solar panel mounting

[marvbrinn]

Does anyone have experience with the mounting of a solar panel for a cd27.
I am tired of arriving at the boat maybe a little lazy to find the batteries have wound down. I would like to mount a panel but am concerned about seeing my investment ruined by someone stepping on the panel assuming one might mount her on the deck.
I have toyed with the idea of only mounting the panel temporarily .
If you have any ideas on this or which manufacturer supplies the best fit pleas post a reply. thanks

[Bob B.]

Marv,
I had a CD27 and placed a 20 watt panel on the stern rail. I made a bracket out of four pieces of teak. Two pieces on each side, one attached to the panel and the other across the rail mount from that one. It worked great. I could rotate it as the sun rolled around and never had a problem with the batteries. The solar panel was my only power for charging batteries on this boat.

I am in Seneca if you want to talk more about it. Drop me an email and I will give you a number.

I also see that you are thinking of selling your boat though. The 27 is a nice boat. I am selling my 25D down at Bigwater Marina.


Bob B.
BundyR@aol.com
CD25D Tiva, Lake Hartwell, SC

[slaume]

Are you selling or upgrading? Maybe up grading to sell. I have also been considering the installation of a solar panel. Some of the flexible and semi-flexible panels can be stepped on. I would still be reluctant to do so. My solar shower already lives on the spray hood over the companionway or that would be an obvious possibity. One thing you need to take into consideration is that shading is very critical. Even a little bit of shade like a shroud shadow can have a major effect on output. The optimum location seems to be on an elevated rack at the stern. This could be made up with stainless tubing and fittings. It might not look as nice as an on deck installation but it would seem to be a more effective location. It might make it a little harder to reel in those fish my son keeps hooking up when we are sailing too. Keep us informed on what you come up with and how hard it is to get panels these days, Steve.

[Roy J]

On my CD_25, where there really isn't any extra space at all, I have a small (5watt) ICM rigid solar panel that I only put out when I leave the boat. Since I am normally away fro days at a time, this gives the charger time to replenish the battery when noone is around to step on it. I attach leads to the battery with the supplied clips, and close the cockpit hatch on the wire very close to the panel itself, so it cannot move. When I arrive the first thing I do is put the panel in the locker, surrounded by life jackets and bumpers. I have used this (ahem) system for 2 years without untoward results. While it isn't very seamanlike, nor Bristol fashion, it is practical and saves either hanging something ugly off something pretty, or occupying deckspace where there ain't much to go around.
I have also seen people place longer flexible charging panels longitudinally over their mainsail covers as the last thing before leaving the boat. This (ahem) installation was done with bungees, and has the same advantages.

Good Luck.

Roy J.
CD-25 Auburn #625
Marblehead MA

[Scott F]

Are you Guys Using Voltage Regulators with your Panels? I think the smaller 5 or 10 watt panels don't need one but the larger ones might.

I don't have power dockside and so a couple times each summer I have to run some extension cords down to the boat. Its a hassle.

I've been thinking of a solar panel for my current big keel boat, and I'll do the same thing if I'm lucky enough to find a Typhoon around here. It should only need to be a trickle charge.

I've thought about those flexible ones, attaching some snaps to the cabin hatch, snapping the flexible panel in place when I"m not using the boat, run a wire down into the 12 volt receptacle. Another thought I had was to wrap it around the sailcover, run the wire....

[Russell]

There are a lot of creative ways to mount panels. Do you have a bimini? If so atop the bimini works and keeps people from stepping on them, dodger works as well. But its difficult to avoid shadows, but if your just trying to keep a tickle charge on the batteries shadows are less concern.

[Paul D.]

Three years ago I mounted a 60w panel on the stern rail with rail mounts and have not worried about power since. I did run the wires to the battery through a regulator but it was an easy installation.

I recommend calling Ham Ferris at Hamilton Ferris. They have all you need and this time of year I am sure he'll be happy to talk with you no matter how small a system you need. Never hurts to get ideas. I ended up buying my panel and regulator from him as I found the costs competetive and knew I could call him up if I had a question. I have had no need to call though.

The panel is a Kyocera and while it is basic rigid panel it is warranted for 20years (Should be the norm for rigid panels now) and pumps a good 3.5 consistent amps/hour on a sunny day into my the batteries. I leave the batteries in the boat and hooked up to it all winter and shrinkwrap around the panel tilting it away from south. Keeps the batteries topped up nicely and I don't need to pull them out. Your setup my only need something quite a bit simpler. Best of luck.

Paul

[Carter Brey]

On Mary Ellen, I installed a 12-volt waterproof socket under the combing board to port, just aft of the companionway. It led to a Morningstar PWM charge controller screwed to the bulkhead over the battery. I attached the male plug to an 11 W Unisolar rigid solar panel which I simply left on the bridgedeck when I left the boat on the mooring. Connecting and disconnecting was as simple as unplugging a lamp, and I'd stow the panel on a settee under a shelf while underway.

Leaving the panel on deck, where it still got plenty of sun exposure during the day as the boat swung around at various angles, kept the battery charged up while keeping the panel out of sight of thieves. I suppose a hurricane could have dislodged it, but we don't get a lot of those around western Long Island Sound. Or at least fewer of those than hurricanes.

During the winter layup, the boat would always be on an East-West axis in the yard. I drilled holes in the aluminum frame of the panel to accept standard clothesline, and mounted it on the south upper side of the winter cover with a tautline hitch that led all the way around the boat. I left the wire from the panel long enough to snake in through the zippered flap to reach the socket. The battery never left the boat, and stayed charged up all winter.

Best regards,
Carter

[winthrop fisher]

Hi there...

mounting a solar panel is the same on larger boats as well as smaller boats, it does matter where.

you can mount it any where you want;
deck, hatch, boom, aft section, on the rail or on the stern rail.

the stern rail is where i keep it, out of the way of ever thing.

and it stays there 365 days a year, so it keeps your battery charged all the time.

in the winter, i put it over the side of the boat.
still hook up.

i have had it in ever location, you can think of.

as far as size,

i put a 5 watt on a ty and cd22 and maybe a 25.

cd25 i would put a 5 or a 10 watt.

cd27 put a 15 to 20 watt.

cd30 put a 20 or 30 watt.

you need to add up ever thing on board so you can see what size solar panel to use.

if you need help, just ask.

they come in 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 watts and larger.

i sell them all the time to sailors and power boaters.

hows that for you.
winthrop

[rtbates]

Depends. Batteries have a wonderful natural characteristic in that as they approach full charge their internal resistance goes up. This alone will reduce the amount of current into the battery. Whether or not it's enough depends on the battery capacity vs the solar panel's output. IF I remember correctly the rule of thumb is if the solar panel output is 1° or less than the battery capacity then no regulator is required. Solar panels with greater output should be regulated.

[Cap'n Mike]

I am thinking about getting a Sunsei 18W solar charger for my CD22. I am also going to upgrade my battery to a 210 AH battery.

I have calculated that during a weekend sail, anchoring at night using cabin lights, etc. I will use about 33 AH per day. So, in a weekend, I will use 100 AH. From what I have learned, I should buy a battery with double the capacity, so it never goes below half charge.

Using 100 AH in a weekend, I have determined that I need at least an 18 W solar charger to get my battery recharged within a reasonable amount of days, about 2 weeks (average 5 hours of sun per day) to recharge 100 AH. This is acceptable since I will not be weekending every weekend. We weekend about once a month. When we day sail, we hardly use any battery, except radio monitoring. Also, my 100 AH for a weekend includes 8 hour per day use of an autopilot, which I haven't bought.

I am looking at the Sunsei 18W solar charger with controller from BoatUS.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this product? Their information from ICP Solar says they are weatherproof and come with mounting hardware, but I will probably have to make a mount for the stern rail.

Thanks.

[Cap'n Mike]

I contacted ICP Solar, and they sent back an e-mail. The Sunsei 18W solar panel is glass on glass and the edges are laser treated to make them weatherproof.

I might have one in my future! Kewl!

I want to improve my battery and battery charging on my CD22 before I buy a tiller autopilot.

[Ed Haley]

Like Russell, I mounted two 50w solar panels on top of my bimini where that remain undisturbed by traffic or storage. Each produces 7 amps in sunlight and keeps the charge when I'm away. It also covers about 80% of my power needs when underway.

[Warren Kaplan]

I wonder if someone would like to comment on one solar panel charging multiple batteries. I'm not at this juncture particularly interested if the panel is the right size. I'm more interested in the equipment and wiring of the set up.

The easy part is the wire from the solar panel going into the controller, either directly or via an intermediate plug like Carter set up on Mary Ellen. But what then? Are there regulators/controllers set up to handle more than one battery with multiple leads....or do a single set of leads have to be "split" to run wires to the separate batteries? Do any of you have the model numbers of controllers that are specifically set up for connection to multiple battery banks from one solar panel? Any suggestions along these lines would be quite welcome!

Thanks

[Fred P.]

Warren, if I understand what you mean by "split" leads correctly, I would suspect that that would allow one battery to discharge into the other, and sooner or later you'd have two dead batteries for the price of one.

They make a little gizmo called a battery combiner however, which completes a circuit between the batteries when there's sufficient charging voltage (either from your engine or your solar panel or wherever) and breaks the connection when the current stops. I got one from West years ago, around $50 if I remember correctly.

Its a relatively idiot-proof device, and thus suits me quite well.