Basic ebay solar kit for a boat?

[Intifada]

Hi, I want to get solar for my boat but to be honest my brain has a hard time understanding the ins and outs of electricity. Long question short: would I regret buying a kit from ebay and installing that? It's just to run a VHF, instruments when sailing and a laptop when necessary. I was thinking of getting a 100w panel kit for now and adding another panel if needed. The information on this forum is very in depth but a bit incomprehensible to me so I just want to keep it simple and get something that just works. Thanks.

[mvweebles]

Sure it will work.

Ar their core, solar systems are simple. One or more panels, a controller, and cabling. One panel and one controller is simple - kit or not. Difficult part is installation, and once the system gets larger, power/battery management. But the base principles are pretty straightforward. Panel>>>>controller (MPPT)>>>>battery.

Challenge with a kit is you limit yourself to the size panel they provide. And the controller may not scale to add another panel.

There are some really talented contributors on CF. A better approach for you might be to find a panel (or panels) that work for your boat, then ask the forum for guidance on matching a controller and fuse. I'm guessing you will get links to Amazon products you can simply order for a semi-custom kit.

Good luck.

Peter

[Pete7]

You could buy a kit but the contents tend to cheap, particularly the controllers which are simple on/off. If you had one in mind, post a link and let the forum have a look.

Alternately if the buget is very limited buy a solar panel and a PWM controller, a fuse, a switch and some wire of the right size.

If there is bit more in the budget then a MPPT will give more power and if you choose the right size could have additional panels added later if needed. Read this to understand the difference between PWM and MPPT:

https://www.solarlightsmanufacturer....e-controllers/

Once you have found a panel and controller you like, again give us a link and some one will give the thumbs up or down depending on value for money and suitability etc.

If you have a choice, go for big panels. Price up a 100w panel and a plus 250w panel and there will be little difference because big panels are available in huge numbers for homes and solar farms. Finally don't over look large second hand panels if you have the space on board. Some astonishing bargains on FB Marketplace in the UK and probably the same in other Western countries.

Pete

[dwedeking2]

I felt the same way and bought a cheap kit off of Amazon. Once I got my hands on it and realized how simple it was I replaced the controller with a victron mppt. I then bought the tools and supplies and did a diy system as well.

[Spot]

I bought a 50w kit from Amazon: panel, controller, and wiring. The 20$ controller got wet and stopped working. The company replaced it for free. I then made sure it was mounted in a better/dry location and then learned later that the connection to the battery should be fused. I also added some small lengths 3 feet (1 m)to the factory wiring with crimped connections and ring terminals as well as they were too short to mount the components in desired locations. They system has been running for about a year straight, hot (100F /38 C) and cold (-30F /-35 C) weather, with no other issues. The only thing I am lacking are good mounting brackets for the panel to the boat.

https://www.amazon.com/SUNER-POWER-W.../dp/B07WYZPN2B

[Peter1949]

Check out One of CF’s sponsors web site
Ocean planet
They have a great assortment of panels and one series comes with a controller built in.

[Stu Jackson]

Have you considered learning more about the subject?


None of us was born an electrician.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by Intifada

Hi, I want to get solar for my boat but to be honest my brain has a hard time understanding the ins and outs of electricity. Long question short: would I regret buying a kit from ebay and installing that? It's just to run a VHF, instruments when sailing and a laptop when necessary. I was thinking of getting a 100w panel kit for now and adding another panel if needed. The information on this forum is very in depth but a bit incomprehensible to me so I just want to keep it simple and get something that just works. Thanks.

The cheap Ebay kit might be the way to go if only for the educational value if for no other reason. Once you get that hooked up a lot of the learning curve issues you're having should resolve themselves.

Solar has come a long since the first 30k system I installed twenty years ago (it was for a small private school) The panels are much less expensive with a 300 watt panel today costing far less than the 100 watt panels we used and they're roughly the same size. On your 27' Albin, there are two likely places to mount solar panels. The aft safety rails are the logical choice. Mantus Marine makes some nifty mounting brackets to attach the panels. After that you need to drop the wiring through the deck in such a manner as it won't leak https://www.scanstrut.com/marine/pow...ble-seal/multi These guys make some interesting products to address that problem. The wire should be at least 10 gauge so you don't get voltage drop - 12v systems are notorious for this over any runs longer than 10'. To control shading issues you should have one controller per panel (Victron MPPT are the best) As you start getting deeper into this you'll find that you need a bigger battery bank to store all that power you're making. LIFPo4 is the gold standard at the moment (cha ching) and then you may need an inverter to give you 110v power to run your blender for the foo foo drinks or just to make ice.

As you have already gathered all of this can be endless. For now, just get the cheap kit (don't expect too much) and see where you want to go from there. And remember, the technology behind this stuff is advancing so quickly that anything you buy today will be obsolete in five years (but it will still probably work)

[jen1722terry]

Excellent advice for you from the many kind posters.

One thing we recall from our self-enlightment with solar is that the type of batteries you have affects the type of controller you choose. Our old controller would not charge at the required voltage of our new AGM batteries, which shortened battery life. So we had to buy another controller.

Also, someone above mentioned cable length from the panel to the controller. So try to keep it as short as possible and don't undersize the cable (increases resistance for the 12 volt current).

But once you get solar installed, you'll love it. Our old (12 years) 160W panel runs our small NovaKool fridge, our lighting, charges all our devices and keeps the batteries topped up. If you have a decent size ice box, you may be able to add insulation and install a real fridge, which means no more ice hauling. Our little fridge even has a small freezer for ice cream, fish and meats.

If you ever decide to install the fridge, PM us and we can walk you thru the install.

And best of luck.

[thomm225]

I ran for the first few years on my boat with a 65 watt panel and cheap Chinese charger I paid $12 for (panel was $76)

But the panel charged two 12 volt batteries in parallel.

Now I have two 90 ah 12 volt batteries in parallel and several different controllers from the Chinese one which was PWM to a Victron MPPT.

The Victron failed after a couple years, but the cheap PWM's I have are what I use now with the 4 panels I have totaling 155 watts.

I have no alternator on my outboard so the solar power my lights, autopilot, inverters, computers, HDTV, fans, depth, and VHF

Btw solar is pretty simple to hook up as are the controllers...but I'm saying that as an electronics tech since 1975.

Manager of electronics/computer/cyber techs now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nXfjcCuiPk

[cottonsail]

I used Sun Electronics in Miami FL. Absolute best prices and great tech help. I did the support structure myself. Grand total for everything $1146. for 500 watt's of Sanyo panels (2) 80 amp outback controller, locally obtained 2" dia. 6061 _T6 aluminum tubing and ss braces from Garhaur marine.

[thomm225]

100 watts should work for you if you have two 12 volt batteries in parallel that the panel will charge thru a controller

Besides the other things I mentioned above, I usually run a fan all night at anchor.

This is a good kit.

https://www.renogy.com/renogy-100w-1...xoC6-gQAvD_BwE

The panel I have attached to my stern railing in the video above is a Renogy 50 watt.

[sophiedaisey]

There is a guy on You Tube, EXPLORIST Life - DIY campers who has excellent video series on solar panels, installation. Starts with the basics. He is a good teacher.

[Capt.Don]

I went through several iterations of my solar. My first attempt was to buy two 50w panels (claim to be Suwaki w/Sunpower cells?) and an PWM controller off eBay. I quickly replaced the controller with a pair of Victron 75/15 MPPT controllers (one for each panel). After about 1 1/2 years the 50w panels started to delaminate and 1/2 the cells on one of the panels are failing. I replaced them with a pair 80w eBay specials. I only used them for 1 year, though I don't trust them. Then I bought a pair of Renogy 100w panels, and a year later bought a 3rd. After a 2 seasons in Mexico, the original Renogy panels look like new.

I would spend a few more $$$$ and buy a reputable solar panel and the Victron MPPT controllers. That and a bit of M4C connectors and wire, you should be good to go. You don't need a "kit".

On a side note, my friend just bought a kit of 2x 50w Sunpower panels, with Victron 75/15 MPPT controller and a bluetooth Victron temperature and voltage sensor. Not a bad setup, but he paid more than it would have cost to buy the components individually.

Don

[Intifada]

Thanks for all the helpful info. So I'm thinking of these:
Tp-solar 100W flexible solar panel 12 V monocrystalline which comes with 12AWG conncectors.

Renogy Voyager - 20A Negative PWM Waterproof Charge Controller An MPPT seemed better but delivery to my current location (Netherlands) and budget means I'm going for a PWM

edit: In case an MPPT is highly recommended by this forum here is the one I was looking at: EPEVER 20A MPPT

Some questions: From what I can tell, 3 metres from panels to controller should use minimum 2mm^2 wire which is about 12AWG but if it ends up a greater distance and I go up in cable diameter am I limited by the 12AWG connectors on the solar panel? Do I have to replace them completely?

From controller to battery what AWG cable should be used?

Is it better having the controller closer to the batteries or the solar panel or does it matter?