Shopping around for the right combination of solar panel, charging controller, wire and mounting system can be an onerous task. I guess that is why we have been asked so many times to offer a one stop shop complete solution. There are so many good panels on the market and prices are coming down. After considerable research, we have selected a charge controller and marine solar panel we think will meet the needs of many cruising sailors. This is a 120 or 130 watt solar panel that has excellent performance and a good profile for a top-of-pole mount. We now offer a standard top-of-pole mounting system for both this panel and the Kyocera KC85TS 85 watt panel. This is in addition to our top-of-pole mounting systems that can be easily modified to accommodate most solar panels. We like the dual battery bank controller because most cruising boats have two battery banks and it can get complicated switching the panel output from one bank to the other. This controller takes care of that by charging both banks simultaneously monitoring which bank needs most of the charge.
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The weather for our cruise in the North Channel of Lake Huron this year was excellent. It was warmer and sunnier than last year. Our Kyocera 85 watt solar panel performed very well. The following are some statistics:
Days cruising: 22 days Max power generation: 40 amp-hours Min power generation: 13 amp-hours Average power produced per day: 35 amp-hours Average power consumed per day: 51 amp-hours Our primary use of power was for the refrigerator/freezer. We ran a power deficit each day of about 16 amp-hours at anchor but with our 360 amp-hour battery bank, this not a problem. Moving on every 4 days or so gave the 75 amp alternator plenty of time to bring the batteries back up to charge. We spent the month of July in the North Channel in Northern Lake Huron north of the 45th parallel. We logged the output of our top-of-pole mounted 85 watt Kyocera solar panel and our daily power consumption. It was an unusually cloudy July. Here are some statistics.
Weather Mostly cloudy 7 days Partly cloudy 8 days Partly sunny 8 days Mostly sunny 7 days Power Generation Maximum power produced in a day was 38 amp-hours Minimum power produced in a day was 12 amp-hours Average power produced per day for the 30 day period was 25 amp-hours Power Consumption Average power consumed for the 30 day period was 46 amp-hours Our travel pattern was to stay at anchor for 2-3 days and then motor/sail to another anchorage. We connected to shore power one night. While we ran a power deficit of 21 amp-hours per day while at anchor, our high output 75 watt alternator quickly replenished our batteries on our travel days. We ran our refrigeration/freezer every day as well as our computer (chart plotting) and autopilot when underway. We found the combination of our 85 watt panel and our 75 watt alternator provided us with ample power for the trip. Solar panels provide an excellent solution for obtaining the electrical power needed to support on-board electrical systems. They are quiet, require little maintenance and are reliable. ![]() Top-of-Pole Mount There are many outboard motor lifting cranes available on the market. Most of them are based on a pole with a horizontal boom or crane attached. If you have a pole mounted on the stern of the boat, why not be able to use it for multiple purposes such as a solar panel mount, an anchor light mount or an antenna mount? I started out researching poles made by various manufacturers including Garhauer (my favorite) and concluded many were over designed for what I needed or didn't offer multiple features. Taking the best of each and adding my own ideas, I built several prototype poles until I came up with a design that fit the needs of the cruising sailor yet could be manufactured for a competitive price. |
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AuthorThomas Trimmer has been cruising with his Ericson 38 sailboat on the Great Lakes for over 20 years. He has pioneered the use of solar energy for wilderness cruising. He is continually designing and building equipment to simplify and enhance the cruising experience. Archives
June 2025
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