[C320-list] Solar Panel On Dodger?

[Jack Brennan]

The most important factors when installing solar panels are shade and angle.

With even partial shade, the output of the panels will be significantly reduced. So you need to make sure they’re not sitting under the boom or constantly blocked by the mainsail.

Ideally, you would tilt your panels to catch the most direct sunlight. That’s not going to happen on a boat, though. So the best strategy is to keep them flat.

I used one-inch rail fittings and ss rail from Defender to build myself a frame that rests just behind the backstays and is supported by the stern rail. I mounted two 160-watt Renogy rigid solar panels there, with the cable wrapped around a backstay and routed through one of the Dorades on the stern.

I didn’t have much luck with flexible panels. They didn’t last more than a couple of seasons, mostly due to crappy wiring at the junction boxes at the end of the panels. Rigid panels are put together much more solidly.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
Tierra Verde, Fl.



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