156: SOLAR ARCH DESIGN, FABRICATION AND COSTS in St. Maarten. What you need to be fully off grid!

Wow, a lot of material is covered here ranging from why Eileen and I chose to upgrade to a robust solar power system as well as the detailed process of custom design and installation including the original job estimate and final invoice so make sure you watch until the end. It is our desire that this helps you better appreciate the process and cost so you can adapt our strategy to your boat! WHY THE NECESSITY FOR RENEWABLE POWER? Renewable solar power is why Eileen and I can live off the grid on Blown Away for extended periods of time while avoiding costly and restrictive marinas and mooring balls. While upgrading our full time live aboard sailboat, we planned ahead and spent the money up front to assure years of savings and freedom by harnessing the sun to fill our battery bank comprised of (3) Relion 300 ah batteries. It is our desire that this video will help you better plan your boat's upgrades so that you can live a better life on the water. WHY SO MUCH POWER - 2760 WATTS? Have you ever heard, "You can never have enough solar on a boat"? These are wise words that we took to heart in our planning upgrades taking advantage of both our 2015 Leopard 44 wide beam and large roof which provides ample space for a solar arch which is at the heart of our system and holds 4 out of 5 of our large and "LG Neon 2" 410W with the extra 410W panel mounted to our roof along with additional the (2) "LG Neon 2" 355W panels. All hard panels are highly efficient and long lasting backed with a 25 year warranty and generate A LOT of power which is essential to be self reliant and thrive on multiple cloudy / rainy days the with moderate to high power demands of air conditioning, dehumidification, water making and cooking. Let's face it, cooking is always best on these type of days so you want to be ready! Just like our kitchen at home, we uses a lot of electrical appliances and no propane. SOLAR ARCH CUSTOM DESIGN & PRODUCTION - MANY DETAILED STEPS COVERED IN VIDEO 1. planning the solar arch design 2. planning the panel wiring path design to function as well as look good and be protected. This could entail additional fiberglass hole cutting and custom stainless tube fabrication. 3. roof solar panel locations and attachment process 4. what is 316L stainless steel and what gauges (thicknesses) are used? 5. LG "Neon 2" solar panels and logistics of shipping and arrival 6. stainless steel tubes are measured, cut and welded 7. initial tube polishing before first boat fitting. 8. types of machinery and materials used for polishing - 220 & 600 grit sandpaper, wire and soft brush. 9. first solar panel fitting - flush or on top? We chose custom flush fit. 10. drill hole in engine bay and davit stainless steel tubing using custom angled wood brace to be connected with custom stainless tubing to hide and protect solar wires. 11. hole drilled in cockpit roof to hide and protect solar panels wires by running down stainless davit tubing. 12. first fitting of solar arch with support tube location determined- balanced to the boat with main halyard. 13. support tubes fabricated and TIG welded to solar arch. 14. second fitting with support tubes welded. 15. acid wash clean and multi step polish welds to factory polish and finish. 16. final frame solar panel brackets fit and polished. 17. third and final solar arch fitting to Blown Away. 18. solar panels attached to the solar arch. 19. custom stainless solar panel roof brackets fabricated. 20. solar panels attached to roof and helm bimini (roof) with special film to protect against galvanic corrosion with stainless panel attachments and solar panel aluminum frames. 21. all solar panels wired. 22. INTERVIEW WITH CO-OWNER CHRIS MARSHALL discussing the following topics: - FKG History - why did they start and how did they develop? - why is Sint Maarten an ideal location for doing upgrade to your boat? - what is the one big mistake people make on their boat upgrades? - importance of employee longevity and retention. - boater upgrades trends currently in high demand. - how the charter boat industry effects their business. #sailing #sailboat #sailingprojects #solar #solarpanel #solararch #fkg HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT US? If you wish to support our video efforts, all we ask is that you SUBSCRIBE, give a THUMBS UP, SHARE our videos with your friends, AND COMMENT! WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET TO KNOW US MORE DEEPLY? It would be an honor and pleasure to deepen our relationship with you as a Patron. Please click on the following link to see how: https://www.patreon.com/sailingblownaway WHERE CAN YOU FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA? Instagram - @sailingblownaway Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SailingBlownAway Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/eileen.dietrich/ YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/sailingblownaway