Sailing Umavideo
Destroying our New Solar Panels on Purpose... | Step 492 (Part 2)
July 5, 2026 · 37 min · 85K views
What this video covers
Dan and Kika aboard Uma conduct live durability and walkability tests on flexible solar panels installed on Uma's deck, comparing them directly against a rigid glass panel. The flexible panels use Maxeon third-generation cells rated above 24% efficiency, with all electrical connections on the back of each cell and a full copper backsheet that maintains contact even when the cell cracks. Three leak-prevention layers protect the 26 cable penetrations drilled through the deck: VHB tape bonding the panel to the painted surface, flexible edge sealant protecting against delamination and water ingress, and sealant injected upward from below.1:19 Balsa core around each hole was over-drilled, filled with epoxy, and re-drilled to prevent rot.2:56 For non-skid texture, they chose molded-in over spray-on because it is permanent and requires no reapplication.19:41 Walkability tests on a tilted platform reach 40 degrees of heel with no sliding.11:44 Impact testing — dropping shackles, a WD-40 can, a whisker pole, and a hammer thrown axe-style — leaves the flexible panel producing 50% of rated output after repeated strikes; a single whisker-pole drop through the center of the rigid glass panel shatters it completely into dangerous shards.35:06 The panels carry a five-year warranty covering deck mounting on a sailboat, guaranteeing 90% of rated capacity.21:53 Flexible panels survive realistic on-deck impact scenarios that instantly destroy glass panels, and shatter into harmless rubber rather than glass shards.35:27
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