Well. The cap turned out fine. So, it's measure the angle of the roof, not the hips.
I also took time to fit it correctly. Unlike the bell-ends who fitted the roof/gutters etc. (everything has been done to a low standard)
In their defence they probably can't read so rely on urban-folklore and/or what their big mate told them instead of the manufacturer's fitting-guides.
The straps (unions) are mostly used between each ridge or hip tile and c/w a foam gasket. Each strap has 3 tabs in the middle along with 'claws' on the ends
The tabs centre the strap between the tiles and the claws grip onto the 'rails' of the tray that all the tiles sit on. This is pretty simple and is usually done correctly.
The straps, however, are dual-purpose and are also used to secure the apex-caps. As the caps cover the end of (3) tiles there is no groove to cover. The tabs on the underside of the strap would stop it sitting down correctly so the instructions tell you to snap them off and keep the gasket and not to snap the claws off.
Your average fitter knows better however and over time I guess the accepted wisdom has become 'snap awl the bits orf and chuck at the rubber fing if it's toight. No wawter ganna ga dawn is it?'
The straps are therefore easy to put on but not tight and then you start losing the caps in high winds.
I left the claws on and kept the gasket and they were very tight to put on. You also need to cut slots in the tile to accommodate the claws after marking the tiles via the cutouts in the cap.
There are probably only 2 caps on most roofs. My customer's roof has 3.
The extra work required to do it right might add half an hour to the full roof installation so you can see why they don't bother. Especially if it's a Friday afternoon but doing it the right way I'm confident it will never blow off.

- Marley fitting instructions
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- keep the claws
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- cut slot in tile
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- claw grips rail tightly
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- snug
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