Mounting Solar Panels on Backstays?

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Wandering Star

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I can't identify anywhere to mount a reasonably sized (80 watt?) solar panel which I'd like to do. I have an Aries hanging off the transom, a pole mount Rutland on the port quarter and an antenna mast on the starboard quarter - so fairly cluttered.

My Vancouver 27 is fitted with twin backstays and I wondered about feasibility of mounting the solar panel between the two backstays. Does this idea sound nonsensical? Be as unkind as you like, i'm fairly thick skinned! Any other ideas?

Cheers, Brian.
 
Seems a reasonable idea - but I think they might be better near horizontal. I have seen solar panels mounted on top of the spreaders, one on each side, but I'm not sure how wise that is. Probably not very...

I too am a member of the thick skinned club!
 
Problem with that location is that you need to orientate your boat so that the stern faces the sun to get the most out of them. Normal mounting is horizontal and unobstructed view of the sun - not always easy to achieve.
 
I gave this some serious thought and even thought about using swivel mounts to allow adjustment to tilt the panel out of the way while sailing but be able to tilt it to the best angle at anchor or leave horizontal when not on board. I discounted this as an option on the grounds of potential damage to the panel due to vibration. No informed grounds just a worry what are the thoughts?
 
I've also been considering the same thing - I bought a 60W panel last year, but haven't mounted it yet - no point doing it last year, as I was due to drop my mast and replace the standing rigging over the winter; as that job is now complete, I've started thinking about the solar panel again.
The panel is mounted in an alloy frame, so my idea is to use a couple of bulldog clips to attach the front edge to the twin backstays, then make up a couple of stays using 25mm x 5mm alloy strip, bolt them to the rear edge of the panel, then a couple more bulldog clips to attach them to the backstays further down - the panel will be horizontal. However, I haven't yet tried it - first stage is to measure everything and do a drawing to get the mountings in the right place, so the panel is above head height. I am also considering the angle at which the bulldog clips will go into the frame, may need to cut and bend part of the frame to match the angle of the backstay, or more likely, use a couple of short strips of the stay material and bend those.
Hopefully, with the panel horizontal, the windage on it will be minimal, but I will only find out by trying it!
 
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An 80 watt panel is quite a heavy item. I don't think it would be a great idea to hang it from the rigging. I have an 85 and a 40 watt panel on an arch made from standard fittings and inch tube. Not expensive and has been quite stable for the past few years. I originally designed a system for tilting them but found that leaving them horizontal all the time gave enough current, so I did away with all that.
 
Thanks for the opinions, I'm pleased to see I wasn't the only person to consider the backstays as an option. On balance I think for the reasons Vyv suggests, it's probably best not to compromise the rigging with the weight and additional stress (especially in any weather) since failed rigging means no mast in short order! I'll measure up and get a quote for an arch I think.

Have also thought of creating a mount to the side of the Aries using the Aries mounting poles as the primary attachment point and cranked out to clear the wind vane.

Cheers, Brian.
 
Heh Brian,

If you do get a quote for an arch, I'd be interested in hearing the costs involved and design for my own V27!

Regards

John
 
it's probably best not to compromise the rigging with the weight and additional stress
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Yes, good point, and I've been thinking about it while on board a couple of hours ago. I don't really want to put in an equipment arch - extra weight, cost and windage being three of the reasons why not - however, there may be a good compromise - still use the backstays to support the front of the panel, but use more substantial supports - for example, 1/2" or 1" stainless tubes, attached to the pushpit to take the majority of the weight of the panel, and hold it more securely.
Otherwise still giving it thought, although I have ordered some cable clips...
 
Pete7 said:
Why not move the antenna somewhere else? they you would have a free starboard quarter to mount the panel.

This is mine.

Pete
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Now that looks worth trying to achieve!when you're next down on the boat would you mind taking a few additional shots of the underside of the panel and close ups of the attachment brackets you've used, plus a few dimensions e.g pipe diameter, panel dimensions etc. to be honest if you give me the panel info I may crib the whole installation!

Cheers, Brian.
 
MERRY_MARY said:
Heh Brian,

If you do get a quote for an arch, I'd be interested in hearing the costs involved and design for my own V27!

Regards

John
Click to expand...
I certainly will. My probem is that my V27 is in Mallorca so not easy to get measurements and quotes although i'm going out there first week of June and i'll bring the measurements back to UK a couple of weeks later to get a quote from a guy i've used lots of times before. All that said, the Pic of Pete7's installation looks very tidy and that's the way I'm leaning now.

Cheers, Brian.
 
I have had a solar panel living on the backstays for some 7 years now, no problems whatsoever, other than; the aesthetic need to remove whilst under way. On the other hand, it is no problem up there whilst at sea.
 
Brian the 80w panel came from e bay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150796336...NX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_2892wt_976

I can't be certain because the panel lacks any manufacturers labels, but I think Ecosolar on e bay is just a re-seller for these people, anyway the price has come down to £99 from Ecosolar which seems good value and the panel appears very well made.

http://www.aktsolar.co.uk/index.php/en/products/off-grid-solar-panels/80-watt-monocrystalline

The TUV label on the back of the panel says voltage at max power 16.5v whilst the e bay advert says 20v. Not sure what is going on there but this afternoon in the Beaulieu sunshine it was generating 4.5 amps and 2.3 amps earlier with full cloud cover. This with the panel angled about 30 degrees so it doesn't foul the dinghy. However, the adjustable pole fittings allow the panel to be adjusted to horizontal if required.

The brackets came from Kyrospruce and cost nearly as much as the panel :rolleyes:

If I had time and a workshop things might have been different. Here is the shopping list:

Solar panel base to pushpit:

Qty 2 = Cast Hinged Split Clamp for 1" Tube (CLA023

Qty 2 = Cast Deck Hinge Angled (DEC013)

They have a bit of a gap when fitted together so will need drilling through and a bolt with washers to pack the gap.

Solar panel top to pushpit:

Qty 2 = Cast Hinged Split Clamp for 1" Tube (CLA023

Qty 2 = Heavy Duty Universal Deck Fitting (DEC303)

Qty 2 = Aluminium Tonneau Pole Adjustable (POL002)

Qty 2 = Stainless Internal End Plug 7/8 (END202)

Qty 2 = Stainless Internal End Plug for 3/4 16swg Tube"

I think they are the right size end fittings to fit into the pole ends. The screw in the DEC 303 doesn't go through the hole in the tube end so had to replace the screw with another bolt.

Kyrospruce are worth a visit to ensure all the bits fit together.

Pete
 
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Brian, couple of extra photos you asked for. I had to change the supports to clear the dinghy from the first photo but it seems rigid enough.

Pete
 
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