Mounting solar panels between 2 twin Backstays

[Paddydog`1]

I have twin backstays on my 35 foot yacht. Has anyone tried mounting a solar panel horizontally between twin backstays above head height and if so how did you do it?

 

[robertj]

Measure between the back stay so that the appropriate height is achieved.
Buy a stainless steel tube the length of the distance measured.
weld on two brackets to the tube where the panel will go so that a fixing point can be achieved,
buy a piece of rigging wire and fix using some sort of cliips after threading through the stainless tubing,
then sort a centre stay to support the panel or and adjustable pole to vary the angle.

 

[simonfraser]

would not want that flapping about in a blow.

proper SS goal post support, or nothing, unless you have a floating caravan .....

 

[robertj]

hy mount it there, i there a specific reason?

 

[William_H]

OP does not say what sized panel he wants to mount. A smallish panel should be fine. You need flat bar bent to a right angle (a bit less) and shaped so it can clamped to the back stay wire 2 places at a decent spacing. This bracket might need to be braced with a diagonal to take the panel weight. Duplicate this bracket for the other wire and other side of the panel all shaped to allow for the 2 wires to be angled together and not vertical.
If your boat is in a pen type mooring always facing the same way then you shape the brackets to angle south and about 60 degrees to the horizon. If boat direction is variable as ona swing mooring thenmount the panel horizontal. good luck olewill

 

[duncan99210]

Fairly common mount in the Med. Usually consists of two pieces of SS tube, bent so as to leave the panel horizontal, clamped to the backstay. Panels then fixed to cross members, holding the whole affair rigid. Bracing wires run from the outer ends of the bracket to the backstay above and below the bracket. Wire led down backstay to gland into the boat. Usually mounted fairly high up the backstay so as to avoid being dumped on by a breaking sea. Only good for a relatively small set of panels.

 

[Paddydog`1]

I want to avoid shadows from boom etc and thought my twin backstays may offer a good solution if I could make a stale platform

 

[Paddydog`1]

I was hoping for a 100 watt panel

 

[robertj]

why not put it on the guard wires by the dodgers?

 

[truscott]

I mounted one of my panels temporarily by simply lashing a broom stick horizontally across the back stays, and then lashed the panel to that at a couple of points. On the forward edge, I ran two lines vertically further up the stays, and tied these off with a rolling hitch. Worked perfectly for the month or so I had it in use, including surviving a 50+ series of squalls when traveling back from Eckincik to Marmaris in late October. I'm not sure that I could have done this as effectively with both my panels, but I guess if the broom stick were replaced with a longer piece of dowel, it may work. We have an arch on the way, so this was just a temporary lash up. I also used a bunch of small shackles to secure the lines to the frame so that any movement of the panel wouldn't result in chafe. Panels are 120 Watt Kyocera's, about 1.4M x 0.65M. Boat is an SO40, and loads of room between end of boom and the leading edge of the panel.

Cheers, PT

 

[ytd]

I've been looking at ways of mounting panels on our bav44 and read the thread with interest. Then I remembered we have an adjustable backstay.

 

[Paddydog`1]

ty all for your help

 

[B&M]

Solar panels for Bav 44

I've been looking at ways of mounting panels on our bav44 and read the thread with interest. Then I remembered we have an adjustable backstay.

I have mounted 2 80w panels using a very simple arrangement, they have withstood many violent storms over the last 3 years.
The picture may not be clear, but a u shaped frame is connected at both ends to the rear guard rail and the top to the Bimini by 2 short ties.

 

[Paddydog`1]

Very interesting. Did you weld the u frame to the guard rails or clamp it?. Also how did you fix the panels to the u frame?
Thanks for the pic. I think your arrangement looks very neat

 

[B&M]

I made the frame from straight pieces of tube. I used 2- 120 deg connectors to form the U, and used commonly available connectors to join it to the guard rails etc. The panels are held onto the frame by2 pairs of Noa adjustable units.

 

[Paddydog`1]

ty