William, you need to do the homework...
If you are looking for a second, adequate source of battery charging and you want to consider solar panel(s) to accomplish this, then you need to work thru the math for your boat. If you have a Link 10, 20 or 2000, you can use it to measure the amp/hr consumption on your boat for a given period of time. If you don't, use the amp requirements on the back panel of all your equipment (where the U/L codes are located) and estimate time each item is used by its amp loading. This won't be exact but it will get you to a reasonable approximation of the amp/hrs you need to replace in your house bank for any period of time you choose. You'll then need to assume a loss in recharging (say 10%) and look for solar panel(s) that can offer an average charging level (in amp/hrs) that will replenish that demand. This second step (solar panel output) is where huge errors can exist (was it a stormy week? winter vs. summer output) and a more likely scenario is that you will end up depending on one or two panels to replace at least a portion of the house bank drain, putting off the need to recharge and/or allowing you more flexibility in what you use onboard before running the engine. Feedback from others becomes more useful when you get to topics like sourcing the panels, longevity, after-sales support, etc. Only you can forecast your amp load for your boat & lifestyle. Jack
