Mounting Solar Panels

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  • 23rd January 2016 at 11:18 am #11227

      Has anyone any experience, thoughts or ideas about mounting solar panels off the stern of a HT? I want to mount at least 2 panels, 120x54cm off the stern. I have two davits mounted from the stern and have considered attaching a frame to these.

      Considerations that I can think of are having clearance of the davits so that it doesn't complicate the process of raising the tender; windage effects, such as twisting the davits; manoeuvrability of panels for orientation.

      I'm trying to post a photo of one of the davits but can't get that to work so here's a link to it in dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/s/fhpie6cf24onwjg/WP_20151215_007.jpg?dl=0

      The link icon doesn't seem to work so you will have to cut and paste it

      Any help greatly appreciated

      23rd January 2016 at 2:06 pm #12111

        Here is your photo —

        25th January 2016 at 11:51 am #12113

          Tim,

          With a dingy and solar panels thats a lot of load going into the deck. Ensure the backing pads etc are up to the job. Also not sure how you would attached a frame to the Davits. Best might be to make a new arch that could hold the panels and include lifting for the dingy.
          We have a solar panel fitted to each aft cabin hatch.

          25th January 2016 at 12:27 pm #12112

            Thanks Steve/Mel,

            The arrangement I bought with the boat is panels on the aft cabin but they have both given up the ghost. Internal connections have cracked and corroded so I am looking at hanging them off the stern instead.

            As it is the tender on the davits is a weight issue. I haven't figured out how much of an issue as I only bought the boat in November and haven't been out in it much yet. So far I have towed it rather than hoist it as I've only been out for short sails.

            I'm also considering putting on a hardtop cockpit cover – hard bimini rather than total enclosure and putting a couple of panels on there too. Overall I reckon I'm going to need as much of 400w of panels to run a fridge in the summer in the Algarve so finding mounting space is an issue….

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