David, No experience with a waterproof plug, but I once considered the idea and rejected because of aesthetic reasons with the routing of wires, chance of leaks, and the trip hazard on the foredeck.
The solar panel that charges the battery under my V berth is deployed on the foredeck near the hatch (note the relatively short run - which may not work for charging the house and start bank further aft because of voltage drop from a long run). I set the pane so it faces south and is angled up slightly, but nowhere near the 35 degree angle appropriate for my latitude. Seems to work OK for the relatively small demand of maintaining the single 24DC battery. There is a 6 or 7 ft long cord on the panel with a polarized plug on the end. The corresponding polarized plug is under the step up into the V berth, and wired to the terminals of the battery. So my connection is both inside the boat and out of sight when the panel is not in place. The wire runs under the hatch seal to get into the boat, and I have not experienced any water leaks in the 6 years or so that I have been using this arrangement. Rick Brass Washington, NC From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of David via CnC-List Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2016 4:21 PM To: CNC CNC <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Cc: David <davidrisc...@msn.com> Subject: Re: Stus-List solar power setup Cont... So I don't want a permanent setup and an easy setup/put-away. I am thinking the foredeck (on mooring and anchor) has the most sun exposure. Anyone try a waterproof plug set up with a flexible solar array? Thanks in advance. David F. Risch 1981 40-2 (401) 419-4650 (cell) _____ To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2016 11:12:43 -0500 Subject: Re: Stus-List solar power setup From: cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> CC: awh...@thegateguys.com <mailto:awh...@thegateguys.com> Great site with tutorials and many options <http://www.batterystuff.com> www.batterystuff.com . I have purchased several systems for other purposes there. You may need to isolate separate battery banks. ~~~~~~~~_/)~~~_/) ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ Allen White C&C 26 Aura Rhinebeck, NY From: Della Barba, Joe [mailto:joe.della.ba...@ssa.gov] Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2016 10:10 AM To: 'cnc-list@cnc-list.com' Subject: Re: Stus-List solar power setup I don't know about Canadian exchange rates, but my setup is about $120 US. I have a meter anyway, so the cheap Morningstar controller was fine for my use. I might go up to MPPT if I can find a decent one for cheap, the Morningstar version is very good and very expensive. I spend 2 weeks at anchor in one spot to run sailing classes and the 50 watt panel cut my engine run time from once a day to once every three days :) Joe Coquina From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Stevan Plavsa via CnC-List Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2016 10:03 AM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Cc: Stevan Plavsa Subject: Re: Stus-List solar power setup I purchased a 65watt mono panel with charge controller and cables from these guys: http://stores.ebay.ca/solarenergydcinc/ All told IIRC it was $250 CAD, maybe $300. Not a lot of money when talking boat stuff. That was back in 2013. The setup has served very well. People are right to recommend a quality MPPT charge controller but I found the return on investment when dealing with sub 100 watt panels to be minimal and not worth it. At the time a cheap PWM controller is what came with my kit and it has been fine now for over 2 seasons. It also has useful features like an LCD screen that shows how many amps I'm generating, the entry level morningstar controllers don't do that. I spent money on nice fittings for my bimini to mount the thing and I'm glad I did because take down and setup in fall and spring are easy and the mounting is very secure. Suhana was on a wet mooring since I first launched her in 2012. It was important to maintain the batteries somehow. Our consumption is low enough that the 65 watt panel served very well on a three week cruise. Last thing I'll mention is that the batteries are an unknown age, ie; older than 2011 when I purchased her. I believe the solar panel has a lot to do with them still being alive. New Trojan T-105s are on the menu for spring and we'll have shore power now for the first time :) Steve Suhana, C&C 32 Toronto On Tue, Mar 1, 2016 at 9:49 AM, Della Barba, Joe via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > wrote: Someone asked me about my solar panel setup. I have one of these - a 50 watt panel: http://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Watts-Volts-Monocrystalline-Solar/dp/B00DVPPFDS /ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8 <http://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Watts-Volts-Monocrystalline-Solar/dp/B00DVPPFD S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456843564&sr=8-1&keywords=renogy+50+watt> &qid=1456843564&sr=8-1&keywords=renogy+50+watt I have this controller -http://www.amazon.com/SunGuard-Charge-Controller-Regulator-Morningstar/dp/B 000O3O0W2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8 <http://www.amazon.com/SunGuard-Charge-Controller-Regulator-Morningstar/dp/B 000O3O0W2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1456843683&sr=8-3&keywords=morningstar+sola r> &qid=1456843683&sr=8-3&keywords=morningstar+solar I have the panel on a long cord and plug it in to a trolling motor plug when using it. It does a good job with the batteries when I am on my mooring. Joe Coquina C&C 35 MK I _______________________________________________ Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com <mailto:CnC-List@cnc-list.com> To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com This email has been sent from a virus-free computer protected by Avast. <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai gn=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient> www.avast.com _______________________________________________ Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com <mailto:CnC-List@cnc-list.com> To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com
_______________________________________________ Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com
