Solar Panel Mounting
Top-of-pole Marine Solar Panel Mounting System - Solar Tracker
Our top-of-pole solar panel mounting system offers the best alternative for achieving maximum performance from your solar panel. The closer the panel is to being perpendicular to the rays of the sun the higher the performance. This is accomplished by both tilting and rotating the panel for solar tracking.
A solar panel should be easy to adjust without the use of tools.
. The panel mount design provides 13 tilt positions. Simply pull a pin, tilt the panel and replace the pin.
. The pole mounting system enables the panel to be rotated 360 degrees and locked into position.
Installation is easy and requires only basic tools.
. Simply attach the pole sleeves to the stern cockpit rail(s) and slide in the pole.
. The pole rests on our unique ball and socket base. All pole components are stainless steel.
. The panel tilt mechanism is easily assembled and attached to the solar panel using standard fasteners. All panel mounting components are anodized aluminum.
We offer ready-to-assemble kits for commercially available solar panels and for our CMP high performance marine solar panels. We also offer a complete kit that includes everything you need to install solar on your boat; solar panel, mounting kit, charge controller and wire.
Our top-of-pole solar tracking systems are easily customized to accommodate most solar panels and most boat stern rail configurations. Contact us for a quote to customize a system to your specific requirements or purchase a kit and do it yourself.
A note about our high performance solar panels:
Our experience indicates that adjusting a 100-105 watt panel 3-4 times a day will achieve power generation of up to 40 amp-hours on a clear day. A 130 watt panel can produce 65+ amp-hours on a clear day. A 140-160 watt panel can produce 75+ amp-hours on a clear day.
- Determine your power requirements and select the solar panel that best meets your needs. (See our Blog and our Power Consumption Worksheet for ideas on how to accomplish this.)
- Select the panel mounting kit for your solar panel.
- Select the pole system that best fits your boat.
- Select a solar panel controller.
- Obtain the appropriate wire.
- Assemble and install your system.
Our experienced staff will help guide you through this process. Call or email us.
Top-of-pole Marine Solar Panel Mounting Kits
Top-of-pole mounting systems can be purchased as a standard kit for specific panels or custom fabricated in our shop to fit your specific solar panel. We offer two mounting kits to effectively accommodate both large and small solar panels. Each kit includes all the materials needed to mount your solar panel.
 CM10090 adjustable mount for solar panels under 110 watts |
 CM10130 Adjustable mount for solar panels over 100 watts |
Solar Panel and Lift Crane Pole Mounting System
Pole Sleeve with Bracket Clamped to the Stern Rail
Solar Panel Pole Mount using a Vertical Stanchion
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The top-of-pole solar panel mount is designed to set atop our 1.5 inch OD stainless steel rotating pole. The standard pole height is 66 inches. A custom pole height can be specified at the time of order.
The pole is attached to the stern rail(s) using our brackets. No drilling or machining is required. Brackets clamp onto the stern rail and attach to adjustable sleeves that hold the pole and allow it to rotate. The sleeves can be set to any of three distances from the stern rail for proper alignment. We offer several pole base designs to accommodate various boat configurations. Our ball and socket design is standard and our most popular.
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Pole Sleeve Mount Set for 3 Inches Center to Center
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Pole Sleeve Mount Set for 2 Inches (51mm) Center to Center
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Pole Sleeve Mount Set for 1.25 Inches (32 mm) Center to Center
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Pole Sleeve Mount for Vertical Stanchion with Extension
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Each kit includes the following:
1 Solar panel tilt mechanism assembly 2 Braces to attach the tilt mechanism to the solar panel 1 Set of fasteners 1 Solar panel pole - 66 inches high, 1.50 inches in diameter (stainless steel) 2 Stern rail mounting brackets and pole sleeves (stainless steel, for 7/8", 1" or 1 1/4" rails). Specify at time of order. 1 Pole base deck mount ball and socket pole base. Assembly instructions |
Complete Solar Panel Mounting System with Lift Crane Arm
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Purchase our complete top-of-pole mounting system and save.
Panel Mount and Pole - Small PanelThis panel mounting kit is designed for a panel under 110 watts including the CMP 100 and 105 watt panels.
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Panel Mount and Pole - Large PanelThis panel mounting kit is designed for a panel over 100 watts including the CMP 150 and 160 watt panels.
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The Solar Panel Mounting Kit and the Pole Mounting Kit can be purchased separately.
Solar Panel Mounting Kit Ordering and Pricing
1 Solar panel tilt mechanism assembly
Braces to attach the tilt mechanism to the solar panel
(quantity and length will vary depending on the
dimensions of the solar panel)
1 Set of fasteners
Assembly instructions
Small Solar Panel Mounting System
Large Solar Panel Mounting System
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Pole Mounting Kit Ordering and Pricing
1 Solar panel pole - 66 inches high, 1.50 inches in diameter (stainless steel)
2 Stern rail mounting brackets and pole sleeves (stainless steel, for 7/8", 1" or 1 .25" rails). Specify at time of order.
1 Pole base deck mount (standard ball and socket pole base, slotted optional). Specify at time of order.
Assembly instructions
PM10066 Pole Mounting System
(Shown with lifting crane arm - not included)
Optional Lifting Crane
The lifting crane kit includes the following:
1 Crane arm assembly - 18 inches in length
1 4:1 block and tackle
1 50 feet of line
Optional Lifting Crane w/ Complete System
Kit includes:
-Crane arm assembly
-50 Feet of line
-4:1 block and tackle by Garhauer
When purchased with the complete system:
Flexible Solar Panel Canvas Mounting Kit
110 Watt Solar Panel Attached with the Mounting Kit
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Customers have found that using our canvas bolt on kit works well for mounting our semi-flexible marine solar panels directly to their bimini or dodger canvas. The kit includes a vinyl disk to be adhered to the underside of the canvas, fender washers to secure the bolt to the canvas, a bolt and nut to tighten the washers to the canvas and an acorn nut secure the solar panel to the bolt. The kit includes 4 or 6 sets of attachment hardware. All metal parts are stainless steel.
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Canvas Mounting Hardware for Flexible Solar Panels - Small PanelsKit includes 4 sets of bolt hardware. Each set contains a vinyl disk, fender washers, bolt, nut, acorn nut. All metal parts are stainless steel.
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Canvas Mounting Hardware for Flexible Solar Panels - Large PanelsKit includes 6 sets of bolt hardware. Each set contains a vinyl disk, fender washers, bolt, nut, acorn nut. All metal parts are stainless steel.
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Mounting Hardware - Split Side Mounts
Split style mounts can be mounted any where on a frame — in the middle of a corner bend or even in the roof section. This creates a greater range of applications, including the use of split side mounts for installing solar panels on dodger and bimini tops.
In addition to mounting solar panels, the Split Side Mounts can be used for many applications including fixed grab rails, folding grab rails on dodgers and tensioning bars on biminis and dodgers.
Features:
- Made of cast 316 stainless steel,
- polished to a marine bright finish
- Available for 7/8" and 1" tubing
- Compatible with standard marine end fittings
Split Side Mount
- Available for 7/8" & 1" tubing