Making and installing a 4 way manual solar panel tilt system

[Groathill]

I am investigating the practicalities and how to make a manual 4 way

tilting system for a solar panel.

My sailing grounds are quite far north; ~60 degrees. A flat mounting

covers any sailing direction and boat orientation when berthed in a

marina, however at this high latitude the solar panel efficiency is quite

reduced.

At mid summer the ideal down tilt is 37 deg and at equinox as much

as 60 deg (if my calculations are correct).

A 2 way tilt should be fairly straightforward, but will only be helpful in

25% of potential boat orientations.

The solar panel will be mounted on a 25mm stainless steel targa/arc

above/behind the boom and behind the backstay.

I would only intend to tilt when not sailing and while I am in fairly

close proximity to the boat.

Should I forget a 4 way manual tilt concept - and if not any ideas

how to design and make one?

[tkeithlu]

Well, in principle three points defines a plane, but let's work with four. If you attach four legs to your boat, spaced about right for the four corners of your panel, and three of them can to a limited degree pivot or shift at their bottom (boat) ends, while one is rigidly held in place, then you have a mount for your panel that will hold it in one place. Then if all the legs have long slots in them, wide enough to accommodate the threads of a bolt but not a wing nut, you can slide the corners of your panel to any angle you want, even if that is, say, 35 degrees elevation and 60 degrees azimuth relative to the bow. Tighten the wing nuts or large plastic knobs to lock the panel in the position you want.

An alternative design would involve a hinged pole in the middle of your panel that also rotates. Think about the hinge in a beach umbrella pole. It allows the umbrella (your panel) to be tipped toward the sun and locked, and then the pole also rotates. My concern for that design is making it sufficiently wind resistant.