Best Solar Panels for Boats
For long or short voyages on the water, solar panels are an excellent solution for powering appliances and devices on boats and saving energy costs. They provide access to electricity in emergencies.
With so many options available, choosing the right one is challenging. Here, we will show you the top 4 boat solar panels to simplify your search. Read on and find out more!
Why Should You Install Solar Panels On Your Boat?
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Charging Emergency Devices
Whether running out of petrol, the boat breaking down, or encountering another situation that stops you from returning to shore, having reliable emergency equipment to contact help can put your mind at ease.
However, all of these, such as a radio system, a satellite phone, a regular phone, or other communication devices, need power! Therefore, having a solar panel ensures you can access the devices.
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Charging Entertaining Equipment
Though you’re not encountering the issues mentioned at sea, you can still have solar panels to charge recreational equipment. Charging your smartphones, e-readers, speakers, and other entertainment devices is always convenient.
This is especially crucial if you intend to spend several days at sea without relying on your boat's batteries.
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Promote Life Quality at Sea
There’s a lot of joy in promoting life at sea and making things just a little more comfortable. An advantage of installing a solar system on your vessel is that you don’t have to worry about using your boat’s batteries for unnecessary purposes.
And you can use solar panels to power electric water heaters for hot showers and constant hot water. It's entirely up to you to improve your at-sea experience with solar, which is part of what makes introducing renewable energy to your yacht so exciting.
5 Things to Consider When Choosing the Best Boats Solar Panels
Before diving into the best boat solar panels, consider what to look for when selecting one.
1. Solar panel types
First, determine what solar panels to install on your boat. You can choose between thin-film solar panels, polycrystalline solar panels, and monocrystalline solar panels.
Thin-film solar panels, the most flexible options, can be aesthetically attached to any curve surface on your luxury boat.
Particularly, those CIGS thin-film solar panels are popular for marine use, as they guarantee a more stable power output even though they are shaded by masts or canvas. The CIGS solar panels are easier to install than the rigid ones without using brackets or nails.
Monocrystalline panels are the most efficient, ideally used on boats. Their higher efficiency ratings ensure creating more energy per square foot, which is essential on a boat with limited space.
However, Monocrystalline panels are the most expensive option, and there will be a circuit breakdown if the panel is covered by dirt or shade.
Polycrystalline solar panels can also work on boats but can’t provide as much solar power.
2. Solar Panel Size
The solar panel size is directly related to energy needs when sailing. A solar panel that is too small may not power your boat, leaving you frustrated.
And more miniature goods have less battery duration, which means they will shut down much faster than anything tailored explicitly for the size of your boat.
3. Space Available for Installation
Boat solar panels are limited by the available installation space. Buying a panel that can be used or mounted on your boat is essential.
Check the solar panel size and decide where to place it on your boat. Some flexible and portable options, such as CIGS solar panels, can be installed anywhere without mounting brackets.
4. Waterproof Rating
Choosing solar panels with an excellent waterproof rating is essential because you’re using your panels on the water.
Some of the best options are IP68. These ensure that your panels and charge controllers or regulators remain safe and at low fire risk even when exposed to moisture and direct water contact.
5. Accessories
Many solar panel kits come with accessories like cables, charge controllers, and mounting hardware. Make sure these accessories are included and that they’re compatible with your boat’s electrical system.
Best Solar Panels for Boats
Eventually, you want solar panels on your boat. But you might not know much about the options and feel overwhelmed by the choices.
We've prepared a few products to help you narrow your choices and pick one panel to meet your needs. Keep reading and discover the quick comparison and the specific details of the different solar panels now!
Quick View
| 1. BougeRV 100W Yuma solar panels for boats | 2. BougeRV 200W Yuma solar panels for boats | 3. BougeRV 200W 12V 9BB Mono Solar Panel for boats | 4. BougeRV 200W 5BB 12V Mono Solar Panel | |
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Power Output |
100 ±5％W |
200±5％W |
200±3% W |
200±5% W |
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Material |
Crack-resistant CIGS thin-film |
Crack-resistant CIGS thin-film |
Monocrystalline |
Monocrystalline |
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Dimension （inches） |
13.7*85.6*0.06(min.) |
26*85.6*0.06 inches(min.) |
54.72 x 27.8 x 1.38 inches |
58.27 x 26.38 x 1.38 inches |
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Weight(lbs) |
3.75~4.3(min.) |
6.39(min.) |
22.93 |
24 |
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Equipment included |
MC4 cable and cable box |
MC4 cable and cable box |
Solar connector to DC adapter |
IP67 waterproof connectors |
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Efficiency |
Higher conversion efficiency in shady/low-light conditions and on cloudy days | Higher conversion efficiency in shady/low-light conditions and cloudy days | Don’t perform well in shady and low-light conditions | Don't perform well in shady and low-light conditions |
| Portability and Flexibility |
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Durability |
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Now, let’s carefully check the details and advantages of each solar panel for boats!
1. BougeRV 100W Yuma Solar Panels for Boat
BougeRV’s 100W CIGS Yuma solar panels, with an efficiency rating of 16%, are one of the best choices for boats. Here come the main pros:
A. Maintain high efficiency in shady conditions as they equip with 48 diodes. Compared to monocrystalline solar panels, Yuma flexible solar panels performance much better in shady conditions producing 38% more energy.
The panels can recharge cell phones, GPS equipment, laptops, e-readers, and other electronics.
B. Using thin-film technology, they are 360° flexible and highly versatile to fit any curved and uneven surfaces on your boat. You can place them on dingy davits, canvas dodgers, decks and hard tops, lifelines, sail covers, etc., free of cracking!
C. Lightweight and pretty easy to install without spending money on professional help. Yuma has a pre-assembled adhesive backing, and you can easily install them on boats in a few minutes and make them nice looking on your luxury boats!
No more complex brackets, drilling which might damage your boat, and additional tools!
D. Much safer without worrying about the hot spot effect, which might cause a fire on your boat.
E. Properly cared for, Yuma CIGS solar panel can generate power for up to 25 years!
F. Waterproof rating of IP68.
G. At reasonable prices ranging from $269~$289, you can always find one 100W CIGS flexible solar panel that meets your budget.
H. Comes with about a 2-year warranty.
2. BougeRV 200W Yuma CIGS solar panels for boats
BougeRV 200W solar panels for boats have the same advantages and features as BougeRV 100W CIGS solar panels provide. While 200W CIGS offers higher wattage to meet your higher power needs, they're less than twice as expensive as the 100W ones.
3. BougeRV 200W 12V 9BB Mono Solar Panels for boats
Made of monocrystalline cells with a 9BB cells design, BougeRV’s 9BB solar panels have a high-efficiency rating of 22.8%. Compared to general 200W monocrystalline solar panels, BougeRV 9BB 200W solar panels are more compact, collecting the same or more power. They can power a 12V battery or charge a 24/48V battery via solar panels in series.
0.5 times larger, 9BB 200W solar panels produce 200% more power than 100W solar panels do. This makes them excellent choices on a boat with limited space to get more power. However, compared to the 200W CIGS solar panels, BougeRV 9BB 200W solar panels are much bulkier and heavier.
4. BougeRV 200W 5BB 12V Mono Solar Panel
They can generate 80% more electricity than 100-watt solar panels, while they are only about 48% larger. Thus, BougeRV 200W 5BB solar panels can be installed on boats with limited space to get more power.
However, suppose your boat is extremely limited in space and requires more energy. In that case, we recommend you get the 9BB solar panels because they have higher power-collecting efficiency at the same size. Or, just go for our 100W and 200W CIGS solar panels for boats.
Start Your Journey with Yuma Flexible Solar Panel!
May the above solar panel options help you with your sailing time on the water. Would like to know more about flexible solar panels for boats?
Discover BougeRV’s Yuma flexible CIGS solar panels for boats now! They are highly efficient, creating enough usable power when in low light and shady situations! Whenever you have problems, you can always reach us because we provide more than a 1-year warranty and 7*24 customer service!
