I am thinking about adding 2 100 watt solar panels.. Right now I am thinking flexible panels mounted to Bimini. But maybe not hard panels mounted on the deck would be better?
Any advice or input from people with solar would be greatly appreciated.
Peter Farley
Knot in a hurry u30 #328
Keyport NJ
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I just have two small 50 watt flexible panels but I mounted them on strings across my dodger so that they can slide from side to side. It allows me to quickly adjust to have both in the sun when I tack if I want to. I picked this up from another owner and thought was worth passing along.
Paul M
NS30U #211, Sandpiper
Cowichan Bay, B.C.
Hi Peter,
Persistence has two removable 150-watt panels mounted between the two foremost stanchions, port and starboard. They are mounted on ss rails that slide up and down the stanchions so that the panels can be stowed vertically for docking and in rough weather, and raised to swivel to horizontal just under the upper lifelines to catch the sun. I modelled this implementation based on Ron Schyver’s set up on Alpha Waves.
Bill Baxter
Persistence NS30 #507
Penetang ON
Hi Peter -
I have not yet added solar panels (so this is not first hand experience), though I have done some investigation into doing this…I am not sure how accurate the information is but I would look into this further before “mounting to bimini”…
One point that repeatedly was mentioned was panels that were laid on top of the material (and fixed in place) created deterioration (i.e. rot) of the bimini/dodger fabrics due to the excessive heat and/or moisture trapped under the panels. Several who avoided this issue either had removable panels or the panels were raised above the Bimini/dodger on a frame of some sort to allow for air to pass between the panels and material of the bimini/dodger.
Just some additional food for thought…
Best regards,
Peter Grabow
S/V CAKE WALK III
1987 30U 430
Jersey City, NJ
What brand did you get and how long have you had them? From what I am reading if you allow them to flex too much/often they will start to break down and then stop working. Some blogs say within 2 to 3 years if allowed to freely flex. I was also concerned with the main sheet grabbing an edge when I tack. I was thinking about mounting them to a thin piece of plexi-glass and then have them zipped into the Bimini on all 4 sides.
I added a 140 watt rigid panel on top of davits last spring. I have been very pleased with the results. I also bought two 6v Trojan golf cart batteries and connected them in series as house batteries. I use a Victron Connect bluetooth controller along with a Blue Sea Auto Charging Relay, which does an excellent job of regulating the voltage of the house and engine batteries. The VC controller sends lots of charging info and history to your smartphone.
I spend 5 weeks cruising the Maine coast and I have been able to run my refrigeration around the clock. Granted we had a sunny summer in Maine last year, but I am overall very pleased. I am happy to provide more information if anyone is interested.
Rick Merullo
Nonsuch 30U #471
Manchester, MA
I installed two Soliban 100 watt flex panels atop my dodger last year. So far working well.
Ed Strazzini
s/v PELICAN, NS33 #36
Deltaville, VA
Nice, neat installation, Ed.
Ernie A. in Toronto
No worries about flexible panels catching fire on top of Fabric dodgers? I’ve read about that lately...
Kate Herman
Sea Rose
NS 26C 134
