Building the best solar arch for our sailboat

DON'T MAKE MY $5000 MISTAKE! Watch this video to see the PROPER way to build a solar arch on your boat. This is THE BEST solar arch money can buy, and it only cost me $3500 (after spending $5100 on a sub-par build). Please learn from my mistake! Much love!
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[@thelastpirate]

Ahoy scallywags! Captain James here, inviting YOU to come sail with us. Go to www.sailingzingaro.com to see dates/locations. Hope to see you out here! -J

[@chrispy104k]

15.55 - Yup..... THAT is strong. Nice work by those guys who built it for you.

[@robertviney7512]

Here’s a little upgrade for you for the dinghy Davit ,on your frame put a single rope clutch before each cleat on the top, therefore you can have then locked off & if your female crew isn’t strong enough they can take each line to a winch

[@stana2z]

That arch is pretty cool. The one-handed clove hitch was almost cooler!

[@guyburton9475]

What a great end result. Looks like you're super happy with it. Some excellent tips about what to use and have on the arch.

[@SailingLiberty]

Hey James! We just build our solar arch from schedule 40 aluminum pipe and speed rail fittings. A whole other way to go and it is all DIY. It is rock solid! Just uploaded a video today of a final assembly- 2x 550 W Renogy solar panels. Cheers! Ready to make some juice! ⛵️🌞

[@SVTrinityTube]

Awesome arch - we're in the early stages of designing one for our Sun Odyssey 50 DS, so great tips from your video. Been following your videos for years!! Love your work 😍

[@thelastpirate]

Glad it was helpful. Make sure you design it first, and route all the cables you'll need. Plan it out with the guy first.

[@blablablurb8317]

Soo glad you show the backing plates!

[@danielboughton3624]

The problem with flat mounted panels is you get next to no output for 4hrs of the day and not much for another 4hrs. Having the ability to tilt them especially in the Caribbean with a North wind and a shorter day makes a huge difference. You could add that to the arch easily and still be able to bolt them down hard.

[@frankpristov9745]

The backing plates are awesome, easy to understand why they are needed to maintain integrity of the rear structure

[@carltontweedle5724]

The Falklands are worth stopping off at, i visited in 82 on RFA OLNA during a little bar fight. Also went to South Georgia saw the old whale station.

[@foundatsea3483]

Atticus' Pacific Seacraft 40 is a legit blue water boat, has a Comfort Ratio of 37.5 which is superb, they consulted veteran and highly respected captain John Kretschmer who said "it's a super capable offshore cruiser.... the epitome of an ocean going boat.." in Atticus' S05E09. Nope, it's not for everyone and after ten years at sea.. you defintely want a farm lol Best sailing channel I've found who's captain teaches more than entertains is Troy at Free Range Sailing. (They also quit and yup.. got a farm!) Professor Troy gifts us with countless unique boating tips and how-to's, plus loads of fishing lol. Honestly, Troy's 25 years at sea and lessons are humbly presented and woven throughout every episode. Like take notes 'cause class is in session level GREAT. This is no soap opera or sexy omg it's totally amazing let's party show. FRS is the real deal. Their superb voyage circumnavigating Australia and refitting a 30', 40 year old sailboat with Pascale's level of vegan and natural provisioning and cooking is as good as it gets - and I'm a chef. Completely enjoyable and wildly informative. Add loads of diving, spearfishing, oceanographic, save our seas and reefs / climatology, documenting. For me, the most valuable and legit sailing channels' are helpful comments from experienced and veteran mariners who add value by sharing fixes, hacks, how-to's, solutions, processes and experience. That's the difference. The buried treasure. It's pure gold. The ocean is unforgiving but if you can make a living selling your adventures on the internet, no matter what it is.. more power to ya! Live life live and love. #FreeRangeSailing

[@Christian_Tango_Christ]

It was so painful watching you carry the arch without realizing that flipping it upside down everyone could have held it at waist level and straight arms😆 ❤️🌎⛵️👍 🏝🧜‍♂️

[@mikeshultz1007]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@kslats916]

@@mikeshultz1007 Me too

[@Odonanmarg]

Good luck you guys. You’ve got the best captain, your first stroke of luck.

[@Wedge-Antilles]

I was wondering about the backing plates. lol congrats on the arch.

[@tlevans62]

Awesome arch James. Built like a tank.

[@thehugoalexander]

Great to see dude!! You’ve been dreaming of this new arch for months!!!

[@gattingertom]

Excellent solution! One thought. why not attach a moving engine lifting arm high up on the port side arch. The idea: If the dinghy was in the water or even liftet stern to port, then the engine could be swung over directly to the rail mount without costs for a chiro-practinioneer years down the road :-)

[@patrickcoleman3]

As a retired boilermaker I rate this a 9/10 but keep up the polish on the stainless before it gets away from you. cheers.

[@grahamwheelock7497]

James my log has just begun since your latest episodes and the Atlantic crossing a Bavaria had made me think..... your new tube statue is rightfully placed now the sun works for you I hope with the all the greatness in my heart you may now have a run at it again be well my freind and to prosperous journeys on the high sea

[@thelastpirate]

Awe. What a sweet message!

[@grahamwheelock7497]

@@thelastpirate thank you very much as you might have a way with words my words are for the world

[@UUBrahman]

Walking the streets towards the pick up location for the arch was educational. Thanks.

[@hedleyjackson5131]

Nice work Captain James “ Custer “ great to see the background to all the work put into these upgrades.

[@John-B69692]

Man ties a clove hitch with one hand.

[@paulhellewell9468]

Very well thought out James. It's those small details that make all that work stand out!! WELL DONE SKIPPER!!

[@petergroves9343]

Almost a work of art James, a class construction for a class vessel Fair winds 🍺⛵⛵⛵

[@richardelder256]

James --- Arch #2 still has no fore and aft triangulation in the legs. I wouldn't take it on a Gulf Stream delivery to say nothing of the Southern Ocean. All the weight and windage of the heavy frame on top plus the solar panels will shake it apart as soon you stuff the bow into a few wave faces. Check out the arch on the Bob Perry 59 "Free Range Chicken" that I brought up from Panama a few years back for one of the few properly designed arches around.

[@richardelder256]

Looks like the commentators on this site are all blinded by the artistic beauty of Arch #2. If they want to understand what is wrong with the design I suggest a trip to the nearest manufacturer of house roof trusses. Do you see parallelograms like the legs of this thing or do you see triangles which resist collapse and racking by loading the tubes in tension and compression rather than bending?

[@MadMarv.]

Don't you wish there was a company that made custom solar panels with nice curves. Love the arch! Looking forward to seeing the next leg of the adventure. Maybe another run at Captains log. My wife doesn't really watch much sailing but she really enjoyed those.

[@arottie4097]

Well done James! Looks like you & your boat are about ready too take on the world!! Hey was that you playing the Acustic & singing in the back ground? Good music on this one! Be well my friend.

[@ConvergTV]

Awesome refit James!

[@typierrechanel7343]

a piece of Art !!!..; well done , just missing antenna for the GSM connection

[@yachtsolararches9863]

👋Hey guys, I have to say, your arch design looks fantastic! Kudos to the fabricator for the initial design. ⛩ That said, I’d recommend picking up some stainless steel polishing paste and giving it a good treatment every couple of months. It seems there might have been some contamination during the fabrication process, possibly from mild steel being worked on nearby, which has led to some corrosion on the frame. 🤔I also noticed that you decided to scrap your original arch, but honestly, there was nothing wrong with the frame itself. It just needed some corner bracing, and you would’ve seen a big improvement in stability. The tube outside diameter wasn’t too small either. The real issue was in the smaller details that the first fabricator seemed to overlook, but adding a few corner bracings on tube clamps could have easily fixed that. While the design is nice, I do have a few questions about the workmanship.🤐 If you ever happen to visit the UK 🫖🍵 , we'd love to welcome you to Hayling Island and show you how we take Yacht Solar Arch fabrication to the next level. We've built over 200 arches, and yet, we’re constantly finding ways to improve our work! One suggestion I can offer is to use backing plates that are at least 1.5 times the size of the fitting plate on the deck-going a bit bigger there really helps. Keep up the great vibes , and don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever have any questions regarding the design or changes/improvements that you are considering to add. Always happy to share our experience! Check our Insta to see some of our designs 😉 👋

[@cjscabia]

James, sweet job on the arch, w backing plates and ground out /reglassed flat areas to bolt up against, marine wiring w spares, and telling the story! Bet that was a solid workout carrying that beast back to the boat too. You’ll know in your first rough weather day if that moves at all and needs any stiffening tubes or additional bracing well ahead of the big trip south. Loved the background music you sang. Looking forward to seeing you next month in San Blas bro!

[@johnq.public2621]

Thanks for the recommendation.😃👍👏👏👏

[@jasonlockhart4647]

Love the video I think that's the best arch I've seen on KZbin so far

[@babybx3]

I love you brother I hope you have a safe passage you’re amazing james

[@Footballislife1900]

Awesome video man, I really enjoyed this.

[@dc1544]

now that is built strong.

[@timtrinkaus7072]

The arch is awesome and looks like they did a top notch job on it! I like the solid railing on the sides of the rear that was a great idea for safety and can’t go wrong with the solid grill mount! Zingaro is looking mighty fine!!!

[@BeerStache71]

Love the new arch. Looking good Cap.

[@stevethurlow9059]

I would also recommend that you inspect all of your chain plates and re-bed them

[@EJChezz]

Cant believe you guys carried that all the way back. Holy shit. Also, I enjoyed your (you) background music and singing. Awesome job.

[@thelastpirate]

Thanks my bro

[@americanbornwalkaway9110]

VERY Nice Arch!!! I was Skeptical until I saw it Mounted 👌👌👌👌

[@captainjollyrogersailingso6809]

You could have added the radius on the inside and reinforced the bases with gussets i think is the right word flat 90 triangles welded in the corners idk probably 4 around each anchor point on the hull to the corners of a thicker flat plate 5200 and stainless screws probably less that 1000 to fix the flimsy one

[@philip8624]

Thats awesome..great set up..gave me some good ideas..thanks

[@stephenhise2470]

On the backer plate double nut it to be safe. Will stop the lock nut from backing out. 1:00 in nuts just like us!!!!

[@cliffdavis5244]

Great job on that background music, James!

[@jimdiamond8246]

If your going to the southern ocean ,Two and a half inch tube for your main supports is the way to go .it might sound a little over kill but it will with stand about anything for years.

[@stevethurlow9059]

when you are sailing in big seas, you can set up a x brace of lines to keep it from moving...something like boom vangs

[@mafavreau]

Man... Now I'm so amped up to get back to my effin' boat... March Can't come soon enough, gaaahhh!!! Love the arch!

[@ricorichmond8214]

Nice Bob S cover brother! Fantastic upgrade!

[@buildingwilda]

The arch looks really cool! Can’t wait to get some nice railings for Wilda! But first, more fairing and sanding for us!

[@SteifWood]

Congrats on design and execution of new arch. One Q: where you able to sell/recycle the old?

[@rayray5195]

Good vid dude.

[@h.v7461]

Great job with the arch. Major improvement over the last one. Cheers 🍻

[@WillN2Go1]

Terrific episode. Thanks James and Anna. Great information.

[@typierrechanel7343]

a piece of Art !!!, wel done

[@christip20]

Brazil is where the “most dangerous lighthouse in the World” is, although I didn’t get to see it & Easter Island was where all those chunky statues were found nearly on the beach, that was one of the places that “Kon Tiki” stopped over & met the natives. I think it’s where they found all the tunnels and underground hiding places where the natives went hundreds of years ago whenever they were invaded and I guess they stayed until the invaders were gone. Those sound like really exciting trips with lots to see that most people only see pictures of…..or videos!

[@julesmoto9022]

Bit late now but I had an arch for solid solar panels made which proved to have no lateral rigidity despite 9 inch braces in the corners so I bought some straight 1 inch tubing and used grub screw secured stainless fittings to run one each side from bottom side to near top middle. Originally tried dynema but solid was better and not a bad obstruction which I had feared but great hand holds while traversing the area.Still have dynema from staunchion bases to top for fore aft brace. BTW maybe have sacrificial panel connections so they can rip off if you roll over or have real bad hurricane.

[@hexsailing49]

Nice bit of Kit Dude .Nuts you all walking it back to the boat 😀

[@jonathanrapp4464]

Awesome Arch and upgrades. I missed a few videos. I'm catching up. Got another bone infection. Got a PICC Line attached to me 24/7 for 8 weeks pumping antibiotics. Soon I'll be out. Have fun James, Hi Anna. Peace brother Rapper

[@thelastpirate]

Get better soon, amigo! You’re in our thoughts! Much love from San Blas. -J&A

[@IvyRose3326]

Looking good James ✌⛵

[@lesabre1972]

Great job looks awesome I love the seating back there too!

[@SalingSamantas]

I bought a tig welding setup to build my arch there are ways to possibly reuse the stainless atleast to build you new arch or maybe reinforce what you have now.

[@nolanmailhos1470]

The shrimpers here in Louisiana have a call a Texas rig. I'm going to try to install something like that on my sailboat. If I do it right I can actually pick the dingy up too with it. If you can look into it might give you an idea. You might even want get you a little test troll and pull it. Get you some shrimps.

[@mikeevasin9012]

Nice AIC James.

[@CharleyGeorge]

When going up the coast of Argentina make sure you stop off at Mar Del Plata. An amazing awesome resort area that has amazing places to stay, miles of beaches, great food, and super reasonable costs as well.

[@GetnNauti]

Looks great man! Thanks for sharing

[@EdwardPrestes]

@Saling Zingaro Hey James, great job on the design of the new arch. Such an improvement over the first one. But I was wondering, your video seems to show a few places where the arch has got the yellowing signs of rust, or at least of the stainless coat weakening. Was that an optical illusion? @17:04, @18:41

[@rickcreel3657]

Plunkky the King of San Blas Islands. He may leave His Kingdom to check on a boat from the Greeks. Long live King Plunkky People. love the e anchor so necessary

[@Odonanmarg]

Do you mean King Plukky❓

[@rickcreel3657]

@@Odonanmarg thank you

[@patrickjames1080]

Brilllllliant James - Thanks for sharing 👍

[@leshogg217]

That looks awesome bro, well done.

[@jayomjarmo]

Nice song in the back !

[@jessiebrader2926]

Nice arch....How about adding a small swing out crane for lifting the outboard? Glad you still have an inner forestay, Aloha, David.

[@bryanbadger6841]

Good Nz morning James. First of all HNY 2023. Hope it's a good year for us all. I have a problem. When you were telling us your itinerary, I didn't hear any mention of our country. Allegedly we have the highest percentage of yachts per population, in the world. And don't forget we are the holders of America's Cup. Just saying. Good beer too. One day. Eh.? It is what it is. By the way, if the forecast for the Horn looks a bit shxxxy, or if you need major work done before the Falklands, you can take on the Beagle Channel and go into Ushuaia. Southern most Marina. Plenty of williwaws to deal with. If it's not windy, just wait 10 minutes and you'll get it. But the facilities are good. Southern most city on Tierra del Fuego. Loving your channel mate. Until next time, take care. Atb from down here.

[@Footballislife1900]

My apologies but do you mind saying for me in one of your videos “it puts the lotion in the basket, or it get the hose again” I would really appreciate that and thank you so much 😊

[@raymondmendez8092]

Great video !!! ... I am new to your channel , I just subscribed.. I was wondering what model and length is your boat ?

[@MondoRockable]

What size tubing did you end up with? Inside diameter? Outside diameter?

[@tomcraddock244]

Nice dingy davit ! You stated it’s been on a month ,but I’m seeing rust. It’s that normal?hope it holds up Fair winds ⛵️

[@neilrush659]

oh another question James, sry.....Were you able to salvage any monies back from the old arch or was it just a complete right off?

[@lenamaysail]

James, Kevin here from SV Colmena. We jammed on your old boat in Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica back in 2018. Good times. What was the finished cost of your arch? Just trying to get an rough idea. I'm currently in Indonrsia, heading toward Thailand. Take care.

[@thelastpirate]

Kevin! How's it going, man? Awesome to hear from you, bro. Still rocking the sax? Man you must've had a few adventures since we met. The arch was around $4500 in Colombia. Would have been more in any other place (except Thailand). Much love, my friend. -James

[@lenamaysail]

@@thelastpirate James! I crossed from panama in 19, bought a new boat while in Tahiti, and spent the covid years in Australia. Now leisurely cruising through Indo. You've been busy as well i see. Have a great time in SA, be safe, and we'll cross paths again eventually. Cheers mate.

[@SW-xj2st]

Solid stuff, captain James!

[@DiabloSpearguns]

Great looking setup!

[@longship789]

Thanks!

[@leadreviewer3257]

Awesome I like

[@coryrichter3680]

James, if you have a crappy production boat, (paraphrase) and you put a backing place on, how large should it be roughly? Yours looks to be about the same size as the top plate, but on a production boat what should it look like?

[@marcoopdeweegh8284]

Great video and sharing of learnings. Thank you & happy 2023!

[@karlschmitt6231]

Happy New year !!! Nice Arch ! Ana Tells it like it is ...!!!

[@thelastpirate]

Happy new year! Yes, Ana doesn’t pull punches…

[@Floki__Vilgerdarson]

NICE Nutshell cover and vid as always

[@philip8624]

Thats a bummer..i have to design one for my 37'..this spring coming..just sub'd

[@TheTuatara]

just curious . why didn't you turn it upside down to carry ? everyone would have a hold at hip level instead of some with hands overhead.

[@robertpodgorni9347]

Team WORK!❤

[@mattmeiners985]

Love it.... Hope all goes to plan.... Aloha....

[@WilliamAArnett]

Is it really safe to carry the dinghy on the davits in the Southern Ocean?

[@Mountainmandean207]

for some reason i dont get notifications when you post hope all is well nice setup

[@9thGenerationCajun]

I want one of those dingys bad bad. Same one from Hawaii or a new one?

[@thelastpirate]

That’s a new one. The one from the old boat I sent back to the factory. 6 years old and still worked like new! Try that with an inflatable…

[@jamesrhodes6462]

Are you installing a heater in the boat while you are there?

[@Liberta_BR]

march 24 ...i wanna meet you in Rio!

[@KnigaAudio]

very glad. love you

[@stevecrombie5357]

How did Plukky grade your arch? He has a very discerning eye. Looks great to me.

[@thelastpirate]

Not sure… I’ll ask him ;)

[@FirstLast-xz8ge]

Why didn't you use a truck to transport the arch back to the marina? That arch looks great. The sketch was nice and detailed.