Solar panels - where do you fit yours?

[rob2]

No, two on the centreline are reflections in the super shiny SS.

Rob.

 

[Malish]

Depends how much actual use you boat gets. I just place a cheapo 40W panel on the side deck when not sailing, plugged into a socket in the cockpit. Put in the quarter berth when sailing. My coastal sailing has minimal drain on the batteries and I couldnt find an easy spot to permanently fit a panel without adding expensive scaffolding.

 

[VicS]

View attachment 35126View attachment 35126

Took along time to find one that would fit , first class solar panel. Fitted to an etap 24i

Is this a spot the difference game. If so I give up they look the same to me

 

[duckingswan]

Put it down to a novice panel poster

 

[Blueboatman]

TRADEWINDS : I am intrigued by the notched plate fixed to the emergency Hydrovane tiller arm...? ( Nice nut job btw)

And back to the OP: I have a single, shade tolerant large panel athwart the coachroof just in front of the dodger. Often it sits in the same place but on top of a full width acrylic canvas sail box/bag too. Seems fine and is unobtrusive/avoids windage

 

[maxi]

On the backstay, across the 2 legs below the monkey plate, out of the way, secure & beautifully aligned to the sun - 'cos my mooring lies North/South so the panel is always facing due south.

Alignment to the sun is very important and the major consideration. Put a meter onto the output & you will see huge differences between a panel lying horizontal & a panel aligned.

 

[VicS]

On the backstay, across the 2 legs below the monkey plate, out of the way, secure & beautifully aligned to the sun - 'cos my mooring lies North/South so the panel is always facing due south.

Alignment to the sun is very important and the major consideration. Put a meter onto the output & you will see huge differences between a panel lying horizontal & a panel aligned.

I believe the mathematicians may be able to prove that if the panel cannot always be turned to face the sun lying horizontal in an unshaded position is the next best .

 

[macd]

Alignment to the sun is very important and the major consideration. Put a meter onto the output & you will see huge differences between a panel lying horizontal & a panel aligned.

I'd dispute whether that is the major consideration, particularly on a boat. I'd suggest that would be shadowing.

It also rather depends where you are, although it's certainly more of factor with a fixed horizontal panel at around 51N in Hampshire than it is here at 36N, where a fixed flat panel operates at over 90% for around half the daylight hours. Mind you I'm fortunate in having a big enough array to compensate for a degree of inefficiency; someone scrimping for every last photon might well take a different view.

The other major consideration is that prodding panels perpendicular to the sun is fairly low on my list of fun moments.

 

[Tradewinds]

TRADEWINDS : I am intrigued by the notched plate fixed to the emergency Hydrovane tiller arm...? ( Nice nut job btw)

Ah, yes.

I use a Raymarine tillerpilot on the Hydrovane occasionally. I thought the pin point for the ram was going to be further forward so had this fancy plate made. The 'notch' was there to clear the starboard upright pushpit leg (my Hydrovane is offset). In reality the best pin position was further back & so the plate was superfluous.

HTH

 

[Dazedkipper]

Thanks all for your comments, I'll have to ponder a bit further.

Boatman, you say you have a 'shade tolerant panel' I assume this has diodes between each cell? Can you tell me the make?

 

[macd]

I use a Raymarine tillerpilot on the Hydrovane occasionally.

How well does that work?
I've used tillerpilots on servo-pendulum systems, which works very well since all the steering power needed comes from the servo oar, with the tillerpilot simply giving 'instructions': the loadings and power consumption are small. However, a Hydrovane in non-servo, so how does it work?

 

[CarlBarnett]

On the rails located back side of the boat..this way it doesn't messes up with the rest of the boat and proves to be pretty effective as well.

 

[xeitosaphil]

30ft yacht, liferaft on garage roof, stack-pack main. Ideas?

100w panel mounted in the stern on pushpit, angle adjustable - inclined when on mooring south facing – laid flat when sailing – slides to one side when using boarding ladder coming aboard from the dinghy, has Blocking diode and two bi-pass diodes for partial shading.

 

[Tradewinds]

How well does that work?
I've used tillerpilots on servo-pendulum systems, which works very well since all the steering power needed comes from the servo oar, with the tillerpilot simply giving 'instructions': the loadings and power consumption are small. However, a Hydrovane in non-servo, so how does it work?

It's only used as a back up if I don't want to use the Neco autopilot or am on a short passage & too lazy to get the vane out of the locker.

It copes OK most of the time but it can get over-powered in a lumpy, quartering sea - but maybe I need to change the settings to get a quicker reaction from the ram (it's on the default setting).

It was worth the investment and is handy to have as an alternative.

My real gripe is that it's so noisy in operation (like my older autohelms) and this gets transmitted down into the aft cabin (which sometimes gets used on passage if we have the family on board).

BTW I had thought of using it to help me go astern in the the required direction but my old, addled brain can never confidently work out which button to press (+ or -) in the heat of the reversing manoeuvre!!