Solar Panel Wiring

[chucklet321]

When setting up your solar panels how can you wire them without the wires dangling over the deck? Can you wire them on the inside the ship without drilling a hole in the hull?

[paulf]

Your joking, right?

[Lagoon4us]

Mount them in the dinghy and use the shore power cord = no dangly wires!

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by chucklet321

When setting up your solar panels how can you wire them without the wires dangling over the deck? Can you wire them on the inside the ship without drilling a hole in the hull?

mount the panels below deck

you can not really be asking if you can get a wire from outside the boat to the inside of the boat without them going though a hole can you?

[Sailmonkey]

dangling wires are a sign of a cluttered mind, also solar panels go on the deck, so the hole to pass the wires below decks is on the deck, not the hull.

[s/vPainkiller]

Well, actually this does bring up a serious question. I have recently purchased a solar-wind solution but I have not yet been able to find time to install them. So, I am going to have 2 sets of 6/2 wiring going through the hull. This is going to require a pretty good size hole - maybe 1.0-1.25" dia. What is the best method of making this waterproof? I assume people are running the wiring through the hull without using a deck connector ala shore power. Just drill a hole, run the wire through, then seal with silicone sealant? Cover with a clamshell? Is there a more elegant way to do this? Am I overthinking it?

Scott

[salticrak]

Rubber grommits ?

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by s/vPainkiller

Well, actually this does bring up a serious question. I have recently purchased a solar-wind solution but I have not yet been able to find time to install them. So, I am going to have 2 sets of 6/2 wiring going through the hull. This is going to require a pretty good size hole - maybe 1.0-1.25" dia. What is the best method of making this waterproof? I assume people are running the wiring through the hull without using a deck connector ala shore power. Just drill a hole, run the wire through, then seal with silicone sealant? Cover with a clamshell? Is there a more elegant way to do this? Am I overthinking it?

Scott

For neat deck pass throughs, I prefer to use round wire rather than flat. such as this

Cobra Wire & Cable, A Division of EIS, Inc. | UL 1426 Round Multiple Conductor Boat Cable

through something like this

Scanstrut Cable Clam / Deck Seal

[Bash]

Originally Posted by chucklet321

When setting up your solar panels how can you wire them without the wires dangling over the deck? Can you wire them on the inside the ship without drilling a hole in the hull?

Chucklet, you're bothering the grownups. Run along and play.

[s/vPainkiller]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

For neat deck pass throughs, I prefer to use round wire rather than flat. such as this

Cobra Wire & Cable, A Division of EIS, Inc. | UL 1426 Round Multiple Conductor Boat Cable

through something like this

Scanstrut Cable Clam / Deck Seal

Beautiful. The Scanstrut Deck Seal is exactly what I want. I already have the wiring, but I think one of the larger Scanstrut's would work fine. Thanks.

Scott

[senormechanico]

Here's an easy solution, wire the output of the panels to a wireless router, then hook up your laptop's speaker output to your boat's batteries.
That oughta work if you turn the volume up all the way.

<sarcasm>

[TheOffice]

Blue Sea Systems makes a waterproof wire clamp.
CableClams*&mdash;*Blue Sea Systems

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by TheOffice

Blue Sea Systems makes a waterproof wire clamp.
CableClams*&mdash;*Blue Sea Systems

I've got one of those, and I've used the scanstrut ones.....The blue seas white plastic degrades in the sun pretty rapidly.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by chucklet321

When setting up your solar panels how can you wire them without the wires dangling over the deck? Can you wire them on the inside the ship without drilling a hole in the hull?

Maybe you can invent a WiFi solution to your wiring problem. Let us know how it goes.

I have seen Hunters owners snake the wires down the overhead traveler tubes through the hole a the bottom of the tubes into the boat. It can be done but there is a lot of wires in those tubes already from the lights and speaker wires. I helped my friend do it on a Hunter 38 and it worked out well. Had to open up the hole with a dremel tool.

[Hudson Force]

The options depend on where the panels are mounted. Mine are on top of my dinghy davits, so I have the wires running down inside the davit pipe.


You can't see them well, but that's the point. I drew the wires through the pipe by first pulling a piece of dental floss with a cotton ball tied to the end sucked through with a vacuum cleaner.