We’re enjoying ourselves on the boat again, cruising the BC coast, and I thought it was a good time to update you on this season’s solar panel setup. We made a nice upgrade this year with a pair of 195-watt Renogy ShadowFlux panels mounted on the rail. They have performed very well, especially in terms of shading tolerance.
I did some tests showing how shading from the mast and radar drops output, but the panels recover quickly as the shadow moves. I replaced our old 100-watt Go Power panels, which were nearly 20 years old, and these new ones deliver much better output, even when mounted flat.\
Up on the bimini, we have two 200-watt super-thin BougeRV Yuma CIGS panels that are flexible and bungeed on and off as needed. I added a 450-watt folding ZOUPW panel to the port-side rear quarter rail, using the old kayak holders to mount it. We also have a 200-watt Bluetti panel up front on the bow for the power station. Altogether, that’s about 1440 watts of solar.
On peak-solar days, we have seen power outputs close to the panel ratings, even though the panels are flat-mounted. They deliver hundreds of amp-hours of capacity back into my lithium batteries each day. Even on cloudy or rainy days, they often generate enough power to keep our loads running, like the fridge, freezer, computers, and Starlink.
It is a big improvement for our 34-foot trawler up here in the Broughtons located along the British Columbia coast, where completely sunny days can be few and far between even in the summer. I will share more about the full system soon, including the chargers, inverter, and batteries.
2026 Solar Setup – Mounting and Power Tests Video
Previous Solar Panel Review Videos
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