A roof window from Outbound

Our DuBu has received a roof window from Outbound. Why we decided on Outbound and how the installation was carried out is described here.

As already announced in the Benelux report and a roof window, in this report we take a closer look at the topic of roof windows. Decisive was the almost unbearable heat in the DuBu on our Bavarian tour. I always thought that if we had four doors all around the house and opened them all, we could get the heat out of the living room in summer. Well… mistakes are made, as the saying goes. It remains to be seen whether the heat really does dissipate better through the roof window.

A roof window from Outbound

Already before the Bavarian tour we had a little look around the Womo window market. In the process, we too – like others certainly before us – discovered that the world of Womo window skylights is distributed among just a few suppliers. The manufacturer of Womo windows is mentioned in everyone’s mouth – sometimes even with rapturous words – with the three letters. I will not mention this name here and advertise it. Just this much: the first letter is in the eleventh position in the alphabet, the second in the third and the third letter in the twentieth position. 😉

In 2015 I was at the Abenteuer Allrad in Bad Kissingen and this was the first time I came in contact with the window manufacturer Outbound from Boekel, Holland. Right from the start I liked the fact that the inner frame of the window construction is not as massive as that of the big competitor. In addition, unlike its three-letter competitor with only one size at the time, Outbound offered four different formats. Which I welcome.

Questions to Outbound

At Abenteuer Allrad 2017, we then asked around the Outbound stand and already in the conversation it became clear that we were very well advised here and that the sympathy was on the same wave. The chance meeting of Duro owners who were friends of ours at the Outbound stand gave an additional boost to confidence building as they told us about their experiences with Outbound. This is a brief history of how we became aware of Outbound.

The installation of the roof window

Via mail traffic we clarified in advance the situation regarding the installation of our roof window with outbound. We drew attention to our semicircular roof with a 3D drawing and photos. The bad thing about windows is that most of them are flat. Our roof, however, is arched and the difference in height at the edge of the roof to the middle is about 10 centimetres. So don’t bend windows to fit. 🙂

During this mail traffic our confidence in Outbound has been further strengthened as Dianne van Haandel patiently clarified all questions and answered us. Since we did not see ourselves in a position to install the roof window ourselves, we also asked if Outbound would do this for us. We gladly accepted the answer, although Outbound usually does not make any comments. Usually – because as it turned out later, our Duro was a dream car of Jan van Haandel. Lucky for us. 🙂

We will therefore arrive at Outbound at around 9 a.m. on 5 September 2017. We were warmly and joyfully welcomed and already after a short coffee break Jan started to make the preparations for the installation… No, not yet. Because first the Duro had to be inspected, examined and marvelled at – it is a vehicle that is not so well-known

Swiss quality goods

After measuring and marking where the roof window is to be placed, we went straight to the point. Four drill holes for the entry of the jigsaw were made at the corners. Then Jan started the jigsaw and I also helped with the vacuum cleaner to suck up the saw dust. But what happened after sawing about 40 centimetres?

Jan noticed that the saw blade did not eat through the GFK as quickly as it did at the beginning of the work. The answer to this question was quickly determined. The teeth of the saw blade were completely blunt. OK, never mind, it could happen. So change the saw blade and get back to work fresh. At the second attempt again no forward movement with the jigsaw. View saw blade – Conclusion: blunt. Question marks spread across our forehead. Could there be steel beams or something metallic in the sandwich? Jan remarked that he had never experienced anything like that before. But I was sure that there is no metal reinforcement in the roof because I talked to the producer of the GFK-case in advance and clarified this. But Jan was persistent and pre-cut a large part of the cut with the flex. The saw blades were changed four times in total – all of them were blunt after a short time.

A hole in the roof

The frame, the second frame, the skylight

Now that the cutout was made, the frame for the window was fitted. The only problem is that our roof of the Duros is not flat but slightly curved. This led to the fact that the window frame at the ends of the long sides did not quite fit. And this even though measurements were taken beforehand and the production of the window frame was made extra a few centimetres longer. That is not too bad who knows a Duro. There are no even lengths – everything is crooked. But Hammerhart.

Outbound adjusts the window frame.

But Jan then challenged precisely this. You noticed immediately – now Jan is really blossoming. In the end it is thanks to Outbound’s wealth of experience and ideas that a solution was found quickly. Flying with hot air blower the roof at the highest bend warmed up, with monster clamps and beams the heated roof region braced and the frame fit.

But that was not the end of it. As already mentioned – Duro-roof equally bent, not flat. Therefore a frame had to be constructed on the outside – so that the roof window would be stable and level – once again. This was made of aluminum tubes round and the window frame. Extremely stable and stainless. The outer window frame was installed and glued with massive Sika adhesive. A major advantage of Sika’s adhesives is that they cure in combination with air humidity to form a flexible and durable elastomer. And Outbound also knows which adhesive is the right one for which application.

Hard work must be rewarded

Outbound gave everything for the roof cut-out as well as for adjusting the window frame and the external substructure. It took Jan and his team all day to install the skylight. But in the end everything fitted like the icing on the cake. After the installation of the entire substructure, the window was screwed together and at the end the blackout blind and the mosquito net were installed.

Now it’s light in the back too.

The acid test and the conclusion

Since the installation took the whole day and the glue still had to harden, Outbound offered us to stay overnight on their premises. We have accepted this with great pleasure and joy. In return, we promised Jan that he would be allowed to take a ride on the Duro the next morning. The corners of his mouth stretched up enormously – joy was written in Jan’s face.

The night was flooded with a heavy rain shower and immediately led to the first density test of the roof window. And it held tight. And not just that night. The following nights were also marked by rain showers, storms, gusts of wind and cold. And the skylight of Outbound remained tight.

For us, the investment in the roof window from Outbound has paid off in several ways. With 99 x 60 cm windows we got an enormous roof window. The interior in the rear of the Durokoffer is now bright and friendly. We certainly get the heat out of the room in the summer better than with only open doors.

The choice to buy the roof window from Outbound was in any case the right decision and we have no regrets. The cheerful welcome, the warm and cordial stay at Outbound, the professional installation of the roof window and the wealth of experience of Dianne and Jan and the team strengthen the trust. Also different rides with the Duro in rain and sunshine in cold and heat without problems with the roof window,   support our decision that Outbound Motorhomes Products was the right choice.

Overnight stay on the premises of Outbound.