[Richard]

Tony,

I can say that the wind gusts in Amarillo will unfurl the awnings unless you use the latch. The hook latches work great, and I have never seen any evidence they are trying to pull out of the aluminum. Looks like the catch is attached with number 8 screws. The hook itself is simply riveted onto the stainless awning cover. From an engineering standpoint there isn’t much load at all on the latching system. If you wanted extra holding power in the aluminum wall, and if you don’t locate a vertical purloin, then you could use a rivnut.