Skylight Perspex dome replacement

[Electric Q]

Hi everyone I’m new and can’t reverse a caravan to save my life and I’m taking a coachman vip 540/3 to Spain god help me
Anyway my problem is replacement outside plastic dome tops to skylights I have two questions
Ps hi all hope you can help me
1/ can you just buy the domes and just replace that item instead of a complete replacement as the rest of the skylight works it’s just the topside dome and they seem to be a ridiculous price on ebay
2/ If a put a board on top of the caravan roof
Will it take my weight I’m 17 stone I know lose a stone and a half !
Anyway if any of you guys can help me much appreciated
Thank you Q

 

[IanB1485]

Welcome to the forum.
1. I don't know about the domes( I tend to buy new ones ) other than a caravan breakers such as SFM caravans may have them in stock and yes caravan spares are expensive also there is a firm called EECO (https://eeco-ltd.co.uk/) who remake windows and maybe if you give them type and dimensions of the dome they may have replacements.
2. the walls are the strongest part and if the board fits across the width of the caravan yes you can , the wider and thicker the better to spread the load, I use Scaffolding planks cut down to 8 foot and another 1m x 1m x 12mm thk plywood board , but thats just for leaning on , whilst working from a ladder ( ladder attached to top of caravan via suction pads and rope)

 

[Dustydog]

The new domes alone are as rare as rocking horse stuff, but they are out there. I was offered one back in March, not new , used , but allegedly in good Nick. That wasn’t the real issue.
Whilst the dome was cracked, when I got up on the roof the entire sky light assembly plastic was disintegrating before my eyes.
See the photos. It needed an entire new assembly which for my size 280 x 280 wasn’t too expensive. Circa £65 on E bay. The removal and fitting took me a leisurely day. Cleaning up took ages and of course the Soudal RV 61 sealant was £16 ish.

See this https://www.ebay.co.uk/vod/FetchOrd...=0&osub=-1~1&crd=20250408065615&segname=11401

 

[Electric Q]

Welcome to the forum.
1. I don't know about the domes( I tend to buy new ones ) other than a caravan breakers such as SFM caravans may have them in stock and yes caravan spares are expensive also there is a firm called EECO (https://eeco-ltd.co.uk/) who remake windows and maybe if you give them type and dimensions of the dome they may have replacements.
2. the walls are the strongest part and if the board fits across the width of the caravan yes you can , the wider and thicker the better to spread the load, I use Scaffolding planks cut down to 8 foot and another 1m x 1m x 12mm thk plywood board , but thats just for leaning on , whilst working from a ladder ( ladder attached to top of caravan via suction pads and rope)

Hi thanks for replying much appreciated I will check out your recommendations
Many thanks
William (aka Q)

 

[Electric Q]

The new domes alone are as rare as rocking horse stuff, but they are out there. I was offered one back in March, not new , used , but allegedly in good Nick. That wasn’t the real issue.
Whilst the dome was cracked, when I got up on the roof the entire sky light assembly plastic was disintegrating before my eyes.
See the photos. It needed an entire new assembly which for my size 280 x 280 wasn’t too expensive. Circa £65 on E bay.View attachment 9552View attachment 9553 The removal and fitting took me a leisurely day. Cleaning up took ages and of course the Soudal RV 61 sealant was £16 ish.

See this https://www.ebay.co.uk/vod/FetchOrderDetails?itemId=225073890586&transactionId=10071491021312&mkevt=1&mkpid=0&emsid=e11401.m144671.l152967&mkcid=7&ch=osgood&euid=561622f59edc46a5a4472deebdf38687&bu=44097853905&exe=0&ext=0&osub=-1~1&crd=20250408065615&segname=11401

Hi thank you very much for replying much appreciated my skylight seems to be quite common on coachman caravans an Italian name flamini but a bit bigger
From what I could measure width 730mm
Length 1020 mm again many thanks
William (aka Q)

 

[IanB1485]

Unfortunately a lot of plastics aren't upto the external environment( UV degradation and Plasticisers leaching). Your skylight crumbling takes me back to the eighties , when as a young installation and service engineer working on scientific instruments I went upto an ICI research centre near Middlesbrough and looking out the window there were all these plastic pieces on wooden sticks in a field .
When I asked what they were for, the chief scientist /Lab manager said they were test pieces for all the different grades of plastic they were developing and the test pieces were on long term test for UV stability. He explained that carbon-chlorine bonds in plastics (PVCs)can be broken under UV radiation and that the additives added to polypropylene and similar plastics to make them more flexible can also be affected by other environmental conditions and different additives were being tried .I told him about the radiator knobs at my dads crumbling after about 10 years, he did mention what sort of plastic it would have been( Phenolic???) , but can't remember what sort. Your skylight looks very similar. It always makes me laugh when some people say plastic rubbish will last for 10000 years - we wish( perhaps the plastic fittings on caravans should be made from plastic rubbish

 

[RogerL]

Caravans are built with lots of materials/methods which are unsuitable for outdoor use - leaks, fading, UV deterioration.

Sadly, plastic rubbish will last 1000s of years, just not in the same form.