DIY Manual Tonneau

[JamuJoe]

I grew impatient with delays on my manual tonneau. With a long trip approaching, I took matters in hand, built my own and requested a refund on my order. The project was very easy. I ordered three panels of 1/2“ STARLITE (HDPE BOARD) from BoatOutfitters.com precisely pre-cut to fit the existing channels intended for Rivian’s manual tonneau. I’ve used this material on various yacht projects. I then attached 1/2” aluminum C channel to the longitudinal sides for additional support. The result was very satisfactory. It looks great, people can’t believe it isn’t OEM. It is very stable, but NOT load bearing. It does leak water a bit, (been through several tunnel car washes) which I plan to address with rubber T profile weather strips upon return from this trip. The panels slide into place and are removed very easily.

We are 1600 miles into this trip, Durango CO to Ocean Springs MS) towing our 28’ Airstream (7500 lbs) and the truck has performed beautifully. Avg efficiency has been 1.1 mi/kWh. We’ve only had to unhitch once at fast chargers, and have supplemented by charging overnight at campgrounds.

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[blturner]

Nice. FYI The factory cover leaks in a carwash too.

 

[COdogman]

Looks great and should do the job!

 

[RossB]

Joseph, how much did this clever solution cost you?

 

[JamuJoe]

Joseph, how much did this clever solution cost you?

The three 1/2” panels from BoatOutfitters.com came to $215, (but I also paid expedited shipping of $135 due to my urgency) the 1/2” aluminum C channel from Home Depot about $50 (a good bit left over), and a pack of screws maybe $5. 1800 mi into this trip, and still very satisfied!

 

[Ronaldinho]

The three 1/2” panels from BoatOutfitters.com came to $215, (but I also paid expedited shipping of $135 due to my urgency) the 1/2” aluminum C channel from Home Depot about $50 (a good bit left over), and a pack of screws maybe $5. 1800 mi into this trip, and still very satisfied!

How has this been holding up so far?

I followed your lead and went with the Starlite, but in 5 smaller panels. Planning to use some aluminum I beam between edges for shared support.

 

[JamuJoe]

How has this been holding up so far?

I followed your lead and went with the Starlite, but in 5 smaller panels. Planning to use some aluminum I beam between edges for shared support.

I’m very well satisfied, with about a month and 3400 miles of travel behind us. The I beam may be a good improvement. Please share how that works out.

 

[Ronaldinho]

I’m very well satisfied, with about a month and 3400 miles of travel behind us. The I beam may be a good improvement. Please share how that works out.

Took a bit longer to get this done but I think it turned out alright. We'll see how it holds up.

The starlite has a bit more deflection than I anticipated so I added some of the C channel at the very ends. I like the aluminum I beam but I had to remove some material from the boards here and there to make it work. Seems like the starlite was .501" thick and the beam opening was .499" wide.

I also routed the edge to keep the I beam flush with the boards that way the edges are flat to one another. Hopefully it helps to keep the bed dry.

 

[JamuJoe]

Took a bit longer to get this done but I think it turned out alright. We'll see how it holds up.

The starlite has a bit more deflection than I anticipated so I added some of the C channel at the very ends. I like the aluminum I beam but I had to remove some material from the boards here and there to make it work. Seems like the starlite was .501" thick and the beam opening was .499" wide.

I also routed the edge to keep the I beam flush with the boards that way the edges are flat to one another. Hopefully it helps to keep the bed dry.

Very nice work! Yes, the Starlite does deflect a bit, but with no load, mine have remained in alignment with no sag. I haven’t subjected it to a snow load yet. I did add 1/2” auto/marine weatherstripping, which adhered to the C channel very well and stopped the water leakage.

 

[Ronaldinho]

Very nice work! Yes, the Starlite does deflect a bit, but with no load, mine have remained in alignment with no sag. I haven’t subjected it to a snow load yet. I did add 1/2” auto/marine weatherstripping, which adhered to the C channel very well and stopped the water leakage.

I used butyl tape on the edge surfaces in between panels and it works to keep water out. But I think your right, I'll end up redoing that with a thin weather strip, so that the panels are more easily separated when taken apart. I've also got auto/marine weather strip on the outer most panels similar to your setup.

A bonus of having these five smaller panels is that they fit into an old snowboard bag for when I have to take them out.

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