Solar Installation

Solar panel mounted on roof above cockpit.
While the boat is in storage for hurricane season, I figured it would be a good time to install a solar system. I drove down to Ft. Lauderdale (from Vero Beach) to eMarine Systems. There I purchased a Canadian Solar 255-watt panel, and a Blue Sky Solar Boost 3000i MPPT charge controller along with the 10-gauge cable and all the fittings. With this configuration I am expecting to have enough power to stay at anchor indefinitely and to run the refrigerator. I'll report how it does later in late November when I relaunch for the winter boating season.

SS heavy duty 1" x 1" cable clamps hold the panel to the rail.
I was able to locate some heavy duty stainless steel cable clamps to attach the panel to the roof handrails. It took three guys to hoist the panel up to the roof. It only weighs 45-lbs, but it is large and awkward to handle. I drilled four holes in the panel frame where the cable clamps attach to the handrail and bolted them in place with 1/4-inch stainless bolts. (By-the-way, the minimum order of these cable clamps was 20, so I have quite a few left over. They are manufactured by KMC Stamping, and I ordered them through the local Fastenal retail store. Post a comment if you would like to buy a set from me at my cost plus shipping.)

Charge controller mounted to aft bulkhead.
The round, 10-gauge cable comes through the bulkhead into the cabin through a 1/2-inch hole. The charge controller mounts to the bulkhead, and I attached the positive wire to the main battery switch and the negative to the negative terminal on one of the batteries. I also added a 25-amp fuse to the plus side and an on-off toggle switch to disconnect the solar panel. It's important to disconnect the solar panel before disconnecting the batteries. Failure to do so may result in a voltage spike that may damage electronic gear.

So that's done. I also waxed the hull and topsides. After I check out the operation of the solar system, I'll have the marina put "Blue Heron" back in inside storage. Then all that remains to do is have the oil changed and launch in November. I'm hoping I can visit the Bahamas this season if the weather cooperates.

Note the solar panel disconnect toggle switch.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
It's been a while since selling my Ranger Tug 21ec, "Lil' Green Tug", and then selling the Rosborough rf-246, "Blue Heron". I've been out of boating for a few years, but I'm buying a new boat--a sailboat. You can read about it at  https://capedory28fellowshipii.blogspot.com/ .
Read more

Buying "Blue Heron"

Image
Me and the rf-246 back at Vero Beach, FL The process of buying the Rosborough was painless enough. It started with a drive across the state of Florida during February, 2014, from Vero Beach (where I was living aboard a Ranger Tug 21ec) to St. Petersburg, Florida, to look at a used Ranger Tug 25 that had just come on the market. The price was right, but seeing the boat made me realize the Ranger Tug 25 wasn't the boat for me. Ranger Tug makes a great boat, but I came away thinking, "This boat is dark inside and lacking in living space. It feels like a cave inside, like being aboard a sailboat again." I was looking for something bright and airy inside. The broker had said that if the Ranger Tug purchase didn't work out, he had a nice Rosborough rf-246 that might be perfect for me. That started me thinking. I had looked closely at the rf-246 about 10 years ago and liked them, but they were beyond my price range then. Now, 10 years later, the 2008 model was just abou...
Read more

"Blue Heron" is Sold

Image
I'd been living aboard at least part-time for the past three years, first on a Ranger Tug 21ec and then on "Blue Heron", my Rosborough RF246, It was while at my new slip on Crab Alley Bay on Maryland's Eastern Shore that I decided I had enough of living on boats. The change of mind happened over a period of two days--the marina was nice, Crab Alley Bay was ideal, but I started to feel confined. I made the decision to list "Blue Heron" for sale. I packed as much stuff as I could into my Jeep Patriot SUV, and within a day I was back at my condo in Vero Beach, Florida. "Blue Heron" sold within a week and settlement was a few weeks later. So that's the end of my boating adventures! Upon return to Florida, I decided to buy a convertible sports car as my new "cruiser" to visit all the nice Florida destinations at 60 mph in the car instead of 18 knots in the boat, and getting 20 mpg instead of 2 mpg. It was liberating to be out from under...
Read more