Why Don't Manufacturers Build For Solar?

[mbuckner]

Hello,

Check Antares Yachts: Building the World's Best Liveaboard Catamaran .... they have panels on the roof
and on an arch.

[Factor]

Originally Posted by savoir

Boat buyers who want solar are in the extreme minority as in less than 5%. Nobody makes money catering to 5% of the market.

When I was selling boats - not a single new boat was ordered that didn't have solar panels, most of them came standard on the boats we sold

[Mirage Gecko]

Manufacturers have been fitting solar for years.
My boat is 11 years old and was sold new with a solar system built in.
I have added to the system substantially since I purchased it a couple of seasons ago.
To the OP obviously I have no clue what boats you are looking at but it would difficult to find a boat delivered here that was not fitted with some solar.
However one point no one has mentioned yet is simple economics what I mean is I recently added another couple of 250 panels ,controller wiring etc for about $ 800 Aud fitted.What would that cost from the boat builder if compared to say sails from the loft or the builder.

[savoir]

Posters 32 and 33 are both limiting their considerations to cats sold in Queensland. How much of the overall boating market is that?

Maybe 1/4% ?

[LeeV]

My solution would be simple; if I can afford one of the new cats, I'd find a reputable builder(s), and have them build a boat of my voice. Schionning, White, and other great designers can provide plans with arches, etc...for mounting the panel sizes I prefer. As it is I'm planning for my own mounting solutions.

Respectfully,

[KWISPEL]

Ovni have standard davids and a arc for solar pannels!

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by savoir

Boat buyers who want solar are in the extreme minority as in less than 5%. Nobody makes money catering to 5% of the market.

What? I just counted, and 65% of the sailboats in my marina have more 2 or more panels. Most of these are NOT on arches.

The Chesapeake Bay is a substantial market. I wonder if the market grows the farther south (more sun, longer season) you go.



As for variable panel sizes, that is a trivial matter. There are many ways to mount, and the mount can be adjustible. What matters is flat space out of shade and traffic. Cable routing was not a problem for me, because the builder had left a few conduit tunnels in the hard top.

[iliohale]

Take a look at Outremer, standard option are solar panels over the dinghy davits. This is a great place for the panels and should be on most cats.

Gary

[Juho]

The original question makes sense. Today it would make sense to build most cruising oriented boats so that they either have or can be easily upgraded to have solar panels in some optimal location.

The rear arch approach seems to be the most obvious approach because of the shadow problem and since it can be used for bimini and davits too. A simple wide arch can probably support many different panel sizes well enough. Manufacturers could have the arch as a factory option (that can be added later too).

Boats with arch may not be as pretty as boats without an arch (from a traditionalistic point of view). But a boat with a well designed arch is probably much prettier than a boat with some ad hoc construction at the rear.

[GoingWalkabout]

Originally Posted by Juho

The original question makes sense. Today it would make sense to build most cruising oriented boats so that they either have or can be easily upgraded to have solar panels in some optimal location.

The rear arch approach seems to be the most obvious approach because of the shadow problem and since it can be used for bimini and davits too. A simple wide arch can probably support many different panel sizes well enough. Manufacturers could have the arch as a factory option (that can be added later too).

Boats with arch may not be as pretty as boats without an arch (from a traditionalistic point of view). But a boat with a well designed arch is probably much prettier than a boat with some ad hoc construction at the rear.

At last someone who gets it. Bravo. I've been looking at the top 4 cat manufacturers and yes two if them are now offering solar as a factory option. Early models they didn't. Of these none are positioning the panels in any place that makes sense. Extreme shading. Under booms. It's as if they are trying to meet customer demand but are doing it is an uneducated afterthought. Basically they have no idea what they are doing. Anyone that puts solar panels under their boom has just shot at least half of the panels power.

And yes I am after an aesthetically pleasing solution. Call me crazy buy I don't think it's too much to ask if I'm spending up to $2 million new that I should expect a factory solution for a "nice" looking arch and not have to put up scaffolding on my stern.

Thanks.

[GoingWalkabout]

Originally Posted by mbuckner

Hello,

Check Antares Yachts: Building the World's Best Liveaboard Catamaran .... they have panels on the roof
and on an arch.

I'm in BA at the monent. Do you have their contact details in Argentina. I tried to get it from their site to no avail.

Regards,
Chaya

[Factor]

Originally Posted by savoir

Posters 32 and 33 are both limiting their considerations to cats sold in Queensland. How much of the overall boating market is that?

Maybe 1/4% ?

Nope, I'm talking about Cats sold in Australia.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by GoingWalkabout

.......... Basically they have no idea what they are doing.

So true about so many electrical systems of ANY kind on boats from builders. Most (but NOT all) simply don't get it, at all.

I remember when Nigel Calder was tricking out his new Cabo Rico. He had to do so much work to get the basic electrical system right (i.e., before solar) that he might have been better off just starting from scratch.

Battery boxes too small or too low or both for golf cart batteries.

Alternator output run to the C post of the 1-2-B switch instead of to the house bank and using a VSR (of any type). IIRC, skippers were using oil pressure sensors to do just that back in the 50s!!!

Ever hear of battery monitors? Could be "standard" on all new boats, but nooooooooo.

The list is endless. The repeated discussions on this and every other boating forum about HAVING TO upgrade electrical systems if one wants to do more than marina hopping is truly frightening.

The only other reason I can think of (besides lowest first cost for builders and "every one else does it that way") is: we build for marina hoppers, if you want to use your boat differently, then by all means, enhance your electrical system, but what we build "will work."

My experience has indicated to me that other than the fine respondents here on this forum, a vast majority of new-to-them boat owners, and perhaps even more new boat owners, have NO grasp whatsoever about boat electrical systems.

The fact that once they buy the boats and figure out what doesn't work when they want to spend more than one night at anchor, is interesting. The basics have been documented all over the web, and in some places very well done, i.e., Maine Sail's website, so it's becoming easier to answer the same old same old questions that come up over and over again.

You know, the ones that start off with: "I don't know how much power I use or how big my battery bank should be. Can you help?"

Adding solar to that toxic mix would be very interesting.

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Ever hear of battery monitors? Could be "standard" on all new boats, but nooooooooo.

Certainly standard on some.

Sadly it appears that some people judge the entire industry by what 3 or 4 builders do. Ido agree on the issue of marina hopping, many of the boats are designed and built for the charter trade, where sailing is a nice thing to do when the conditions are perfect and they are either in marinas or have the gen set running full time.

[sailorboy1]

Bet if you order a custom boat you can get all the solar mounting provisions you want