How To Mount Things To The Roof Of A Fiberglass Hightop Van

One of the biggest challenges of converting a fiberglass hightop van is figuring out how to mount things to the roof.  A curved fiberglass surface isn’t the easiest material to attach any campervan extras to.

It’s challenging to mount things like solar panels, roof racks, cargo boxes, awnings, light bars and more to the roof of your campervan.  This post aims to share all of the best ways to mount things on the roof of a fiberglass hightop van.

Fiberglass roofs are often curved which creates headaches when trying to mount something flat and level. 

And fiberglass is a thin material that doesn’t have much substance for screws to bite into. 

Plus, it’s a matter of safety that anything mounted to the roof of your van is very secure.  These are the best options for mounting things to the roof of a fiberglass hightop van.

Or you might be curious Why To Choose A Fiberglass Hightop Van in the first place.

This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure policy.

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Roof Racks versus Individual Attachments

The two main methods to mount things on a fiberglass roof are either to attach a roof rack to which you can attach accessories, or mount each accessory individually to the fiberglass roof.

Adding a roof rack is the best way to future proof your roof mountings.  Having a dedicated roof rack will give you flexibility.  If a solar panel malfunctions, or you want to change or upgrade anything in the future, you can easily change the setup without putting new holes in your roof. 

The negative of this method is mainly the cost.  Large roof racks are not cheap, and they may be difficult to install in the first place. (I will discuss the options below).

On the other hand, attaching each item individually to your fiberglass roof is typically going to be cheaper, but comes with its own set of headaches.  And, if you want to change things in the future, you may have to put new holes in your roof, or again make new custom mounts for each item.

Your decision should be informed by what you plan to mount to your roof and your budget.

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Extra Tall Gutter-Mounted Roof Racks

Many vehicle roof racks make use of the vehicle’s gutters to clamp on roof racks.  The problem is that fiberglass hightop vans are often too tall to accommodate normal gutter-mounted racks.

So a common solution is extra tall “high-clearance” gutter roof racks that extend up high enough to clear the roof.

But not all fiberglass roofs are the same height, and not all extra tall roof racks are the same height. 

So you need to verify that a gutter roof rack feet you purchase will be compatible with your specific fiberglass hightop.  And if your roof is very high, then it’s possible that there isn’t one tall enough to fit your van.

The problem with this method of mounting on a fiberglass hightop van is that they are expensive, and a bit of an eye-sore (in my opinion).  But sometimes it’s convenient to just fork over the money for a solution that you know will work, with simple straight-forward installation.

Here are some options….

• Thule High Foot Pack and Super High Foot Pack.
• Or you can get the Thule Foot Packs Here
• Or they also make Artificial Rain Gutters that you may be able to attach to the side of your fiberglass hightop if the sides are vertical enough.
• Vantech Custom Cargo Rack System

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Custom DIY Mountings To Fit Your Fiberglass Hightop

The much cheaper and hacky DIY method is to mount things directly to the fiberglass itself.  Basically, you bolt, screw, or glue whatever it is you want attached to your roof. 

This method can be a pain because you may need to create custom shaped mounting feet that fit the curve of your fiberglass hightop.  A common method is shaping wooden blocks or metal braces so that they fit the contour of your roof.

This is the route that we chose to go for our first campervan because we were on a tight budget.  So here is a brief description of how we made custom mountings for our fiberglass hightop campervan.

Solar Panel Mount

We have just a single 320 Watt solar panel with four mounting holes. 

We cut and sanded four wooden blocks to fit the curve of our fiberglass hightop.  Then we added several coats of outdoor paint to protect the wood from the elements.  Then we bolted the metal mounting brackets (supplied with our solar panel) through the wooden blocks and the fiberglass. 

Be sure to apply sealant around any cracks or holes where water might enter the van.

You can read our entire post about How To Mount Solar Panels On Our Fiberglass Roof

Ski Cargo Box Mount

To mount a ski box on our fiberglass hightop we made custom-shaped T-braces.  The braces have several holes for bolting to the fiberglass and the bottom of the “T” provided a place to attach our Thule Rack. 

This was a hacky way to make our regular gutter-mounted foot pack fit our fiberglass hightop. We also painted and sealed the mounting to protect from the elements.

You can read our entire post about How To Mount Ski Cargo Box On Fiberglass Hightop Camper Van

Making custom mounts for each item was probably the cheapest method, but it’s not very easy to install and doesn’t provide much flexibility for future changes.  But there’s a good chance the solar panel and ski box could outlast the life of the van anyway.

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What About Glue Or Tape?

You may hear some campervan owners trying to use glue or tape to mount things on their roof.  When I first heard about this technique, it made me very uneasy. 

And then I did more research, and I still think you should stay far away.  You don’t want to be driving down the highway with heavy items just glued or taped to the roof of your van.

But there are some pretty heavy duty adhesives out there, and some van owners have used them with some success. 

A popular product is 3M VHB Tape (which hilariously stands for Very High Bond, hahaha). 

Some important things to know are that when you tape or glue something to your roof, you are only bonding to the outside layer of paint. 

So that is a potential point of failure, especially for older vans and aftermarket fiberglass hightops.  Even 3M only recommends their VHB tape to be used “in conjunction with mechanical fasteners”.

And if you are trying to use VHB tape to attach things to a curved surface that is going to reduce the quality of the adhesion.  But for lightweight items like flexible solar panels, people might still be enticed by using VHB tape. 

However, solar panel work best when they are cooled by air flowing underneath.  So taping your solar panels directly to the roof isn’t a good idea to begin with.

My personal advice is to just avoid the temptation to use VHB or similar adhesives.  There’s too many variables for creating a safe mounting system, especially with an aftermarket fiberglass hightop.

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Conclusion | How To Mount Things On A Fiberglass Hightop Van

Deciding which method is best for you will depend on the shape and dimensions of your fiberglass high top, what’s available, and your budget.  If you can find extra tall gutter-mounted feet that work for your van, then that will probably be the easiest method, but also costly.  Otherwise you are probably stuck making some sort of custom mounting feet that fit the curves of your roof.

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