Solar Information

[Bad Obsession]

I am thinking that a solar panel might be a good addition to my boat so that my batteries are getting something while I am sailing. What that in mind I have several questions about adding a panel to my boat.First of all my boat is a Catalina 30. When I am sailing it I tend to use my GPS, my autohelm (raymarine S1 wheelpilot), stereo, and not much else. The battery system is 1 house battery that is a group 27 and 1 starting battery that is a group 27. I sail with only the house battery on. I do not have refridgeration in the boat.What type of solar panel would be good for maintaining the system with what is being used?What is the total cost of adding solar to the boat?How hard is the install?Who is a good manufacturer?Any other suggestions?I am thinking that if I did this I would like to put the panel over the rear part of the Bimini. Anyone have any better suggestions they would be greatly appreciated.

 

[LANCE ON CLOUD NINE]

google soiar and read for days

I am a solar newbie,not an expert. I think after you figure power consumption,you will find that it is important to match soiar "array size" to battery capacity. A multi panel system will still only be able to stuff so much charge into a single house battery. I would 1)get a large simple single panel system to charge single house battery and then only run radio and basic electronics. or 2) Find room for atleast one more house battery and get a suitably sized multi panel system to run all items you mentioned.

 

[Maine Sail]

Before you go solar....

Bad,Your best mod is to upgrade your battery bank! If it were me I'd make the current location your house bank and install two 6V golf cart batteries, if you have the height, or two group 31's. Doing this would give you between 200 & 225 amp hours of capacity. I'd then buy an Optima type battery, that can be installed in any orientation including upside down, and find a new location for it. There are literally thousands of Catalina 30's out there with more than two batteries on board and it can be done as I did it on my old C-30.Solar gets very expensive and it's honestly not worth it until you have a house bank with more than 45 usable amp hours (a group 27 = roughly 90 ah's and a 50% discharge is 45 ah's). Solar panels also require a solar charge controller so they don't over fill or discharge the bank at night. Seriously, consider focusing on adding a battery monitor & upgrading your house bank before you even consider solar..P.S. My Siemens / Shell 80 watt solar panel runs roughly $625.00 before shipping and my charge controller was about $125.00. You'll also need some 12-2 marine grade wire and a way to mount your panel which could run another $75.00 - $200.00 in custom made parts and pieces. With direct sun I can get about 4.4 to 4.5 amps out of this panel but you only get direct sun for a couple of hours per day the rest of the time it puts out between .5 and 4 amps depending on conditions.

 

[Chuck Creel]

solar install

Maine Sail is correct. First id add a second house battery . I installed 2 12V group 24 batteries which gave me over twice the amp hrs of just one battery.you can always run your engine to recharge if needed.I also installed a solar system because i planned on going cruising along the coast.It can become expensive to go solar, depending on youe power needs.for example:Kc-130 panel 130wattscharge controller needed to prevent cooking batteries.Wire, misc hardwareThen you have to mount it so that it gets sunlight as much as possible.The system I have puts out 7.5 Amps for abt 4 hrs a day then 2 to 4 amps on over cast days.so far ive gone 3 days from shorepower or charge and pleased with system, but cost of system is over $800.00 plus mounting hardware that i made from SS tubing.I bought the system from wholesalesolar.comGreat people to deal with but there are others.Really depends on your needs and consumption as mentioned by previous post.This link may shed some light on your power drain and needs for solar.

 

[Dennis W.]

Solar Panels

For those interested in solar panels and saving money check the link provided. Go to the "Free Solar Price Survey" for direct links to retailers.Dennis W.S/V FullSailed

 

[Rob19574]

C-30 Battery set-up

FYI - if you are looking to bulk up your house bank on your c-30 this is what I did on my '78 C-30Remove the tray that holds the 2 27s in place....cut out the front end of it to accommodate 2 grp 31s. Then move the the starting battery to either the engine compartment or under the aft bunk (next to your fuel tank (which is what I did). Depending on the current shape of the remaining 27 - perhaps add that to the 31s and install that one next to your starting battery.Rob

 

[Maine Sail]

Rob..

Quote:"Depending on the current shape of the remaining 27 - perhaps add that to the 31s and install that one next to your starting battery."Rob,It's never advised to mix batteries of different sizes, types or ages! When buying a new house bank you should strive to buy identical batteries and try to find batteries with similar date codes. Also buy only from a vendor that turns inventory on a regular basis and who "faces" their inventory. This will usually be a battery distributor and many cities will have one. Shelf life sulfation is very real and does happen especially at places like marine stores who store their batteries at about 70-75 degrees. Warm environments lead to self discharge rates of between 1-15% per month and the warmer the environment the faster the discharge happens. Lead plate sulfation begins at about 80% of charge.So let's say you went to West Marine and bought two Group 31's. One has just arrived into inventory and the other due to "shelf facing issues" has never been the front battery for sale so it's now 12 months old. The difference in age and possible sulfation will shorten the life of both of your "brand new" batteries once hooked together in a house bank.To get the most bang for the buck buy from a local battery distributor!We have two here in Portland, ME Ed's Batteries and Battery World. They supply most every boat yard and builder in Maine as well as industry and auto shops...Again, DON'T waste money on a brand new battery if you're going to mix it with an old battery especially if it's of a different age, size and/or type..

 

[dave]

solar

I got the whole kit, with a 110 watt name brand, warranted panel from Hamilton Ferris for a bit under $1K. WOrked like a charm, even included the curve rail mounts so the panel could be tilted or stowed.Great people to work with and prompt. Solar will not solve a bad battery problem or other electrical issues.It will give you a quiet recharge with very low maintenance, mine has been going over a year with no issues what so ever. Even plays well with the Link 2000all the bestdave

 

[sand sailor]

i'm looking to go solar also

and found this

 

[Bob V]

The challenge with solar

Is finding enough acreage for the panels. I noticed in sandsailors link the panels 25 W and under, these should be considered trickle chargers. What you probably need is more like 100 - 300 Watts total and in a place where it does not get shade if possible. A small shadow can cut down the charge considerably especially if it "cuts the panel in half" like a boom shadow on a cabin top mount. I had a 130 W panel that I have used for about a year with good results. It was mounted on top of the bimini where there was seldom shade. I found it too be a bit small since I have a refrigerator/freezer on board plus all that other power hungry stuff.This year I am adding another 130 W for a total of 260 W. They will both be mounted on top of the bimini so there should not be much shading. As others have said, you need a charge controller.The equipment that I purchased is Sunsei brand and I am quite pleased with the performance. They also make the best looking panels that I have seen.Bob V