Slide Out Solar Panels

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Any machine shop can fab it up for you. Any marine place that does tuna towers and stainless pulpits can also do it.

But if you want to do it right, find a shop that doesn't get all bent out of shape when you ask them to do all the fabrication work (including replacing the frames on the solar panels) with titanium. Saves a lot of weight, adds strength.

There's no mass market for origami solar panel mounts, so you'll have to get custom fabrication.

Titanium brackets? You must be very wealthy. Titanium is both expensive and hard to weld.

For slide out solar I would look at making something similar to telescoping drawer slides. Make them out of King Starboard. Low friction, light weight and relatively durable. Easy to make with just a table saw, router and some basic carpentry skills.

[puffcard]

Originally Posted by skipgundlach

When was that? We're currently on a ball in Vero, off to the Bahamas ASAP post our concert on the 16th...

They should still be there. Boat is Compass Rose on a ball near the big gray motor cat, near the entrance. The boat is a aft cabin Corbin 39, that he finished out. He's very approachable and has many clever things on his boat that he can show you. I thought the flip out panels was a great solution and his were so simple and easy.

[skipgundlach]

Yes, CR is still here. I'll have a look. Thanks.

oops. BigDumBoat is way south. The CR here is a power boat near us in the north anchorage.

[SV DestinyAscen]

My two cents - definitely can be engineered and done, but perhaps spend the $ on better panels & better lithium cobalt batteries. The more weight concentrated up top the less stability your boat will have. If power requirements at anchor are so high that four panels won't support it, perhaps have a nice sailmaker fabricate a nice boom tent w/ 4 lightweight panels that you can plug into your controller.

[Thalas]

Originally Posted by BigBeakie

Thalas,

Do you mean it pivots on a centerline pole and swings around 180 degrees?


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

FP has a starboard side raised helm. There is a space behind the helm before the traveller that is half the size of the bimini. When "up," the bimini slide-pins in to the 4 support poles. When "down," the bimini unclips completely (there is a wire for the solar on half the bimini that runs down the aft/starboard pole that gets disconnected for the transformation and reconnected when complete up/down). The bimini folds in half with the solar side up and pivots 90 degrees to sit behind the helm seat and the solar wire is reconnected. The 4 support poles fold down left and right.

It's actually much simpler than it sounds and the dimensions still allow for off the shelf protective coverings to be attached to the bimini when up. I just personally hate full time biminis since on many days, I want to feel as "in the elements" as possible when sailing. I also hate the look of biminis on FP cats from a superficial perspective (though that's a much smaller reason).

[ejlindahl]

Interesting discussion but it would great to have a few pictures or sketches of your ideas and/or installations mentioned. I can't quite get picture in my mind from some of the descriptions. So, for us unimaginative types, could you post a picture of a sketch or the actual thing,...if you are so inclined. Thanks

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by SV DestinyAscen

.....but perhaps spend the $ on better panels & better lithium cobalt batteries.

Not a good idea. Boeing tried that with lousy results.

LiFePo4 would be the correct choice.

[Pelagic]

My first concern about a slide our system would be the added wear and tear on cabling.

Solar cables are not that flexible and I wonder how you would handle high wind chafe on a loose cable system?

[ranchero76]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

My first concern about a slide our system would be the added wear and tear on cabling.

Solar cables are not that flexible and I wonder how you would handle high wind chafe on a loose cable system?

That easily solved by using water tight connectors with additional proper plugs (when disconnected, panels retracted).
Here's one version, I'm sure there are better ones as well. This is weather tight, not water tight.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/WEATHER-PAC...!US!-1&vxp=mtr


This is better and can be found in different sizes:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wiring-harn...9Ucjh7&vxp=mtr

[scarlet]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

My first concern about a slide our system would be the added wear and tear on cabling.

Solar cables are not that flexible and I wonder how you would handle high wind chafe on a loose cable system?

So, this is where I'm thinking that the "piano hinge" idea would be better, as the cables wouldn't have to take that big of a beating... or perhaps, there could be a plug in?

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by ranchero76

That easily solved by using water tight connectors with additional proper plugs (when disconnected, panels retracted).

I just wonder if the plastic MC4 connectors are really designed for regular plugging and unplugging use?

Those retaining clips seemed a bit fragile, but maybe you would use something different at the parallel /Series connections?

[ranchero76]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

I just wonder if the plastic MC4 connectors are really designed for regular plugging and unplugging use?

Those retaining clips seemed a bit fragile, but maybe you would use something different at the parallel /Series connections?
Attachment 160463

Do these come with solar panels? Just use them until they break (if they break), then replace with something better . Only time will tell. There are so many plastics around, it's hard to tell how particular plastic part will withstand.

Parts for aircraft/military made to withstand extreme conditions, so these would be best choice, even used ones.

[Pelagic]

Every Owner and boat choice has his own priorities for a Solar solution, so not promoting anything.... But just thinking out loud what my own preferences were and would be in a cat?

Would a davit solution that only provides 50% potential underway or in high winds be preferred over a fixed Bimini installation that would utilize 100% less additional shading penalties

Great thing about a multi, is that they carry more beam aft over the cockpit, so a key issue is a fixed structural Bimini, vs foldable solution to enjoy the elements

Living in the tropics, I never want to be FORCED to be in the Sun, or get soaked in Monsoonal rains, so I happily chose to have a fixed Bimini with the 4 large panels mounted above.

If I want to be in the elements, I walk aft outside the Bimini

Also, as mine is a mono, I taper dramatically at the stern, so area is greatly reduced.

Underway, you are consuming more amps, so would you not want to maximize solar production?

Again, totally personal choices but I went with an extended vinyl Bimini and split solar rack above to fit my boat's limitations.

The aft boom (schooner rig) is centered and is usually the last sail to be deployed, so shading is not so big an issue for me

You can see in my photo, how narrow a davit solution would have been

[Maka]

How about roller furling the flexible panels ?

I must be doing something wrong.
I have solar panels on my dingy Davits and never need more charging power.
I even have a brand new wind generator still in the box 'cause I don't need it.

[rabbi]

Originally Posted by scarlet

Oh my gosh! No! We are shopping for a 45' catamaran... I am confused though... I thought the weight of each solar panel was only about 20 pounds... but I see mention that this would be really heavy...

Since you are still shopping I don't see the point of deep diving into this idea.

Our Lagoon 380 has one 280W panel on the davits and another one on the bimini, each with separate MPPT controllers. Each panel weigths 18 kilogram.

These panels produce more power than we need. We run the standard fridge, a large outside beer fridge, all LED lights, a watermaker for drinking and cooking (we mostly use shore water for showering & cleaning), an inverter is running 24/7 to charge an army of electronic devices, and a breadmaker to burn surplus energy. And of course autopilot, chartplotter and full instruments when sailing.


Our panels don't use all real estate available, i could possibly use
2x 300W on davits, 1x 300w and 1x 100 on Bimini, 2x 100W on saloon roof while still retaining good access to the lazybag.

That is 1.2 kWp on a Lagoon 380 without any folding / flipping / sliding mechanism. Whatever 45ft cat you buy will have a similar amount of real estate available for solar, or maybe much more.


So I would suggest to just wait what boat you end up with, see what your energy budget is and work from there