Sailing Wind Therapyvideo
Running Solar Power Through the Windlass? E82
June 24, 2023 · 27 min · 4K views · St. Martin
What this video covers
The crew of Wind Therapy installed a portable 400-watt solar array to supplement their existing power system while at anchor.23:32 To avoid mounting hard panels on the coach roof, they purchased two Renogy 100-watt folding panel sets.11:00 They bypassed the included controllers in favor of a single MPPT charge controller, which they mounted inside a waterproof box near the anchor locker.11:24 The system routes power through a 40-amp surface-mount circuit breaker and connects directly into the windlass power junction box to feed the house batteries.15:31 During testing, the setup produced approximately 250 watts and 16 amps of charging current.24:11 The installation required three days of work, including drilling cable access holes through the anchor locker bulkhead and sourcing custom-crimped 8-gauge wire terminals from local marine shops in St. Martin.25:38 The panels remain portable, allowing the crew to deploy them on the trampoline when at anchor and stow them when underway.23:42
Boats in this video
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