In 2005, when we were still living in Seattle at Shilshole Marina, we bought two 85-watt Photowatt solar panels (manufactured in France, 20" wide, x 48" long, x 1" thick) for the Fox, hoping they would give us free battery recharging while at anchor. We installed them on either side of the stern pulpit and deployed them to their optimal sun-sucking potential, and on the couple of sunny days the Great White North enjoys every year, we were able to test their output. They work as expected: a maximum of 4.85 amps per hour, but even on the usual NW overcast days they put out at least half that. Golly; now that we’re traveling in The Land of the Hot Sun, I bet they’ll perform to their maximum.
There may come a time when we want to deploy the solar panels while underway, but based on our experience to date GB and I agree that no matter how benign the conditions are when we first set sail, things can (and sometimes do) deteriorate very quickly and unexpectedly. We’ve heard stories of boaters losing things like dinghies and solar panels to boarding waves when the wind and water kick up, so, we prefer keeping the Fox as clear as possible of potential obstructions when we’re on the move – like dinghies towed behind the boat and solar panels deployed to either side. Our two solar panels fit well in our aft lazarette, but we wanted to protect them from any damage the other lazarette contents might cause when waves bounce the Fox around. Enter the Pfaff 1525.
GB collaborated with me on the covers’ design, when I finally got around to doing something about it in June 2006. We wanted something that could cover and protect the panels not only when they were not in use yet still attached to the stern pulpit (i.e., tied vertically against the outside and parallel to the stern pulpit instead of extended out horizontally from the stern pulpit to catch the sun), but also when safely stowed in the aft lazarette. Designing a cover/bag for lazarette stowage when the panels were disengaged from their attachment hardware was easy, but to have the same cover effectively protect the panels while they were still attached to the side of the boat was slightly more difficult. Velcro solved the problem.
The covers I made are essentially a rectangular box design made from Sunbrella, with the open end of the box on one of the long sides of the rectangle. A long strip of Velcro along this open end serves to close the cover around all the mounting hardware attaching the panel to the side of the boat. We have found that this is enough of a closure to keep the panels dry in light rain (not that moisture is necessarily a problem for the panels in the first place, but still). When we stow the panels in the aft lazarette we remove the hardware and the Velcro closes the cover completely. But that’s not all: to better protect the business side of the solar panel while stowed, I fashioned a somewhat smaller, interior, pillowcase-type flap with Velcro closures, to accommodate a 18" x 42" x 1/4" rectangular sheet of foam. Thus making each solar panel cover a sort of pillowcase-in-a-skinny-box design. Bonus: the long, outer Velcro closure and open box design make it quick and easy to reach out over the stern pulpit and cover the solar panels when they’re still attached to and hanging alongside the boat, before bringing each of them into the cockpit for stowage. The covers also protect the cockpit and the rest of the boat from the sharp edges of the solar panels. Nice.
Fabric details: For one solar panel cover, I cut 3 rectangles of Sunbrella: the two outer rectangles measured 25-1/2" x 50" x 2-1/2". The inner rectangle (for holding the foam pad) measured 22"x50". I sewed two 2" strips of 1" wide, hook Velcro to the inside top edge of this inner panel, and the corresponding 2" strips of 1" wide wool Velcro to the inside of one of the larger (outer) rectangles. I sewed this one larger rectangle to the smaller rectangle to form the inner foam-holding pillowcase portion of the cover. Next, to make the exterior, box portion of the cover: I sewed a 48" strip of Velcro as the closure to the bag along the inside top edges of both of the two larger rectangles. For the side pieces of the box I cut Sunbrella in two strips of 25-1/2" x 2-1/2", and for the bottom of the box I cut a strip measuring 50" x 2-1/2". I sewed half-inch seams throughout except in places where I screwed up. Then I made the other cover the same way.
The end.
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