Average Cost to Go Solar / Wind on Sailboat ?

[thinwater]

... but this is because both the electrical buget (how much you will use) and mounting (but he doesn't have the boat yet) are unknown.

I will simply share my expereince...
Sail Delmarva: Solar Panels
... and add that if you are not very DIY and understand power, this can be done badly.

I spent about $700 for a 32-foot cat, but...

• I'm an engineer by trade
• I had some stuff in the might-need bin
• I like DIY--I understand it better that way
• You may want more panels
• my mounting was simple--cats with hard tops are naturals for solar

... so if you have it installed on an arch it will be many times that figure.

[familycruisers]

Ahhh the old might need bin! Know it well.

[lyndon.nz]

anyone got a contact for 2nd hand solor or wind gear in split croatia, am going offshore in 4 weeks and need some gear

[barnakiel]

We started with a single solar of that gave us 4 Amps when it was sunny. The cost roughly 300USD.

Now we got another identical unit and a regulator.

b.

[svWindfall]

We currently have (1) 135 Watt panel, with upgrade plans of (4) additional 135 watt panels - plus a 50 watt controller/booster.

[pressuredrop]

solar panels are now ridiculously affordable

Lowest Prices in Solar Panels, Systems & Inverters

unless you make the mount for them yourself with spare bimini fittings/tubing you are sure to pay more for the mounting of the panel than the panel itself...

sun electric has panels for under $1/watt...

soo $300 will get you a 200 watt panel... $150 for a charge controller (fan of the morning star ps-15 and ps-30 myself) mounting will cost anywhere from $50 to $500 depending on the level of diy...

[Eleven]

Solar should do the bulk of what you need, but Maplin Ltd (UK) are doing a little Wind Genny with vertical drum thing that extends up. £150.00 today, down from a much higher list price. It fills the gap when solars not working, which is usually when it's windy! 4 amps at f5 plus. Easy mounting.
The propeller ones take up a lot of space. This is going to hang off my outboard bracket.

[familycruisers]

Got a link to the wind genny?

[sded]

I have 4x75 watt Siemens panels, chosen at least partly because dimensions and light weight let me move them around. Oldest is ~15yo with no noticeable degradation. You can get a lot more power out of panels if instead of rigidly mounting them, you allow some freedom to move them more toward the Sun. For a low cost system I mounted SS rails between stanchions with aluminum bar stock and U bolts, and mounted the panels on aluminum bar stock and rail clamps. Then added a forward right angle ss panel mount so that all 4 panels can be mounted on one side as necessary, tilted in the roll axis, and the forward one even has two degrees of freedom-it is not used for stowing the panels underway, just for more power options at anchor. Panels have been to Mexico and back mounted on the rails with no problems, and are removable in high winds to be stowed below if necessary. Mostly just moved them once or twice a day so I didn't have to run the engine when anchored for a month at places like Barra de Navidad in late December with low sun angles and the refrigerator/freezer running. Wiring goes through a hatch under the dodger to plugs at the controller and there to the batteries, so everything is completely removable in a reasonable time. I also don't like heavy things mounted over my head on Biminis/dodgers in rough weather no matter who the welder/fabricator is. And prefer to anchor where the wind doesn't blow hard all the time.

[Eleven]

Try a google search -
50w Portable Telescopic Wind Turbine Generator
listed on E-bay at £159.00
It's not listed in Maplin's site butis in our shop in Southampton, UK.

[Eleven]

Just for comparison -
Pro User 850 Watt Petrol Generator
by Lime Marketing
2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews) Like (2)
Price: £87.20
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by pulseleisureltd.

[Eleven]

And add an electric outboard to dink, or side thruster -
Minn Kota Endura C2 30 Transom Mount Electric Outboard Motor 12V
by Minn Kota
Be the first to review this item Like (11)
RRP: £174.99
Price: £139.99 FREE SHIPPING
You Save: £35.00 (20%)
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.
Only 7 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).
Want guaranteed delivery by 1pm Tuesday, September 27? Order it in the next 56 hours and 20 minutes, and choose Express Delivery at checkout. See Details

[Sam Plan B]

$700 for Windmax turbin with regulator (Amazon.com).
$150 for eight foot stainless steel schedule 40 pole (Ebay).
$45 for cast stainless steel base plat for schedule 40 pole (Ebay).
$100 for four cast stainless steel 45 degree stantion sockets (Defender).
$80 for two eight foot lengths of stainless steel tube (Defender).
$150 for 200 feet of #8 wire (Ebay).
$75 for welder to assemble the steel post, base plate and two of the four sockets.
$1300 total. Not counting Dow 5200 caulk, paint and misc. screws.
It keeps the batteries charged.

[onestepcsy37]

$400 for kyocera 135 watt panel.
$200 for ss tubing, sockets, u-bolts, wire, etc. to build mount
$40 for simple controller (but i never used it)
one long day to put it together.
been working flawlessly...

[Eleven]

Two solar panels that every day equals one windy that works some times.
Windy is always a back up for solar, particularly to cover the night runs on autopilot and with nav lights. Also keeps the number of batteries down a bit if you don't have to cover the dark times. Does show the value of a diesel genny/prop drive to top up the battery before the night shift starts, wouldn't need the windy then, and the diesel is kept serviceable by regular running.