Where to mount my solar panels

[blackdogsailing]

Hello everyone,
We are slowly getting our boat ready for the big departure in a few years time. We are having a full length awning made to cover the boat from the bow back to the bimini. We will have a wind generator at the back but I want/will need to back this up with solar panels. I am thinking of mounting them on top of the bimini. Anyone see any problems with this. OK, on the rare occasions we want to take the bimini down they will have to be removed but how often does the bimini come down ?
Before anyone suggests it I will not have a stainless steel frame at the back of the boat !!
Thanks in advance,
Chris

 

[Hoolie]

I think it depends where you'll be sailing. Certainly in the Western Med it can quite often, without warning, be windy enough to fold the bimini. We have an adaptation of a cockpit tent for ours, but the biminis on boats around us would not be robust enough to support a solar panel. Certainly where we are in the W Med I have never seen a solar panel mounted on a bimini ... ...

 

[blackdogsailing]

I think it depends where you'll be sailing. Certainly in the Western Med it can quite often, without warning, be windy enough to fold the bimini. We have an adaptation of a cockpit tent for ours, but the biminis on boats around us would not be robust enough to support a solar panel. Certainly where we are in the W Med I have never seen a solar panel mounted on a bimini ... ...

Thanks for that Hoolie. We will be going Caribbean, Pacific, Patagonia. The latter isn't a problem ( we won't have the awnings up ). I take your point re weak biminis. Perhaps some extra struts ?
Chris

 

[B&M]

Most boats in the Med have a frame fitted to the rear of the bimini, and slightly above. This will allow the bimini to be folded back when not in use. I personally have two 80w panels fitted in this way. The frame can however work out more expensive than the panels depending on the load (pasarelle, dinghy etc) you may wish to place on the strucure.

 

[jordanbasset]

Hello everyone,
Before anyone suggests it I will not have a stainless steel frame at the back of the boat !!
Thanks in advance,
Chris

Without wishing to upset you any reason you do not want the frame at the back. A lot of liveaboards have them and they are very useful. Normally cheaper to get them done at home than on your journey. If all you are mounting is solar panels you can get some slim line ones that are not too obtrusive. But if I was starting again would have one heavier than I have now so it could take a dinghy's weight.

 

[NornaBiron]

how about mounting them on the aft quarters? Ours are there and we have no problems with them. Certainly cheaper than having a gantry made.

 

[James Marinero]

how about mounting them on the aft quarters? Ours are there and we have no problems with them. Certainly cheaper than having a gantry made.

Mine are hinged on the pushpit top rails (only in one dimension) with adjustable struts sliding on lower rail. Fold down, angled and even reverse (i.e. vertical) Works well, unobtrusive and can get more output than fixed flat mount. I did it myself (<£30).

 

[duncan99210]

We have ours, which are semi flexible walk on ones, mounted on the coach house roof forward of the mast, plus 2 others which are bungeed to the sail bag on the boom when at anchor. Not ideal, as the shadows from the mast and stays cuts down the effectiveness of the panels. We're looking at making a simple goal post affair for the stern this winter to support a couple more panels without the shadow problem. Either that or we'll look to using the top rail of the guardrails to mount pivoting panels.

I've also seen a couple of panels fixed to the backstay using tensioned wires to hold them in place. Simple and cost effective.

Frankly, any idea that you can come up with to mount a panel or two and after 4 summers cruusing, we've probably seen most of them at one time or another. Of them all, the most popular is some sort of gantry at the stern so as to minimise the shadow problem.

Hope that helps.

 

[Sybaris]

I have seen many aft mounted structures with solar panels and wind generators. The problem with this is that the wind generator will always throw a shadow on one panel.

 

[lenseman]

Fit them to the safety rails in place of the dodgers so they swing upwards and out when in use. This is quite a common arrangement I have seen on yachts which do not have the scaffold arrangement to the stern of the cockpit.

I can also stop other folk rafting up next to you!

 

[Mistroma]

Think more of backing up the solar panels with a wind gen. than other way around.

I did get 40Ahr in a day from my wind gen. recently but 7-10Ahr/day is more nomal. A single 65W panel in a poor position can give up to 30Ahr/day in Galicia but usually averages 16-20Ahr (sailing, cloudy, not optimising position etc.)

So I'd say you should give priority to the solar panels. i.e. Get more and sort out mounting.

Then see where you can fit in a wind gen.

 

[Liz_I]

We are having a full length awning made to cover the boat from the bow back to the bimini.

Sorry but this does not seem like a very good idea

You will be spending a lot of time at anchor. - windage. - getting to the anchor. - getting the anchor up and getting away quickly.
You might not like the idea of a gantry but as most cruising boats have them that should tell you something! Sorry for the negativity.

We are 'lucky' insofar as we have a solid half doghouse. This has the benefit of a protected cockpit. We have s/s bars fitted, think roof rack. On these we have 2 aluminium ladders which have 4 solar panels mounted. At anchor the boom is pulled off to one side or the other. The downside is, of course, when the sun is ahead and the mast it creates a shadow. It's also a problem when sailing as the main will shield the panels. You would ideally need a wind genny as well.

As has been said, fitting solid rails aft and mounting the panels on those would seem a good solution. The one problem with that however is when mooring, they become very vulnerable!

Good luck!