solar power suggestions?

[dan c]

want to have electricity this year and don't want to have to lug around a charger. can anyone suggest a reputable brand or place to look. would greatly appreciate any input. it's for a catalina 22 and mostly just want it for running and interior lights. something aroud 20 watts. that's all i know so far.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Unisolar or Kyrocera

Check the West Marine Advisors and what they sell and Google solar panels. RV stores are also a great source of equipment at less than "marine" prices.

 

[Wanderer138]

My 15 W Unisolar

Keeps me charged as long as I don't get greedy. Since solar charging is slow, I try not to drop below 50% of rated battery capacity, to avoid sulfating the cells. If you need more power, consider getting one of those little 1 or 2 kW generators.PeterH23 "Raven"

 

[mike C16582]

do the math

Dan, add up the average amp hour usage that you'd draw each week and then compare to your batt. bank. If you have 1 marine deep cycle with about 100 amp hours then you can get up to approx. 50 amp hours before it starts to sulfate. If you are only occasionally using your running lights and occasionally using your interior lights (there are ways to use less such as a nice lantern, candles, etc,etc) a trickel charger (5 amps) would keep the batt topped off each week. If you are using more, then the 15amp will replace most of this usage. FWIF, I have a 15 unisolar on my house bank (105 amp hours) and used my batts frequently (auto bilge pump, interior lights on 2 week vacation, running lights once a week) and I never drained my house battery. ( no engine altinator as well...)

 

[Fred]

If you're just using lights. use LED lights and

you'll have plenty of power with almost any decent solar panel. We carry a couple of crank lights and shake lights for reading in bed. They last quite a while with a few minutes of crank or shake, and they go out if you fall asleep with no drsin on the main batteries.Only problem is you can't tell the kids to turn off the d**n light to save batteries.

 

[dan c]

thanks alot everyone!

thanks for all your suggestions. think it'll save me a lot of time money and peace of mind that i'm getting the right thing. i really appreciate it, thanks