hello-
i bought a laser sailboat. it's basically i single handed racing craft of 14' with a whopping hull weigh of 130lbs. fun fact: these boats are raced in the summer olympics!
i would like to put a solar panel on the bow deck to charge a 12v 14Ah SLA battery with a ghurd charge controller. i would use the battery to run a stereo, and possibly a cigarette adapter to charge cell ect. the stereo is a chinese mini amp that i paired with dual 3" mini waterproof (supposedly) speakers. not received yet, but guessing a 5-15w draw.
i have a question about the panel. i can BARELY fit a 30w 17.3Vmp panel on the bow. it will be mounted flat, with a small airgap for ventilation. i'm worried with all the shadows from the mast ect, that i might be better off with a ~32Vmp panel??
do i trade a mismatch in charging voltage (~32) for better charging in partially shaded conditions, yet not have full 30 watt available in full sun, or
stick with a standard 12v panel (~18Vmp) and lose all charging with any shade on the panel??
keep in mind, when i'm not sailing, the mast is removed, and there are no shadows, so the battery should be fully charged upon each and every sailing outing.
another fun fact: i went out for the second time on the boat tonight, and flipped it entirely over. the coast guard was close and immediately floored it towards me... meanwhile i was standing on the dagger board and trying to right the boat, though i was nervous as sh*t with the CG so close, so i righted it a bit too far, and it went over the other way!! ough!!! so then on my second try i got it upright, gave the CG two thumbs up and off i went sailing again!
adam
