
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| Gap after frame removed |
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| New frame installed |
On the offside, only one section required replacing (this was water damage caused by sealant failing behind a side trim; a good reason for removing the trim) ....
...whist at the front there was considerably more water damage. The upper shelf (remember, the screws fixing the roof to the walls go into this) was rotten over half its length, plus a small area in the nearside corner.
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| Rotten shelf used as template for replacement plywood. |
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| Fresh wood let into front nearside corner of shelf. |
The shelf below the window (also structural) had rotted through beneath the offside fixed window. The frame around this window and the bracing below the shelf, to which the grab handle is attached, was also damaged.
Where possible, the old parts were carefully removed in order to use them as templates. The frame below the window was so bad it was removed with a dustpan and brush!
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| New kitchen window frame on right Rotten one on left |
After much discussion, we decided as most of the shelf below the windows was in good order, I would just fit some new wood where the rot was cut out, and we will cover the shelf later with a "veneer". Luckily, we have bought some spare interior doors (good old e-bay!) so one will be used for this purpose.
Click here to go to the next page to continue reading our story.