I'm looking to put some solar on my small boat. I'm trying to avoid having racks and supporting structures though. I was thinking of getting some flexible panels that I could store or hang while under way and then deploy while at anchor. Thoughts anyone? I see that many folks haven't had the greatest luck with flexible panels... But then again it looks like some folks seem happy...
I've had good luck with them. A small 25 watt flexible panel came with my Compac 19 and served me well for over 10 years. I sat in the cockpit and it received enough light to keep the batteries topped off. I had a cheap $100, 100 watt flexible panel on the Seidelmann for 3 years working great. It was bungeed to the top of the bimini. I recently bought a small 50 watt flexible panel for the Compac. I'm thinking of installing on the cabin top in front of the sliding hatch using stick on velcro. The hatch has enough clearance to slide over the panel, and the velcro will allow me to remove it when trailering. If the velcro doesn't work out, I'll try installing snaps on the companionway hatch and installing that way.
From what I've read, like the rest of solar, they have gotten better with advancements in the tech over the past few years. I've got 2X 100 watt rigid panels for the bimini roof solar watercatching system planned, and am thinking to supplement that with flexibles.