Lift

[Carriec]

2021 Raven. Two nights ago we were on top of the mountain breaking camp after ski practice. The wind was around 18 G 25. Got everything squared away inside and went to pull the top down and blown away (pun intended) by how much force it took. I was hanging from the top with feet off the ground @180# this thing should have been coming down. Tried door/vent open and it made no difference. It would only creep down slowly in a lull if I kept full pressure on it. My guess is the slight curvature of the top functions like the topside of an aircraft wing and created lift that I was working against. From now on g et the wife unit out of the cab to help. Makes me wonder if there are conditions I won't be able to get it down at all.... Met a nice woman with a 2019 Raven said she had a similar experience.

 

[craig333]

Be sure to park with the door downwind. I learned this one in DV. It was comedic getting the top down

 

[camper rich]

We had a wind pull the top up with 2 sea kayaks up there. I had lowered it because of the wind noise, but hadn't latched it down. That was at Gonzaga Bay and the wind was out of the north. Also the top was oil-canning bang bang bang during the night. FWC fixed that problem for us when we got home.

 

[JWL]

We had a wind pull the top up with 2 sea kayaks up there. I had lowered it because of the wind noise, but hadn't latched it down. That was at Gonzaga Bay and the wind was out of the north. Also the top was oil-canning bang bang bang during the night. FWC fixed that problem for us when we got home.

What did they do to fix the oil-canning? Ours does that pretty bad when the wind blows.

 

[MarkBC]

A few years ago I was camped on the crest of the White Mountains (California) pointing west, into the wind. The wind was gusting up to 70 mph, and I was afraid that the pop-up would be damaged. It took all of my 200+ lbs to get it down, but I did.

 

[Carriec]

Be sure to park with the door downwind. I learned this one in DV. It was comedic getting the top down

Didn't have that option as the parking lot dictates. Either way we parked the wind was on the beam. I opted to have it on the port side so it wouldn't rip the door off when opened.

 

[Carriec]

What did they do to fix the oil-canning? Ours does that pretty bad when the wind blows.

Same question here. We didn't have any oil canning from the top, but maybe we didn't have winds as strong as yours.

 

[camper rich]

What did they do to fix the oil-canning? Ours does that pretty bad when the wind blows.

I believed they removed the top and put a whole new skin on it. It was new and still on warranty, I estimated the winds that night as around 60 or 70 mph. I think they added some extra adhesive, but I don't know for sure. I will still get a pop out of the roof on really windy nights but it's only once in a while, not like it was.

 

[Wallowa]

I think "oil-canning" in strong winds is a fact of life with FWC....our '16 Hawk 'pops' under certain winds [direction/velocity] ... ours is a single sheet roof...