simple mast for solar panel

[FourPoints]

Currently I have my solar panel attached to the starboard corner of the stern rail, and around 3 it is getting the corner shaded by the dinghy motor that sits next to it, and by 4 or 5pm, most of the panel is shaded by the bimini. This isn't horrible when I'm at the dock as there is almost no electricial load, so I don't need much power from it to maintain the batteries, but it is a problem when we are out on the hook as the boat never seems to sit at as good of an angle to the sun as when at the dock, and the panel ends up being shaded for 2/3rds of the day.

My goal since buying the panel was to install a small mast (single 1" SS tube should be enough) that attaches to, and runs parallel to the stern rail stantion and bring the panel above the bimini frame, but I haven't been able to locate the appropriate hardware to attach the SS tube to do this. The only hardware I have found is bimini frame pieces, but they don't seem to make one that attaches one piece to another in parallel.

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[JohnS]

Find a well stocked drum shop and ask to look at some of their accessory hardware that clamps onto cymbal stands.

Here's a link to some items from a manufacturer generally well respected by drummers who need their gear to withstand violent abuse. The downside is, its not designed for a marine environment, so regular lubing and inspection would be necessary.

http://www.gibraltarhardware.com/?fa=partsmain&sid=494&cid=104&curcat=2

Or you could use some of these as ideas and ask a machine shop to fabricate something for you.

 

[Bob S]

would this work?

http://garhauermarine.com/catalog_process.cfm?cid=82

 

[Bill Roosa]

My engineer sense tells me that the wind loading during a storm is going to identify a major weakness in your 1" tube design.
I'm doing a similar project for my boat and planing for +60 MPH winds is requring a 6" PVC for the upright. I'm stealing the solar stik design (google it) and my panels are probably larger (more wind load) so I can't tell for sure if yours will work or not as designed.
I came up with 2-4'X4' panels that introduce a 1000 lb horizontal load to the upright.
FWIW

 

[Ed Schenck]

Garhauer is the right answer I think. They make many rail attachment accesories. I have their radar tower attached to the rails. You probably can't make one for much less than their tower.

 

[JohnS]

would this work?

http://garhauermarine.com/catalog_process.cfm?cid=82

Hmm, maybe I could check them out for use as drum hardware. May be cheaper....

 

[Sumner]

Here might be a place to start...

http://www.marinepartdepot.com/new316ststra2.html

...and there are others, search for "marine stainless steel tube fittings".

Just a hint and you might already know this, but it is pretty easy to make straight connector pieces from aluminum tubing that hardware stores and Home Depot usually carries. Determining the overall length and cut it with a hacksaw. Then put a couple pieces of plywood in a vise to protect the tubing from marks, which I didn't do below.

Crush the ends in for a ways. Then hammer the crushed part flat. Mark where your holes need to be on both ends for the proper overall length and drill them. Using the hacksaw and some files or a hand grinder round the...

..... flat ends. The grinder will load up with aluminum and you have to be careful when doing this. I always wear a full face shield and you should also. Safer to just cut the ends a couple times with the saw and then finish rounding with a file.

You will end up with a ....

...nice looking piece that can be used...

... in different applications. I have a TIG welder and welded the seam on the end of the brace above, but if you just hammer it flat you will hardly notice the seam.

Here are links to how I mounted first a single panel....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/outside-22.html

then multiple panels....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor2/outside-33.html

Which I'm now re-doing so that they don't hang over the sides so far which is a real pain if you sail where there are pilings,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

 

[Merlin Clark]

Here might be a place to start...

http://www.marinepartdepot.com/new316ststra2.html

Great selection and pricing, thanks Sum!

 

[jfmid]

Planning the same thing

Hello Four Points,
I am planning the same thing and have been doing a lot of "research" while completing other projects. From what I have discovered you can either reinvent the wheel or pay a lot of money to someone who has a mount already fabricated. I think Sumner is on the right track but I dont have his fabrication skills.
Here are some links to companies etc that have what we seem to be looking for.

http://www.atomvoyages.com/projects/solartracker.htm

http://svhotwire.com/info/?p=503

http://www.noa.se/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/NOA-Broschyr-2011-Engelsk.pdf
this PDF has a section on solar panel mounts.

I still dont know what I will end up doing. I want a pole to put the single panel up about 5 feet above the gunwale so that it will be really hard to bang my skull against it while standing in the pit of the cockpit. I want to place it as far back as possible aft. Right now the atomvoyages thing is the leading contender but approx $500 is way above my budget and I dont trust myself in being able to fabricate a clone.

 

[Ron20324]

Why not just mount it on the bimini? I just put two panels up with two tubes fore and aft between the two rear bows, then two tubes athwartship the width of the panels.

 

[walt]

Fourpoints, maybe you can get some ideas from this "waterworld" solar stick knockoff..

I had a carbon fiber pole lying around that just happened to be the same diameter as the plastic fishing rod holders.. Two fishing rod holders attach to the rail tubing. The panel can be both rotated and tilted..

Its all fabricated using epoxy and glass - some rivets in the AL pieces. I’ve been using this for a few years now, its worked well.

Very easy to remove (important to me since I trailer and mostly use the boat for day sailing), I loosen a radiator hose clamp on one the fishing rod holders and slide the panel and pole out.

 

[FourPoints]

The garhauer link gave me an idea....

if I attach a deck hinge like this http://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?9024 and put a cap fitting on the base of the mast like this http://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?9030/Top+Fittings+-+Caps+&+Inserts I can attach it to the angled deck where I want, and then use a rail mount hinge like this http://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?9032/Rail+Mount+Hinge and attach support arms from the rail to the mast to secure it upright.

I drew up a quick concept idea on an old photo from when the bimini was installed. Currently the solar panel is on a rail mount directly behind the proposed mount to starboard of the old, now dead and replace dinghy motor. To it's hard to see the way the site compresses the images, but I circled in red where the connections will be, with the connections being one of the two types circled in green from the existing bimini.

 

[FourPoints]

btw, Thanks for the marinepartdepot.com link, I will keep that in mind for future projects! For this project however I'm going to buy whatever parts I can from a local chandlery because I want to try to get the IT support contract from their business, so I'm trying to make friendly with them

 

[n624ma]

Walt, I'm curious, what is the "Roller Apparatus" near the for?

 

[walt]

mast crutch.. (boat is mostly trailered)

 

[Technodad]

here is simple..........
Underneath the panel are 1 1/2" x 3/16" alum flat bars screwed together then painted flat black.
Wire comes down through the tube and out the bottom.
I made the alum clamps.

For my O'Day 23 I have a 15 watt panel and I am going to do this but with two tubes, one on each end.

 

[FourPoints]

here is simple..........
Underneath the panel are 1 1/2" x 3/16" alum flat bars screwed together then painted flat black.
Wire comes down through the tube and out the bottom.
I made the alum clamps.

For my O'Day 23 I have a 15 watt panel and I am going to do this but with two tubes, one on each end.

That is almost exactly what i am trying to acheive, although I cannot mount directly to the stantion as it would get in the way of things. I should also note that I do have the actual mount for the panel already done, it is just the mast i need. I think i am going to try the design i drew up yesterday and see how it works.

Where did you get those brackets to clamp the mast to the stantion?

 

[Bob S]

I made the alum clamps.

Brian,

They look home made and pretty clever too. What size panel did you end up buying and how big is your house bank? I assume all went well after the fire.

 

[FourPoints]

I have a 12w high efficiency polycrystal panel from Ganz (Defender spring sale, $99). They call it high efficiency because it gets 12w out of the same space as many of the other companies (aka the ones you see @ west marine) are getting ~5w, and while weighing about half as much. In fact the bracket that the panel is attached to is a sunsei 5w panel mount that was on clearance for $15. The house bank consists of 2 group 24 batteries, one 86AH, the other roughly 60AH connected to an 1-2-B switch, with the solar charge controller attached directly to battery 1 (the 86AH). Most of the time I leave the switch in the B position so that both batteries get charged. Even with the panel getting shaded by the dinghy motor and bimini mid afternoon it is doing a great job keeping the batteries topped off, but that is helped alot by the fact that I replaced all my lighting (both cabin & nav) with LEDs last season.

As for the galley fire, the teak plywood was on backorder for about a month, and finally came in 2 days before my carpenter went on a 2 week vacation. When he got back he started a large out of town project for his day job, and as of yet hasn't completed anything for me, VERY frustrating! The good news though is that he is going to do the varnish work for me (I am about half way through varnishing all the wood work in the cabin, and had just started the project, in other areas not affected by the fire thankfully, when the fire happened) so when I get the new cabentry from him, it will be 100% done and ready to install already varnished and looking good.