Pushpit-Mounting a Solar Panel?

[NateHanson]

I'm planning to mount a 50W Kyocera solar panel on my stern rail, and i was wondering if others had done this sort of a mounting and had good ideas for a movable mount.

The panel is 25"x24", and I'd like to put it to one side of the backstay, with the forward edge of the panel supported by some sort of clamps on the stern rail, and the aft edge of the panel supported on a stanchion. The stanchion support would either slide up and down the stanchion, or extend/retract somehow to tilt the panel up or down.

If I really wanted to max the meager sun-power up here, I'd also figure out a way to tilt the panel from side to side. But I think that might get to complicated, and might be too difficult to have that much flexibility, and still have a solid mounting that won't come loose in a blow.

So does anyone have tips on what sort of hardware I could use to attach the one side to the rail (two pivoting mounts), and what sort of hardware I could use to adjust the height of the trailing edge supported on the pushpit stanchion?

Thanks, Nate

 

[Akavishon]

Nate - have you actually completed this project? I'm planning to do something similar this summer, it would be helpful to see how you've done it ...

 

[John Wressell]

While our solar panel is a bit smaller than yours we mounted it on the forward hatch on our E-35. Drilled through the plastic and mounted it with 4 bolts. Use it to keep the batteries charged up during the week and it works very well.

John wressell