Any Experience of Mounting Solar Panels on Guard Rails?

[silver-fox]

I have 2 x 80W panels on a stern gantry that work quite successfully but I have decided to double my solar generation capability. That gives me two practical choices, either

- modify the gantry and mount them up there, or
- mount them on foldaway brackets on the guardrails alongside the cockpit

I have decided against flexible panels because of shorter life and lower performance when compared with rigid.

Does anybody have any practical experience of rigging solar on the guardrails? I am keen to learn how satisfied or otherwise you were with this solution

 

[Caladh]

I have 2 x 50w panels mounted on the wire guardrails of Caladh and they work well. The angle to the sun can be adjusted but I find that 45-60 degrees provides the best performance. If you're lucky at anchor at least one or both will be in sun depending of what shading you have. Likewise when sailing its a lottery but at least one will inevitably be seeing the sun. Look at other yachts regarding a "fitting" that would suit your boat/yacht. Cabling always takes longer than you imagine and try to do it in the spring when it's not too hot !

 

[RAI]

I have two 75 Wp panels mounted outside the port and starboard push-pit rails. The hinges allow for different positions and I use a notched stick to hold their attitude.
I do worry when manoeuvring at close quarters. They are vulnerable facing outwards and even more when deployed.

 

[vyv_cox]

I think success and longevity is very dependent upon the layout of the boat and just where the panels can be sited. I have lost three stanchions at about the mid-point of the boat over the years due to collisions, one my fault the other two due to others. Solar panels mounted there would have been destroyed in those accidents. The deck between my cockpit and guard wires is very narrow and solar panels there would pretty much prevent me from berthing stern-to. On other boats these would not be problems.

 

[Kelpie]

Some useful info from here:

http://followtheboat.com/how-to-mount-your-solar-panels-on-the-side-on-the-pushpit/

 

[macd]

I had two on the guardwire, one on each stern quarter, on my last boat, having previousy replaced the wire with stainless tube between the pushpit and the aft-most stanchion. They worked fine. As said, there are concerns about damage, and it would be advantageous to be able to tilt them inboard when berthing.

I think Sea-Teach sell suitable rail brackets: http://www.seateach.com/chandlery-brackets-mountings.html

 

[Peroo]

Several boats hereabouts have had fitted them, but each fitted solid guard rails as part of the process to provide a more stable mounting, as far as they were concerned, and allow more flexibility in terms of the angle to the sun. Both seem happy with their respective solutions - neither solution would allow the panels to be turned in board - would very useful when reversing into the local travel lift.

 

[GrahamM376]

Ours used to be mounted on guard wires as a temporary fix before the gantry. I threaded guard wire through plastic pipe and then that through stainless tube which was bolted to panel frames with saddles. Worked OK except that adjusting angle with ropes to toe rail was a bit fiddly.

 

[Javelin]

I'm planning to install my two 100 w panels on top of my spray hood similar to the photo below.
Our spray hood remains up pretty much all the time.
Running wires will be a lot easier in this position on our boat, and given our frequent trips to Holland where we visit lots of locks and tight mooring boxes I don't fancy their chances on the guard rail.

 

[oldvarnish]

As Javelin (above) knows, I am about to move my panel from a cockpit mounting to a gantry, but largely for tidiness.

I had port and starboard 85W panels on Plastimo mounts on either side of the pushpit. They worked fine, but you had to remember to drop them before coming alongside.

One got caught by a bit of a freak wave and got nicely bent, but that was in far from normal conditions.

 

[Caladh]

I have two 75 Wp panels mounted outside the port and starboard push-pit rails. The hinges allow for different positions and I use a notched stick to hold their attitude.
I do worry when manoeuvring at close quarters. They are vulnerable facing outwards and even more when deployed.

Yes - we close ours down to the vertical position when manouvering. We had one of our panels written off in Nafplion some years ago when a charter boat next to us departed and left his stern line attached and keeranged in to it ! We were not on board but had a witness.......

 

[Chris_Robb]

We have a centre cockpit boat and mount our 2 x 85 panels each side. to date we have got away with no damage - and they are mounted to lift over the deck but even so we were rammed astern and one was bent - but still carried on working.


This year we are going to put up a gantry for them as they do restrict deck space - but it has been successful and they are out of shade most of the time - a very important consideration.

 

[silver-fox]

Thanks for the feedback, photos and ideas guys - much appreciated.

 

[FullCircle]

We have a centre cockpit boat and mount our 2 x 85 panels each side. to date we have got away with no damage - and they are mounted to lift over the deck but even so we were rammed astern and one was bent - but still carried on working.


This year we are going to put up a gantry for them as they do restrict deck space - but it has been successful and they are out of shade most of the time - a very important consideration.

What a great tray for the Hors d'Oeuvres.....
Why didn't you swing them outboard of the rail?

 

[Chris_Robb]

What a great tray for the Hors d'Oeuvres.....
Why didn't you swing them outboard of the rail?

Actually its a seagull landing strip.

These stay up from the moment we get on the boat - if they were outboard that would just not be possible. Time and again we have gone stern to and found a boat with folding out sun panels - just too easy to break. At least we have the stern cabin roof to walk over.

 

[bob234]

I have 2 x 80W panels on a stern gantry that work quite successfully but I have decided to double my solar generation capability. That gives me two practical choices, either

- modify the gantry and mount them up there, or
- mount them on foldaway brackets on the guardrails alongside the cockpit

I have decided against flexible panels because of shorter life and lower performance when compared with rigid.

Does anybody have any practical experience of rigging solar on the guardrails? I am keen to learn how satisfied or otherwise you were with this solution

Yes. We have 2x135 Ah panels, one each side. The guard wires were removed and replaced with steel tubing and the panels are clamped to the rails. They are a fiction fit so that the panels can be rotated completely inboard. We found that they were sufficiently protected when berthing stern to in the Med. Mind you, when berthing we hang a large ball fender just ahead of each panel to ensure no contact with adjacent boats.

I think guard rail hanging might be less successful in the latest delta shaped hulls with very wide aft sections. Some return in the deck shape towards the stern ensures the panels are not at the widest point of the boat. Very pleased with the ability to rotate the panels throughout the day as the sun moves.

 

[FullCircle]

I think guard rail hanging might be less successful in the latest delta shaped hulls with very wide aft sections. Some return in the deck shape towards the stern ensures the panels are not at the widest point of the boat. Very pleased with the ability to rotate the panels throughout the day as the sun moves.

That's a good thought, so why dont we mount them in the forward quarter of the boat?

 

[Chris_Robb]

That's a good thought, so why dont we mount them in the forward quarter of the boat?

If you have lived with this set up, you might be thinking of building a gantry! Mounting up forward would be very problematical. you could not have them opening outside the guard rails as they would be so vulnerable to boat strike - and to leave them up whilst stern too would be totally selfish. If they were set inside the rails that would just get in the way terribly - I had a dilemma: do I pad up round the edge so that the crew don't hurt themselves on them or leave the sharp edges to deter the crew from getting too familiar with them.? And then of course there are the over indulgers..... who fall on them...... And then there is the large wave - good bye panels!

No: having had them on the aft guard rails for 7 years, I am at last biting the bullet and building a gantry. Arguably the Ocean lord stern deck area is probably about the best you can get to achieve this set up, but even so I am fed up with worrying about damage. If they were set up externally I would worry even more, and we curse other boats sitting stern too with there sun panels stuck out - blithely expecting everyone to miss them.

Its a bodge way - do it properly

 

[geem]

We have a pair of 75w panels on each side of our boat fixed to the guard wires. We have done three Atlantic crossings like this with no problems. They are adjusted with a notched pole and held down with a line to the toerail. We fold them down when coming into a marina. Very happy with the arrangement and I don't need to have a gantry. I really don't like gantries as they spoil the look of a yacht and add a huge amount of windage.

 

[Kelpie]

Am I correct in thinking that guardwire-mounted panels are a bit vulnerable on a modern wide-stern boat, but less so on a more old-fashined shape? I'm hoping to eventually add a couple of 100w panels but our boat is relatively narrow at the stern. I don't like the look of a gantry and it would be a shame to spoil her lines.