Seeking advice for building solar panel mount/canopy

[Oceandeep]

Photos of Bimini

[Oceandeep]

Another view

[CAPTAINRONBVI]

consider inserting a lightly tinted plexiglass panel between the 2 solar panels. this will give you support for the flexible panels in the middle and offer you unobstructed viewing of your mainsail.

in this fashion you could even extend the mounting a bit further forward to cover more area of the helm.

[Rorzech]

Those little wind generators you see around have a side thrust up to 150 lbs. So what ever you mount it on lay it on it's side and get some 150 lb person to sit at the generator end (without the gen mounted) and see if it can take the weight. for 8 ft. you might need 1 1/2" SS schedule 40. I used 1 1/2" aluminum schedule 40 for three foot mast.

[Rorzech]

Those little wind generators you see around have a side thrust up to 150 lbs. So what ever you mount it on lay it on it's side and get some 150 lb person to sit at the generator end (without the gen mounted) and see if it can take the weight. for 8 ft. you might need 1 1/2" SS schedule 40. I used 1 1/2" aluminum schedule 40 for three foot mast.

[Rorzech]

When picking material to construct with, remember that with aluminum the weld is the weakest point , and with SS the weld is the strongest point. Aluminum is not that strong to begin with either. But. It's a personal choice . Fair winds !

[Rorzech]

That's the cockpit of my dreams !

[goat]

I went simple with mine. Ordered a mount-on-top-of-the-rail Bimini frame and mounted a couple of hundred watt'ers with u bolts. Here's a shot of them with tyewraps temporarily holding them up.

[SJFK]

hi Piratelife
we have just had an arch built out of ss which sits behind our split backstay. It has a frame for our 190w solar panel and a built in support pole for a wind turbine. In addition we had mounting rails to take all the antennas off the pushpit and up high out of the way. It has integrated davits for our dinghy. I went the extra step to get it load tested which it was to 300Kgs, and this gave me re-assurance that it would be suitable for blue water cruising. The arch was designed and fitted by a local fabricator, which meant that we could go and inspect the arch as it was being built, and ask for additional features, such as fishing rod holders, a liferaft frame, and strengthening bars on the corners to prevent or reduce lateral movement. We also had extra D rings welded on so that we could attach a bimini to it from the spray hood, and also so that we could fit diagonal tensioning straps when in rough weather to help reduce lateral motion. The arch fits very well and I would say that it's curved lines complements our yacht lines, which has a reverse transom. What would I change? It would be great to have a tilting frame for the solar panel, but it has been very efficient so far. The biggest issue is with the davits, which should extend beyond the transom if you have a RIB. But remember that if they are permanently fixed they will add to the LOA of your yacht. We have a SIB, so it can rest on our transom as it is being lowered / raised without damaging the gelcoat. Having a SIB though means you can not suspend it with the outboard fitted; well we do not though others might. We have had to rig up straps to hold the dinghy in place and to prevent it from swinging. So, from my experience I would say go with the ss, and get it made for the boat. It is not a cheap alternative, but you should not be disappointed.

[Piratelife]

Originally Posted by Oceandeep

I built the Bimini Frame out of 1" stainless tubing. Sail rite has a nice kit that can be easily modified. As for the Davidts they are 1.5" stock. Again there are several kits out there that you can adapt. Let me try to attach some photos. I always seem to have trouble with adding photos on this site. (User error I suspect)

I've looked into these kits and they are not 316SS, they are "marine" 304, which I would not buy for many reason. Particularly being that I live in the tropics. But the ease of a kit would be nice if they did have 316 ss.

Originally Posted by goat

I went simple with mine. Ordered a mount-on-top-of-the-rail Bimini frame and mounted a couple of hundred watt'ers with u bolts. Here's a shot of them with tyewraps temporarily holding them up.Attachment 133467

This is essentially exactly what I am looking to build, however I don't have stern rails so would have to go to glass but can easily be done. How thick is your frame? Most bimini's ive seen have very thin aluminum, barely seem strong enough for what I want.

Originally Posted by SJFK

hi Piratelife. we have just had an arch built out of ss which sits behind our split backstay. It has a frame for our 190w solar panel and a built in support pole for a wind turbine. In addition we had mounting rails to take all the antennas off the pushpit and up high out of the way. It has integrated davits for our dinghy. I went the extra step to get it load tested which it was to 300Kgs, and this gave me re-assurance that it would be suitable for blue water cruising. The arch was designed and fitted by a local fabricator, which meant that we could go and inspect the arch as it was being built, and ask for additional features, such as fishing rod holders, a liferaft frame, and strengthening bars on the corners to prevent or reduce lateral movement. We also had extra D rings welded on so that we could attach a bimini to it from the spray hood, and also so that we could fit diagonal tensioning straps when in rough weather to help reduce lateral motion. The arch fits very well and I would say that it's curved lines complements our yacht lines, which has a reverse transom. What would I change? It would be great to have a tilting frame for the solar panel, but it has been very efficient so far. The biggest issue is with the davits, which should extend beyond the transom if you have a RIB. But remember that if they are permanently fixed they will add to the LOA of your yacht. We have a SIB, so it can rest on our transom as it is being lowered / raised without damaging the gelcoat. Having a SIB though means you can not suspend it with the outboard fitted; well we do not though others might. We have had to rig up straps to hold the dinghy in place and to prevent it from swinging. So, from my experience I would say go with the ss, and get it made for the boat. It is not a cheap alternative, but you should not be disappointed.

Sounds like a great system you got, any chance you could share a photo? I'm curious, if you care to share, how much it cost you to have a local fabricator create this for you? Also what size SS tubing did you use?

[hsi88]

SS tubing is easy to weld. I have a small TIG that does a nice job. But you can also build one with the new fittings available without welding anything.
Defender.com Search Results: 1" tube fittings

[SJFK]

Hi Piratelife
It cost £5k. A big chunk of money but it is such an integral part of the yacht that it had to right for us. The ss tube is one and a quarter inch. I have copied the url for the photo but not sure if this will work for you. If you send me your personal email I can send direct, if that is allowed from this forum.
/Users/newuser/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/Thumbnails/2016/06/03/20160603-185849/vri%IlxPR3a2j5BbdSH0Lw/thumb_IMG_0565_1024.jpg

[Piratelife]

Originally Posted by SJFK

Hi Piratelife
It cost £5k. A big chunk of money but it is such an integral part of the yacht that it had to right for us. The ss tube is one and a quarter inch. I have copied the url for the photo but not sure if this will work for you. If you send me your personal email I can send direct, if that is allowed from this forum.
/Users/newuser/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/Thumbnails/2016/06/03/20160603-185849/vri%IlxPR3a2j5BbdSH0Lw/thumb_IMG_0565_1024.jpg

Yikes! That's pricey. Unfortunately, I have spent a lot already, Just purchased the vessel two months ago, Paid about $2.5k for solar system upgrade, and will need to spend probably another $5k+ on new rigging very soon (Which I don't have the cash for). On top of that, It needs to have the port lights resealed, and I will need new anchor and chain before next summer. As you can see, I'm spending a lot off money already (which I don't have) so for the purpose of simply mounting the panels, and for now nothing else, I would like to do this as economically as possible. Thus, the purpose of this thread. If I had cash to just throw at the boat I would simply pay someone else to do it and not think about it. I'd like to get more of a DIY option, as I am a good welder, but with Mig, which is no good for stainless or aluminum, I will likely source a Tig welder, but would like to source the material as much as possible. I'm looking into the $500 MAX range...which I know is ridiculous is a lot of ways, but that is why I am going bare minimum right now, with the option of upgrading later.

I simply need something to put my panels on, but don't want to spend money on something that will be tossed out later. I want something that I can add to as my needs/fund allow for it. For this reason, I am definitely leaning more towards Aluminum as the prices are much more reasonable as I've seen, and more obtainable in Hawaii.

[thruska]

Quote: mig which is no good for ss or aluminum...

Years ago my millermatic 200 had a spoolgun mig setup which worked great for ss and aluminum.
Trimix gas for ss(argon, co2,helium)
Aluminum use argon of course.
I was able to buy a 2010 a millermatic 140 a week ago for 315$. They're not made any longer as 141 updates it. It welds with 110-120volts input, has gas solinoid, and will weld ss nicely with shielding gas in an enclosed area(meaning no wind). Excellent penetration with no blowthru and very little spatter, using spatter spray.
On another note,if you are lower budget, think out of the box. Doesn't Kauai have huge pineapple process plants? Wouldn't they have drop off tubing and fittings? How about dairy plants ? Much ss used there. Ss can be formed in the same benders used by muffler shops. I'm not aware of what's all available to you , but just tossing out some ideas,
Good luck with your sweetheart Columbia !��

[Piratelife]

Originally Posted by thruska

Quote: mig which is no good for ss or aluminum...

Years ago my millermatic 200 had a spoolgun mig setup which worked great for ss and aluminum.
Trimix gas for ss(argon, co2,helium)
Aluminum use argon of course.
I was able to buy a 2010 a millermatic 140 a week ago for 315$. They're not made any longer as 141 updates it. It welds with 110-120volts input, has gas solinoid, and will weld ss nicely with shielding gas in an enclosed area(meaning no wind). Excellent penetration with no blowthru and very little spatter, using spatter spray.
On another note,if you are lower budget, think out of the box. Doesn't Kauai have huge pineapple process plants? Wouldn't they have drop off tubing and fittings? How about dairy plants ? Much ss used there. Ss can be formed in the same benders used by muffler shops. I'm not aware of what's all available to you , but just tossing out some ideas,
Good luck with your sweetheart Columbia !��

Thanks for the ideas...I had heard that mig welding SS can take away some of the properties that make it so corrosion resistant. Although, I admit I havent looked into this myself but I will do a bit more research, would be nice if I could just weld it up myself.

Unfortunately no pineapple or dairy farms on kauai (although they are planning a dairy farm for kauai). Most the pineapple is on oahu or maui i believe. But I like where you are headed. I'm definitely trying to source cheap materials, I wonder how cheap it would be to get my material bent at a muffler shop...or how cheap purchasing my own bender would be.

All good info. Thanks!