Marine Solar Systems
Performance Review: 160-Watt Solar Panel on a 35-Day Cruise This was our second year using the 160-watt monocrystalline solar panel during a 35-day cruise in the North Channel area of Northern Lake Huron. The boat’s equipment setup and cruising patterns...
For the past few years, we’ve been testing our 150W and 160W solar panels on extended cruises. On sunny days while at anchor, our battery banks are typically fully charged by around 1 PM, even while running our refrigerator/freezer 24/7....
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Mounting flexible marine solar panels on a canvas bimini or dodger can be practical and efficient, especially when they need to be quickly attached and removed. Our auxiliary solar panel mounting kit is specifically designed for this purpose. One of...
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This year, we upgraded our boat's battery system from lead-acid to LiFePo4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries to explore their performance in a marine cruising environment, especially in relation to our solar power system. Battery ConfigurationAfter thorough research, we selected custom...
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Solar Panel Performance Comparison Across 22-Day Great Lakes Cruises In previous entries, I documented our solar panel performance on Great Lakes cruises: a 130-watt mono-crystalline panel in August 2011, and a 140-watt poly-crystalline panel in August 2012. This year, I...
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Attaching Semi-Flexible Solar Panels with Nuts and Bolts Several customers have successfully mounted their semi-flexible solar panels using nuts and bolts. Here’s a step-by-step guide based on their approach: Position and Mark: Place the solar panel on the canvas. Use...
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One of our customers was getting less than 20% of the rated power from his 400-watt solar setup. Using a Victron MPPT controller and two CMPower 120 Ah LiFePO4 batteries, he should have been receiving over 25 amps of charging...
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Several fellow mariners have reported occasional erratic readings on their tachometers, where the needle jumps around unpredictably. I recently encountered a similar issue on my boat and conducted some research into the cause. Many high-output alternators with smart regulators, as...
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Most boats experience shading from rigging, equipment poles, or other structures, which can significantly impact the performance of solar panels. At Custom Marine Products, we have developed a new, innovative solar panel design that minimizes power loss due to shading...
