Hunter 410 solar panel placement

[Jim D]

Has anyone installed solar panels on top of a hunter arch? looking to install one or two panels on top of the arch above the traveler on a 2001 410. Looking for ideas for mounting panels. Size of panels will be in line with 140w typical.
Thanks
Jim

 

[Don Lucas]

I mounted my 290W panel above the bimini. I mounted the front tubing to the flat sheet metal that the traveled is mounted to and the aft to the aft most bar of the bimini frame. Then ran L angle bars across this and mounted the solar panel to it. This allowed the solar panel to be back behind the boom so it wouldn't normally have shade on it from the boom (still still depending on the wind direction).

 

[seadaddler]

Solar

Here is how I did mine on my 07 H-36 with 2-190 panels,ran the wires
down into the arch and down into the main AC/DC panel and charge controller under the nav station.
Nick

 

[seadaddler]

solar

More solar

 

[kjretlaw]

You can also build an extension right off the back of the arch for solar panels. Here's a picture from S/V Groovy. I scaled it down for my 326, moving it aft reduces your chance shading the panels.
If you want more on Groovy you can google their set up.


If you need davits the extension can support that as well.

 

[Darb]

Hello Jim D. I'm very late to the party but plan to do, this summer, what you have likely done by now; also to a 2001 410. I'd like to know what you eventually settled on assuming that you did install the panels? Please attach pictures if you can.

I'm looking to mount two larger rigid panels; 285 to 315 watts each. To do this I am intending to mount two approximate seven foot lengths of 1" round stainless tubing, attached at the forward end to the traveller arch and extending aft past the bimini top and cockpit enclosure. I will build an arch of 1" round SS attached to either the base of the traveller arch or to the transom which will run up to and behind the bimini and to which the two lengths of tubing coming aft from the traveller will 'T' into. I will attach the panels, one each, to the two 1" SS tubes with four lengths of 1" square SS tubing attached across the panels, and these attached to the round tubing with four tubing clamps each. I think this will be a relatively simple yet structurally sound means to attach the panels. I hope to run the wiring within the traveller arch and fit the controller and monitor at the nav station, below.

 

[FrankT]

Darb, Jim
I have a 2002 H410 and mounted two 190 panels pretty much as Darb and Seadaddler described above. Not sure when I'll get to the boat to attached photos but will do so if interested. Simply PM me. I went with 24 V panels to reduce wire size and was able to run the wiring through the arch. I installed a circuit breaker in the Port cockpit locker which I find handy for disconnecting the panels when needed. The MPPT controller was located below the Nav station seat. The SS tubing and fitting was almost as expensive as the panels. For us, this was one of the more useful upgrades we've made.

 

[Darb]

That was a quick reply, Frank T, and encouraging. If you were doing again, would you change any aspect of your setup? Did you use connector hardware with set screws or did you have your frame welded? Did you anchor the arch that you added at the stern to the traveller arch, the pushpit or the transom? My wife and I are looking to live aboard and that is why the approximate 600 watt solar array. We have a Northern Lights generator and can back up the solar with that. But only a 30 amp charger with it; we may have to upsize the charger. I would appreciate any suggestions that you might have Frank T. Thanks

 

[FrankT]

For the frame I used 1" SS tubing and various SS fittings available from a number of 'houses'. This enables me to break it down for winter storage and to accommodate the boat cover. I thru-hole bolted almost all the connections. Where I used set screws they were counter-sunk such that the set screw was almost completely embedded in the fitting then dabbed with thread lock. Probably overkill but I didn't want to deal with any 'adventures'. The fore section of the frame is anchored to the arch as Seadaddler shows in his photo. The aft section of the frame is connected to the bimini bow which is braced to the arch. The set up is very stable / secure. The tubing Standard 1"SS, because of the length of beam run have sagged perhaps 0.25-0.5 inches in the middle so in retrospect I might have used heavy gauge tubing (again probably overkill). The other thing I did was reinforced the solar panels with angle brackets in the corner of each solar panel and along the panel length to minimize the potential for any twisting of the panels (again probably overkill).