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Scott Berg · 22-11-2021, 07:57

I have a friend with a 41 Defever who lost all his canvas and opted to replace it with a frame and panels; ended up with 9x 310's for 2.8kw! Cost less than the 10K the canvas shop wanted!

Sand crab · 22-11-2021, 09:32

You might want to investigate King Starboard also. It is heavier but is much faster on the install. They make a textured surface product specifically for boat decks.
https://www.google.com/shopping/prod...XJdB34Q9pwGCAk

markxengineerin · 22-11-2021, 10:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickand

I lost my canvas but wanted to keep the frame.
Laid out 2 - 4x8 shower panels ($80 from Home Depot) side by side on a flat concrete floor, laid 2 layers of 1.5oz fiberglass and bolted what was now a hardtop to the frame using pipe clamps. Reinforced the frame with a couple of stainless struts and fixed 8 100 watt flexible solar panels on top.
It's worked well for 2 years but not convinced as to the efficiency of flexible solar panels

Would love to see some photos of this

bcboomer · 22-11-2021, 11:06

Monohull but I put 4 x 147 watt semi-flexible panels on a stainless frame. I stuck the panels to the frame with a new 3M tape designed for this type of plastic. The only unsealed space is where the back stay goes through.
Starboard is stupid heavy but using semi-flexibles allowed for a stainless framework without much weight and gave me a place for radar and the dinghy.

zstine · 22-11-2021, 11:07

yes, i have. You need to make a support structure. I used a bimini frame that I bought used at Mystic marine consignment and mounted 2x, 265watt panels. Mount the panels to the frame and wire it.. done. For you, you want to walk on it?? then the frame has to support a lot more weight. I would suggest running a doubling tube below the first and weld them together with short standoffs. Doubling below is much strong (think I-beam) compared to more side-by-side tubes, but you will lose 5inches of headroom. Since you have SS tube from your existing bimini frame, I'd stick with that material and reuse it. I did not seal the panels together, so they did drip between them. However, there are simple ways to resolve this. Space them 3/8in apart, push 1/2in round foam between the panel frames down 3/8 from top, then use a caulk on top of the foam so you end up with ~3/8 square cross section of caulking bead. If you can't weld you can hire out of course, But It costs only about $700-$800 for all the equipment (120V Mig kit ~$500 with a bottle of Tri gas $200) and will likely pay for itself in this one job and then you have it.. if you have the time.. it is not hard, but you won't get quite as nice a finish with Mig as TIG. TIG is more expensive and more difficult, but nicer finish and what I would expect a Pro to use.

Cpt Mark · 22-11-2021, 11:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by fxykty

Has anyone made a bimini top out of solar panels? I’ve seen one catamaran that had done that, but can’t find any images.

Our catamaran has a stainless steel tube frame supporting a canvas bimini and with a central walkway. We want to replace it with a hard bimini top, primarily to get rid of the leaking, but also to extend the covered area. Since most of the area will be covered with solar panels anyway, except for the central walkway, and the cost of making a fibreglass top is quite expensive, we’re thinking of just using solar panels and foregoing the fibreglass.

Has anyone done this?

Is it leakproof?

Is it feasible to put an edge around the perimeter for hand holds and to mount clears?

I have a smaller cat that yours. I need to relocate my boom attachment which means creating a very strong structure. Was going to do a composite top but the weight just gets ridiculous so the new plan is to have 2 poles that will support the boom padeyes/control with a tube between them aft. Will run 2 tubes forward to the dodger which will be solid foam/fg and create a 40" walkway up there that can handle the weight. Panels will be be mounted to additional SS tube frame . Strong enough to support the panels in a blow but as light as possible as you will never walk on them. U shaped channels could work for rain diversion. Could weld the panels together too but then if you have an issue with 1 panel...I'm thinking really good butyl tape and mechanically fasten the panels edges should work fine too. Been waiting for parlay to finish so I can see how they did it.

jmh2002 · 22-11-2021, 13:32

It's only partially relevant but might be useful to consider when going for a new setup. Here's an extract of a post I made in another thread here:

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3524051

Something I'd like to see the performance cats address better is their solar setup. Yes they try to minimise weight and drag, but see the below image from the Outremer 55 Great Circle, with the solar completely useless when sailing south on an Atlantic crossing (even without the mainsail up, just a spinnaker).

Boats with twin aft helms might be able to have their solar above the dinghy davits and then continue wrapping around to cover the helm stations too, serving a dual purpose.

The more solar that can be fitted out aft, over the dinghy davits and transoms (depending on boat design) the better it will perform.

davil · 22-11-2021, 13:50

https://www.cruisingworld.com/homemade-hardtop/

jmh2002 · 22-11-2021, 14:27

Off topic, but this is what you can do for a hard top when you have access to old america's cup boat off casts and are a composites wizard in your own right...

He also turned an old valencia era ETNZ AC mast that was destined for the rubbish bin into a rotating carbon rig as well as carbon forward cross beam and longeron too - all for their 30 year old Catana 42S

His wife just happens to be a sailmaker too

so she cut down an old big boat mainsail into a square top main for this new rig.

The kids look like they are already following in the parents footsteps.

Inspiring work from this couple.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QadeLsFGCzg

sparrowhawk1 · 22-11-2021, 14:43

I mounted two large solar panels on an existing stainless steel Bimini frame with u-bolts. the panels are bolted together with butyl tape in between. no leaks after 15 years and I don't imagine any in the future. The panels are a little bit smaller than the frame so it would be nice to have roll up sunbrella along the sides,rolled up they would give me normal coverage, rolled down it would completely cover the side. 90% of the rain falls off of one corner so I just put a bucket underneath. I also collect rainwater from my deck but the Bimini takes very little time to wash off which is handy in Florida where we often get rain in short periods. Having the panels bolted to the frame instead of on a roof allows for much better performance because they stay cooler.

**hlev00** · 22-11-2021, 16:11

We weren’t original in our approach but maybe this will be of use to you.

https://juno423.blogspot.com/2020/08...th-photos.html

fxykty · 01-12-2021, 17:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by hlev00

We weren’t original in our approach but maybe this will be of use to you.

https://juno423.blogspot.com/2020/08...th-photos.html

No soft panels for us - lack of longevity and extreme price, as well as the lack of long term waterproofness of the canvas.

We’ve bought 4x 395W hard panels that measure 1690mm x 1046mm x 40mm and 19kg each. Each pair of panels will be connected to each other along their long edges with butyl tape between them.

A 400mm walkway will be in between the two pairs of panels and 20mm wide trim on each edge for a total width of 4.624m and length of 1.730m. The panels will be mounted on top of a tube SS frame, which will mount onto our existing bimini frame. We will put in a 50mm SS tube down to the deck for the front outside corner on each side, as this will be a key handhold and will support the cantilever past the edge of the existing frame. This will take care of the aft 2/3s of our cockpit.

The forward part, which will follow the existing frame outline, will be fibreglass/foam in a t-shape going over the front portion and the existing walkway. As the fibreglass will only be 20mm thick vs the panels 40mm on top of a 20mm frame, we will likely raise it up to be level with the tops of the panels.