Anybody arranged two house roof sized solar panels longitudinally falling away to either side to double as a Bimini. Maybe small gap in between to accommodate backstay. Wouldn't deteriorate and need throwing away every 5 years like normal Bimini material and would provide heaps of solar power. I'm thinking of it for my North Shore 38 and house panels are cheap as chips on eBay at about $180 per 350 kilowatt panel of reputable make. House size is normally about 1700 by 1m although they vary a little. If you only want around 250 kilowatts per side you can get them second-hand on eBay for free sometimes. They weigh about 20 kilos each. Here is a much smaller setup on a Phantom 32 but with the panels arranged vertically rather than longitudinaly

Yep.
2x 120w panels, fixed to a bimini style frame, gap between is about 150mm. Slightly sloped sideways and fore/aft so all water drains off.
Cropped from a bigger pic, so not the best angle sorry.

That's 40 kg plus a few kg in SS frame work whizzing around in the air just where you don't want it!

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Ramona said..
That's 40 kg plus a few kg in SS frame work whizzing around in the air just where you don't want it!

True but it's a fair sized yacht and at least I don't have davits and a dinghy waving around up there and outside the Waterline length. Maybe it's the cost of not getting skin cancer plus a normal Bimini structure doesn't weigh nothing. I will definitely try and keep the height down and look for the latest panels possible if I go that way

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Azure305 said..
Yep.
2x 120w panels, fixed to a bimini style frame, gap between is about 150mm. Slightly sloped sideways and fore/aft so all water drains off.
Cropped from a bigger pic, so not the best angle sorry.

Thank you very much for that picture. Do you know the weight and physical dimensions of the panels and also I can't quite see how the full structure is supported. Is it 1 inch stainless steel tube and are there any wire stays? Does it seem solid or does it wobble and flex about a fair bit if you try and shake it?

I get Ramona's point - a 40 knot front with stronger gusts will probably exert quite a bit of force on large panels.

Though 95% of the time the weather is benign and you can enjoy their benefits. Any sense in mounting them such that you can temporarily dismount them when high winds are forecast?

Can never have enough solar!!

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Karsten said..
I get Ramona's point - a 40 knot front with stronger gusts will probably exert quite a bit of force on large panels.

Though 95% of the time the weather is benign and you can enjoy their benefits. Any sense in mounting them such that you can temporarily dismount them when high winds are forecast?

Yes there is no doubt that Ramona is dead right. I think I will shop around for the lightest possible panel now even if it's only 2 or 3 kg less. I will also try to design a system using 1 inch tube rather than 32 even if it means a couple more dyneema stays somewhere. Should I ever roll the thing I would hope the panels would rip off rather than working against the keel to prevent righting. Pretty hard to stow a couple of items 1.7 m by 1m. If I encounter 40 or 50 knot winds and they become unmanageable Id be happy to cut them free.

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Lazzz said..
Can never have enough solar!!


Thank you Lazzz. I'd be really interested to see your support structure when you get a chance.

I'd also be checking what the house panels are too first, pretty sure I've seen 24 and maybe 48v house panels

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julesmoto said..

Azure305 said..
Yep.
2x 120w panels, fixed to a bimini style frame, gap between is about 150mm. Slightly sloped sideways and fore/aft so all water drains off.
Cropped from a bigger pic, so not the best angle sorry.

Thank you very much for that picture. Do you know the weight and physical dimensions of the panels and also I can't quite see how the full structure is supported. Is it 1 inch stainless steel tube and are there any wire stays? Does it seem solid or does it wobble and flex about a fair bit if you try and shake it?

Panel size 1480x680x35 each
Weight per panel 12kg
Mounted on 25mm s/s tube with saddles around the tube, bolted thru the panel frame.
2x bows and 2x verticals aft. The rear bow is fixed to the front bow low down, and the front bow is fixed to top of pushpit with std bimini clamp fittings. Rear uprights between the the pushpit and frames, fixed the same way.
No forward stays makes for better exit and re-entry to the cockpit for me, good as im tall and mostly sailing solo so there's nothing to get snagged or trip on.
Its very secure, but yes, it does flex a little if you give it a solid push or shake, however there are no rattles or noises - even when the breeze is up. I usually grab a front corner to steady myself returning to the cockpit, and it'll happily support me.
Can't comment on anything over 45kts or so, but ive been at anchor in most conditions up to that, and never had a problem or had any reason to worry about the setup. It'd be dead easy to add fwd stays (permanent or temp) for peace of mind if you wanted, but ive not found the need.
I'm sure any flex could be reduced if the rear bow was fastened directly to the pushpit instead of to the front bow, giving six fixing points instead of 4.
All work done by the PO, but im very happy with it and haven't needed to touch it.
Azure is a 30'er.
Hope this helps.

you can have a look at Solbian Panels.
They are lightweight,frameless and flexible, as well as you can also mount them onto fabric, meaning you could possibly unzip them and remove if needed.

I installed 2 panels from these guys, in 24v setup.Great service and advice.

www.solar4rvs.com.au/

$$$ but great product.
Now if I could just stop the cormorants ****ing on the it would be happy days..

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crustysailor said..
you can have a look at Solbian Panels.
They are lightweight,frameless and flexible, as well as you can also mount them onto fabric, meaning you could possibly unzip them and remove if needed.

I installed 2 panels from these guys, in 24v setup.Great service and advice.

www.solar4rvs.com.au/

$$$ but great product.
Now if I could just stop the cormorants ****ing on the it would be happy days..

The Solbian panels I think are good but expensive, but their cheap flexible panels are only good for about 3 years. I have replaced 4 so far and they are mounted on flat aluminium panels. I am about to replace them again and trying to decide what to use this time round. Maybe just pay the extra money and get Solbian panels.

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Azure305 said..

julesmoto said..

Azure305 said..
Yep.
2x 120w panels, fixed to a bimini style frame, gap between is about 150mm. Slightly sloped sideways and fore/aft so all water drains off.
Cropped from a bigger pic, so not the best angle sorry.

Thank you very much for that picture. Do you know the weight and physical dimensions of the panels and also I can't quite see how the full structure is supported. Is it 1 inch stainless steel tube and are there any wire stays? Does it seem solid or does it wobble and flex about a fair bit if you try and shake it?

Panel size 1480x680x35 each
Weight per panel 12kg
Mounted on 25mm s/s tube with saddles around the tube, bolted thru the panel frame.
2x bows and 2x verticals aft. The rear bow is fixed to the front bow low down, and the front bow is fixed to top of pushpit with std bimini clamp fittings. Rear uprights between the the pushpit and frames, fixed the same way.
No forward stays makes for better exit and re-entry to the cockpit for me, good as im tall and mostly sailing solo so there's nothing to get snagged or trip on.
Its very secure, but yes, it does flex a little if you give it a solid push or shake, however there are no rattles or noises - even when the breeze is up. I usually grab a front corner to steady myself returning to the cockpit, and it'll happily support me.
Can't comment on anything over 45kts or so, but ive been at anchor in most conditions up to that, and never had a problem or had any reason to worry about the setup. It'd be dead easy to add fwd stays (permanent or temp) for peace of mind if you wanted, but ive not found the need.
I'm sure any flex could be reduced if the rear bow was fastened directly to the pushpit instead of to the front bow, giving six fixing points instead of 4.
All work done by the PO, but im very happy with it and haven't needed to touch it.
Azure is a 30'er.
Hope this helps.

Thank you very much. Useful info.

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Jode5 said..
.....cheap flexible panels are only good for about 3 years. I have replaced 4 so far and they are mounted on flat aluminium panels.

I assume that is " duty cycle" 24/7 365 days per year ?
Ultimate breakdown due to material degradation , uv and heat stress or physical damage ?
I am about to install set on my trailer sailer, RL28 which is stored under cover between usage ...reasonable to assume pro rata improvement in life span ?
The weight advantage of the flexible over rigid panel is imperative in my application as trailer weight is paramount.

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julesmoto said..

Thank you Lazzz. I'd be really interested to see your support structure when you get a chance.

You won't like it & Ramona will hate it!!

But it works for me. I go for comfort and I like to have the "niceties" on the boat. She's not as agile as some but I like her and she suits me well.

SS frame is 32mm, so I can carry my ducky on the davits, and the bimini, which carries the most recent panels, is fibreglass.

I went for the cheap panels from eBay (my pockets aren't very deep) & have had no problems with them. The newer ones I bought this year put out more than the 5 year old ones - must be better technology

I've got two panels for Ricochet. They are about 105cm by 71cm. one is being mounted across the stern below the top rail of the pushpit so it's below the windvane steering air blade. The extra weight on the stern is annoying but I'm solo sailing so I save on crew weight! The other is going on the cabin top, fore and aft and doubles as the sliding hatch cover. There will be an air gap under it but wont effect the sailing performance. The rigging will occasionally upset the panels performance but the amount of panels I have is overkill for my needs. It's hard to buy small panels now that they have got so cheap. I also have a small panel on the deck ahead of the mast. I'm not keen on the panels high in the air over the stern that are meant to provide shade. They provide shade on rare occasions especially when sailing.

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Lazzz said..

julesmoto said..

Thank you Lazzz. I'd be really interested to see your support structure when you get a chance.

You won't like it & Ramona will hate it!!

But it works for me. I go for comfort and I like to have the "niceties" on the boat. She's not as agile as some but I like her and she suits me well.

SS frame is 32mm, so I can carry my ducky on the davits, and the bimini, which carries the most recent panels, is fibreglass.

I went for the cheap panels from eBay (my pockets aren't very deep) & have had no problems with them. The newer ones I bought this year put out more than the 5 year old ones - must be better technology

Yep bring on the solar panels, boom tents and dodgers they all make for a more comfortable cruising experience especially in the tropics.
Being a centre cockpit there's nice open space in the pushpit under the solar panels that would be perfect for a bench seat. Plus that roof provides plenty of power for the fridge and accessories, even in the marina I don't bother with shore power.

All finished and working well now. (part finished in first and third pics)

Looking good!
What did you end up deciding regarding how to use the power to charge your three batteries?

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DrogueOne said..
Looking good!
What did you end up deciding regarding how to use the power to charge your three batteries?

Embarrassed to say that I haven't really worked that out yet. One panel is connected to one controller which is connected to one battery but strangely all batteries seem to be maintaining charge. I pulled the isolation switch out and one of the positions has three cables attached so I'm thinking all batteries are linked somehow and are sharing charge. I was in the middle of working this out when I lost my motor due to a throttle cable issue which I only just finally solved today with a new cable after 4 days working on it. Also spent the last half of today trying to flush out my stainless steel water tanks with heavily chlorinated water as they were producing brown and sometimes black water. So many issues to solve with a new (old) boat. Back to perfecting solar and connecting second controller and panel next job but might have to sail her a couple of days first with no work to remind me why I'm doing all this :).

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DrogueOne said..
Looking good!
What did you end up deciding regarding how to use the power to charge your three batteries?

This looks like a good product which would suit most yachts but unfortunately seems not rated for my 24v panels. Available on eBay Oz for about $300.

I'm up grading from a 200 watt 45 volt panel up to a 400 watt 75 volt panel, the upgrade requires a higher voltage capable charge controller. I have a very nice Solar boost 3000i available, nice system with a useful built in display and MPPT Google the details and pm me if your interested?

this controller has worked fantastically maintaining charge on 2 AGM 270 amp hose batteries whilst also running a fridge 24/7
but I want a little more charge for sailing with auto pilot.
cheers Richard

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Stockie said..
I'm up grading from a 200 watt 45 volt panel up to a 400 watt 75 volt panel, the upgrade requires a higher voltage capable charge controller. I have a very nice Solar boost 3000i available, nice system with a useful built in display and MPPT Google the details and pm me if your interested?

this controller has worked fantastically maintaining charge on 2 AGM 270 amp hose batteries whilst also running a fridge 24/7
but I want a little more charge for sailing with auto pilot.
cheers Richard

I am unfamiliar with 75 volt panels full stop is this a new thing?

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Azure305 said..
Yep.
2x 120w panels, fixed to a bimini style frame, gap between is about 150mm. Slightly sloped sideways and fore/aft so all water drains off.
Cropped from a bigger pic, so not the best angle sorry.

I'm wondering how your panels are connected to the hoops? In particular I am wondering if they are fully insulated from the hoops as this has been suggested to me as necessary? Thanks in advance.

All panels fully insulated from hoops and thought they were working well only to discover that seagulls have been pooping all over them which I didn't realise for a couple of weeks as I always approach
the boat in a dinghy and rarely stand on the coach house looking back at the panels. As the backstay protrudes through the middle of the 2 panels the rotary type bird scarers probably aren't appropriate and indeed nor is anything else that casts a shadow on the panels. I have bought some of that relatively fine bird netting which also covers the rest of the boat and plan to hook it up to the four corners of the panels and hoist the middle on a ring which will attach on the back stay centrally above the panels but I am wondering whether shadowing from this will be a problem. Has anyone else tried this? The shading problem will probably occur not from where the bird net is pulled evenly tight but at the corners where it all bunches up. Anyone had any luck with other types of bird scarers perhaps electronic?