Solar Panel Mounting Systems

Top-of-pole Solar Panel Mounting System - Solar Tracker

Our top-of-pole solar panel mounting system offers the best alternative for achieving maximum performance from your solar panel. The closer the panel is to being perpendicular to the rays of the sun the higher the performance. This is accomplished by both tilting and rotating the panel for solar tracking.

A solar panel should be easy to adjust without the use of tools. Our panel mount design provides 13 tilt positions. Simply pull a pin, tilt the panel and replace the pin. Our pole mounting system enables the panel to be rotated 360 degrees and locked into position.

Installation is easy and requires only basic tools. Simply attach the pole sleeves to the stern cockpit rail(s) and slide in the pole. The pole rests on our unique ball and socket base. All pole components are stainless steel. The panel tilt mechanism is easily assembled and attached to the solar panel using standard fasteners. All panel mounting components are anodized aluminum.

We offer ready-to-assemble kits for commercially available solar panels and for our CMP 90 watt panel, CMP 130 watt panel and CMP 140 watt panel. We also offer a complete kit that includes everything you need to install solar on your boat; solar panel, mounting kit, charge controller and wire.

Our top-of-pole solar tracking systems are easily customized to accommodate most solar panels and most boat stern rail configurations. Contact us for a quote to customize a system to your specific requirements or purchase a kit and do it yourself.

A note about solar panels:
Our experience indicates that adjusting an 85-90 watt panel 3-4 times a day will achieve power generation of up to 40 amp-hours on a clear day. A 130 watt panel can produce 65+ amp-hours on a clear day.

Getting started:

Determine your power requirements and select the solar panel that best meets your needs. (See our Blog and our Power Consumption Worksheet for ideas on how to accomplish this.)
Select the panel mounting kit for your solar panel.
Select the pole system that best fits your boat.
Select a solar panel controller.
Obtain the appropriate wire.
Assemble and install your system.

Our experienced staff will help guide you through this process. Call or email us.

Top-of-pole Solar Panel Mounting Kits

Top-of-pole mount assembly for 100+ watt solar panels

Our anodized aluminum solar panel mounting systems are modular and can be easily customized to fit most solar panels. All of our mounting systems include our unique 13 point tilt mechanism which inserts directly into the top of the pole. Assembly and installation is easy and requires only basic tools. See our Product Manual section for more details.

Top-of-pole mounting systems can be purchased as a standard kit for specific panels or custom fabricated in our shop to fit your specific solar panel. We offer two mounting kits to effectively accommodate both large and small solar panels. Each kit includes all the materials needed to mount your solar panel.

CM10090 adjustable mount for solar panels under 100 watts

CM10130 Adjustable mount for solar panels over 100 watts

Pole Mounting System

Brackets clamp to the stern rail

The top-of-pole solar panel mount is designed to set atop our 1.5 inch OD stainless steel rotating pole. The standard pole height is 66 inches. A custom pole height can be specified at the time of order.

The pole is attached to the stern rail(s) using our brackets. No drilling or machining is required. Brackets clamp onto the stern rail and attach to adjustable sleeves that hold the pole and allow it to rotate. The sleeves can be set to any of three distances from the stern rail for proper alignment. We offer several pole base designs to accommodate various boat configurations. Our ball and socket design is standard and our most popular.

Each kit includes the following:

    1 Solar panel tilt mechanism assembly
2 Braces to attach the tilt mechanism to the solar panel
    1 Set of fasteners
    1 Solar panel pole - 66 inches high, 1.50 inches in diameter (stainless steel)
    2 Stern rail mounting brackets and pole sleeves (stainless steel, for 7/8", 1" or
               1 1/4" rails). Specify at time of order.
    1 Pole base deck mount (standard ball and socket pole base, slotted optional).                 Specify at time of order
        Assembly instructions

Pole Ball Base and Optional Custom Mounting Bracket

Purchase our complete top-of-pole mounting system and save.

Panel Mount and Pole - Small Panel

This panel mounting kit is designed for a panel under 100 watts including the CMP 90 watt panel and Kyocera KC85T.

The kit includes a 66 inch long 1.5 inch OD stainless steel pole, all pole mounting hardware, the panel tilt mechanism and all panel mounting hardware.

798.00

Panel Mount and Pole - Large Panel

This panel mounting kit is designed for a panel over 100 watts including the CMP 130 and CMP 140 watt panels.

The kit includes a 66 inch long 1.5 inch OD stainless steel pole, all pole mounting hardware, the heavy duty panel tilt mechanism and all panel mounting hardware.

928.00

The Solar Panel Mounting Kit and the Pole Mounting Kit can be purchased separately.

For those who already have a pole mounted on their boat, the top-of-pole mounting kit can be purchased separately. Also, the pole and pole mounting hardware can be purchased separately.

Solar Panel Mounting Kit Ordering and Pricing

The top-of-pole solar panel mounting kit includes the following:
    1 Solar panel tilt mechanism assembly
       Braces to attach the tilt mechanism to the solar panel
               (quantity and length will vary depending on the
                 dimensions of the solar panel)
    1 Set of fasteners
       Assembly instructions

Small Solar Panel Mounting System

CM10090

Solar panel mounting kit for the CMP 90 watt solar panel

369.00

CK10050 Panel Mounting Kit

Custom solar panel mounting kit for panels under 100 watts

369.00

Large Solar Panel Mounting System

Note: The tilt mechanism and braces for larger panels (over 100 watts) are designed for the heavier loads.

CM10130 Panel Mounting Kit

Solar panel mounting kit for the CMP 130 watt solar panel

499.00

CM10140 Panel Mounting Kit

Solar panel mounting kit for the CMP 140 watt solar panel

499.00

CK10100 Panel Mounting Kit

Custom solar panel mounting kit for panels over 100 watts

529.00

Pole Mounting Kit Ordering and Pricing

The pole mounting kit includes the following:
    1 Solar panel pole - 66 inches high, 1.50 inches in diameter (stainless steel)
    2 Stern rail mounting brackets and pole sleeves (stainless steel, for 7/8", 1" or 1 .25" rails). Specify at time of order.
    1 Pole base deck mount (standard ball and socket pole base, slotted optional). Specify at time of order.
       Assembly instructions

PM10066 Pole mounting system

Pole mounting kit for solar panel and lift crane

(Shown with lifting crane arm - not included)

429.00

Optional Lifting Crane

Lifting Crane

Our optional lifting crane can be attached to the pole. It is ideal for moving an outboard motor from your dinghy to the boat stern rail. Since the pole rotates and is well secured to the stern rail, this is a logical option to add to your solar panel mounting system. The crane arm will support up to 250 pounds of weight (depending on the strength of your stern rails) and can be folded against the pole when not in use (see picture at top of page). It can be used to bring on board an overboard crewman.

The lifting crane kit includes the following:
     1   Crane arm assembly - 18 inches in length
   1   4:1 block and tackle
     1   50 feet of line

Lifting Crane Kit

Lifting crane for outboard motors and gear
when purchased with our panel mount and pole kit.

168.00

Custom Bimini Frame Solar Panel Mount

Our bimini frame panel mounts are custom designed and fabricated for each application. A solar panel or series of panels can be mounted on a custom frame across the top of the bimini. This allows upwards of 300 watts of solar power to be mounted above the bimini.

To obtain a quote, we suggest you provide us with pictures of your bimini and rough dimensions of both the bimini and the solar panels you intend to use. Our designers will work with you to design the optimum system for your needs.

Contact Us for pricing and additional information.

Kyocera 135 Watt Solar Panel

Two 75 Watt Solar Panels on a C&C 375

Mounting Hardware - Split Side Mounts

Our split side mount hardware can make mounting your solar panel above your bimini easy.
Split style mounts can be mounted any where on a frame — in the middle of a corner bend or even in the roof section. This creates a greater range of applications, including the use of split side mounts for installing solar panels on dodger and bimini tops.

In addition to mounting solar panels, the Split Side Mounts can be used for many applications including fixed grab rails, folding grab rails on dodgers and tensioning bars on biminis and dodgers.

Features: