Pete, for maintenance (topping up the batteries between sailings), you should be fine with a small (50 W?) panel that you can put on the bimini (if you have one). I have a flexible 25 W panel and it does a decent job (about 1 A of charging current in normal circumstances; this could be improved with beefier wiring (voltage drop) and possibly with better placing of the panel). I have a much smaller battery bank (2 x 55 Ah), so my charging needs are smaller. We don’t have any shore power in the Club, so all charging is either the motor or solar. But of course, this all depends on how much power you use, so YMWV.
The most important part of the system is the controller. Don’t take any shortcuts there. Gensun and Morningstar have very good options available. If you are looking ahead, install a controller that can handle more power. But you would be hard pressed to find enough space to install enough panel capacity to provide more than 10-15 A. Marek 1994 C270 Legato Ottawa, ON From: kelly petew via CnC-List Sent: Monday, June 24, 2019 16:29 To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Cc: kelly petew Subject: Stus-List Need Advice on Solar Panel project Hello, Listers, I want to add a solar panel to keep my batteries more fully charged. But on a 30 ft. C&C, space is somewhat limited. For starting out, I want the smallest panel possible for battery maintenance, but I’d beef up the wiring to handle future power demands. My house battery bank is 12volt DC, two 130 amp hour, deep cycle, wet-cells, in parallel. My other bank is a hybrid deep cycle [80 amp hours], used for starting. I’ve studied YouTube and other sources. Also, I’ve tried to contact a west coast mfr., Renogy, but I can’t reach anyone there, as yet. Any and all feedback is much appreciated. Fair Winds, Pete W. Siren Song ‘91C&C 30-2 Deltaville, Va.
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