Installing Military-Grade Boat Monitoring and Security System & More Solar on Our Sailing Catamaran

[@bradleyrupska4988]

I am a industrial electrician. When you have difficult wire such as this. You always use a cable pulling lube. First you pull a small rag through the conduit with lube on it. Then when you are what's called making the the wire pulling head up. You strip each wire the about four inches. Then you cut half of each wires strands off. You then fold them over the pulling fish tape. The fish tape can be a metal one or a fiberglass one. You stager the wires so you don't have a bigger pulling head than the diameter of all the wires you are pulling into the conduit. Wrap it with half wraps is good quality 3m 33 tape, at least two half wraps. Then you use wire lube on the head and wire while pulling. The person pulling should count down 123 like you where doing. To let the person feeding the wire know when to push! The person feeding and pushing the wire is the most important person. While pulling wire. The person feeding and pushing during a difficult wire pull helps the wire by over 50 to 80% of the pull. Love your videos. I wish I was there to help you on this difficult wire pull!!!!!!

[@FixDatTing]

Don’t let these negative comments bother you if you buy a new house you still have warranty issues. I was a superintendent for a lower priced builder and a high end builder guess what they both had warranty issues and they both dragged their feet to do any of it

[@ImCallingYouOUT1]

I believe they are more responsive to you because of your KZbin channel and social media following. Customers without the same reach as you will not receive the same level of service. I think you will agree with that.

[@thelongs5698]

100% accurate statement

[@Bigfish300]

Love the response personally by the CEO of Seawind. New Balance owner lost a daggerboard - tough luck, you have to wait 9 months for a replacement ... Lagoon we all learned about through Colin. Leopards warranty is a circus on multiple channels. I really like the way that Seawind committed to your problems. Great

[@floydbright9169]

I might have made the external side of the tarp white to reflect the sunlight. That black will be like a heat source to the salon. But that was an excellent idea using the tarp inserted behind those screens. Good going Sierra. This old great grandpa congratulates you.

[@texarama]

I can't imagine dealing with warranty issues without a quarter million KZbin followers.

[@nooneanybodyknows7912]

As you said, your repairs pale in comparison to others, say, for instance, Travel Sketch. Trent, Telicia, and Tynan have been thru hell and back with their Leopard 45. From warranty repairs, numerous poor subcontractors, delays in materials, and in their do and redo fiasco. The heartbreaking, infuriating, disgusting madness they've been thru makes your issues a cake walk. Still, I remain steadfast. Most sailboat manufacturers aren't producing high-quality boats. I love your channel. I always wish you and LaurieSue the very best. ❤

[@jangrueter]

My husband and I just found your channel. We love it!! Thank you for sharing your life with us. He is 90 and I am 80 and you bring much joy to our lives!!

[@edemerick1889]

You guys aren’t alone. The Winns and Ruby Rose both have new boat issues! It’s a boat. It’s still better than any RV

[@davecummings6170]

Nice to see someone who really can swim. Going after the sunglasses in the water your dive was perfect; straight legs, feet together and then classic crawl stroke and very powerful. Those years as a lifeguard were not wasted.

[@wjhann4836]

I never experienced a new boat without issues. But what for me is outstanding that Seawind is taking (positive) action about your issues. That's more than the average production boat owner will experience.

[@4port]

Hey sierra, to help stopping your sunshades from dropping... cut the block out screen larger and tabs or holes so they go over the snaps and then get held in place....😊

[@KORKZCustomSunglassStraps]

Thank you so much for the KORKZ shoutout! That was really nice of you both. (Billy wasn't messing around when he threw his sunglasses in the water 😂.)

[@barelyafloatwithsteve3975]

Hi guys, I love you kids and the fact that you're living your Dreams. I'm an old man with no boat, looking to sell it all soon and get me an older trawler or motor yacht and live the dream. Don't pay any attention to the haters and know it alls. There probably just jealous, and not happy in their own lives. Keep living the dream and stay safe out there. 😊

[@mediaman369]

I appreciate your honesty in sharing everything - good, bad, and ugly.

[@bumonthemove]

Tip for the blackout tarp. use the super small but powerful magnets to keep the tarp in place on the windows. just insert a small metal bit ( washer) in the mash cover that you put over it.

[@darlajean1045]

We used some powerful magnets on our boat to hold our cushions in place and we started having so much trouble with our auto pilot. Turns out the magnets were causing all the issues.

[@athuddriver]

For a non-sailor I am hooked on watching way too many sailing content folks. I don't and won't ever own a sail boat...I get sea sick too easily. LOL However, my wife and I owned and traveled full time for 9 years in a high end RV. I feel your pain about getting warranty work done where you are and on a reasonable timetable. We also had many RV friends with the full gamut from minor to major build quality issues and fights with the manufacturer to get corrective actions. Over used but true...haters are gonna hate.

[@dustoff1472]

Sounds like an addition to add when planning a new boat (ie: put in extra tubes front to back and side to side for running added cables) Tks for sharing.

[@mukkaar]

Kinda, pretty much every marine instrument maker has this capacity built in (Raymarine, Garmin etc.). So in case of new boat, just use their system to do this. But as add-on for older boat, this is really nice.

[@stevesheller9223]

The info. on the BRKNL Blue addition to your boat was priceless, I didn’t even know it existed. Thank you so much for showing me how to spend more money on a boat 😂😂😂. Loved it.

[@14jul73]

For pulling wires through conduit: "IDEAL Electrical 31-378 Aqua-Gel II Electrical Pulling Lubricant" is made for this purpose. For talking to each other on opposite ends of boat or opposite sides of hull: use earbuds and call each other if you have cell signal.

[@live2av8]

to add on to this...Klein Tools makes a spray foam lubricant that will expand to fill the entire conduit with lube. It is available at Home Depot or any electrical supply store. It is really easy to use and cleaner overall.

[@anjiemarie1]

Hey, I don't mean to put you down or anything, but I think you're getting such great help because you have a lot of followers in the sailing world. I love watching your videos; they're really peaceful and enjoyable for me, but I can't help but wonder if someone without a following would get the same service.

[@RiverWoods111]

In this day and age of social media, there is no way any boat builder can afford to not give the same attention to detail to every boat regardless of the following. Everyone now has access to sailing groups and forums that reach just as many actual sailors as this channel reaches. The Wynns boat is currently in warranty work and this is completely normal. Even more so with the time frame this boat was built being that it was during shutdown and the fact that getting employees had become exceedingly hard, and it was boat number 1 of a new model. My daddy always said, "Never by the first year of a new model of car, new models always have too many kinks to work out." My dad was talking about CARS! Years ago he said this, and it is still true to this day.

[@beebop4333]

It has nothing to do w them. Its the power of social media. Watch RV Liz. You will see that RV manufacturers wont help w warranty work, until they are publicly exposed.

[@anjiemarie1]

@beebop4333 I didn't say it had anything to do with them. They're great people. I think they're the kindest, most real sailing channel it there. It's the boat companies, not the owners. The person above you mentioned the Wynns having boat work on their new boat, but the same can be said for them; the Wynns also have a large following in the sailing world. Vagabond already had to have work on their new boat. Tula, the Wynns and Vagabond all are very nice people but they also have large followings. My opinion is that if they didn't have such a large number of followers, they wouldn't have had such an easy time getting the warranty work done so fast. Once again, I'm not saying anything bad about these 3 sailing channels. I'm subscribed to all 3 it's just that Tula is my favorite.

[@coolasafan1029]

I love you guys dearly and have been watching your channel since the beginning. I love that you guys have always done YOUR thing and stayed original. Please do not fall into the trap of trying to please the people in the comments. You guys are great the way you are. Dont start editing yourself now

[@RiverWoods111]

Also, the biggest repair you had was from the shipping process and damage done to the boat while on the container ship, being loaded or unloaded. That was a huge amount of time in Dry dock getting the insurance work done having nothing to do with warranty or Seawind.

[@laurieswezey2867]

I, personally LOVE LaurieSue thank you Seawind ☺️

[@h2osmokey]

What's the origin of the boats name?

[@laurieswezey2867]

Billy’s mom (me - Laurie) sierras mom “Sue” 😊😊

[@PorscheSpeedster-kz6nc]

Learn to refiberglass the hole and gel coat to make it white and solid again. Or find an aesthetically pleasing access door/panel to cover up the giant hole. You are brave and patient to take that on. Jobs like these have ruined relationships of the weak!!! You guys are awesome. 👏

[@zeketoplay5355]

I love when billy jumped in the water to get his sunglasses. I enjoy your videos for several years. Amazing how you keep that great positive attitude.

[@whitneylake2107]

Thank you both for the laundry list of info over the years I have been watching. You have indirectly convinced me to build my own vessel no matter what. Thank you !

[@RiverWoods111]

Hmmmm... I have seen owner-built boats crack in half in the middle of the ocean. Hope you actually know what you are doing!

[@ArmandoLazo]

Barnacle - what a clever name for a marine security and monitoring system!

[@charlesscottdoty1283]

The BRNKL system is fantastic! Good job on all of the new improvements.

[@johnabriggs6044]

one thought on the tarp shade would be to add some holes at the top and each end to allow the snap of your screen to hold the tarp in place. maybe glue and a second piece of tarp as a reinforcement to the Tarp whole. simple way to keep them in place when used 🤩

[@Annette__mimi21]

You could either put velcro or glue magnets between screens and tarps at the top to keep tarps from sliding.

[@thomaspaccione8237]

I bought a new boat a few years ago, well maybe more than a few years, I won't mention the brand. We picked it up at the dealer in South Jersey, and motored back to our marina in Brick NJ. When we got tied up, and got on shore power, the frig and the battery charger did not work. I stuck my head in the hatch so see that we did indeed have a battery charger, however, there was not a single piece of wire going to it. I then unmounted the frig from the cabinet to see that also was the issue with the frig. Called the dealer, they had someone there the next day to fix the issues. He also brought a goodie bag of stuff from the manufacturer. These things should have been caught by the dealer before we took possession, however, the manufacture needs to do a better job at QA before boats are shipped out to the dealers. Everything worked out in the end. We have had this boat for 24 years now, and it still a very reliable boat.

[@valerieb.4912]

Hi, I have a suggestion on the black shade. Sew on the outer edge surface several pieces of velcro on the screen. Then sew the velcro (make these pieces much longer. In case of adjustments) on the black shade. This way it does not slip down. Happy Sailing ⛵

[@mvintrigue-trawlerdiy1101]

I love watching the boat maintenance! And doing it too!

[@colinboniface194]

What a great episode... Full marks to SeaWind for their warranty service... You are right, there are some horror stories out there. You judge a company not on sales or flashy media, you judge them on follow up... There is so much going on with a new boat, of course there will be issues. That BNKL setup is first class...

[@freedomwanderer]

Everything we own requires maintenance and upkeep so its part of the package. Great work.

[@edwardbartoneb]

As an OG inspector and lineman if you are having problems running wires throughout your boat. You can always use cheap dishwashing liquid. But after a while the liquid will dry and become sticky for a while. You can also use a light coating of grease and it should work just fine. That’s what a lot of lineman’s use for difficult problems, and it saves time and no frustrations.

[@Cycle9568]

You guys do you! We are here to watch and enjoy all of the adventures and the pitfalls along the way! Happy Sailing!

[@johnabriggs6044]

a secret to pulling cable in any place is to add lube to it liquid dish soap is a good lube as no detergent in it . I buy the cheep stuff from the Dollar store and keep around for just that use. As an old man with lots of boat rigging and reworking one need all the easy extras to use. I always added a extra pull string as one way to be ahead of the next project and add a label at each end so one know where it running too. back before cell phone and note files and photos did it with a note book and tabs to keep a record of what had been added Records are a good failsafe for future

[@joemedcalf7732]

I personally love your boat, great looking great sailing I think sea wind is a good company. I like the idea of the barnacle. Wow a washing machine and AC can't think of more deserving people, another great video thanks.😊

[@justsomeguy6474]

Wow, I'm amazed at the tech that is available now. That Brnkl system is what I consider a must have on a boat, well a live-a-board anyway.

[@flyingcheff]

SHADE SEWING HELP!! 🌺 🌺 I never know if I should bother to comment, I never see any response. But if you do see this, heres a helpful suggestion for your shades: Get inexpensive heavy wire and cut pieces that you can run vertically on your tarp shade pieces, tape them down/on with black duct tape, one wvwry 6 - 8 " or whatever aewms like enough. Then roll each shade up when storing, you can write a place name on each one (like starboard front, etc) and unroll to use. The wire will hold the shade pieces up while against the windows, won't be seen (under the tape) and It's an inexpensive work around. I can see the tarp sliding down in this video....it needs vertical support. Good luck.

[@RiverWoods111]

Yay!!!!!!!!! On the Going Sailing! Nice job on the tarps, the only thing you might down the road want to do is to make them white or light gray. Also, if you add a little bit of boning that you can get at the fabric store or order online for like corsets and fancy dresses to the vertical edges the will stay standing up. It is somewhat flexible so it will conform to your window shape. It is covered in fabric, so there should be no scratching. Oh, the white is to keep your boat cooler when it is hot out. The black will work as a solar heater, and you might want to use those when it is cooler out to heat up your boat.

[@markhardesty2228]

Nobody ever complained about having too much solar power, too much battery capacity, or too much fresh water making capacity. You guys are getting it right!

[@Johnsouthshore]

I had a yanmar saildrive on my 1984 monohull for over 20 years. Never a single problem. Worked well

[@robertthompson9455]

I have boat/ship building experience, from trailerables to the Eisenhower Aircraft Carrier. The question is how soon do you have to pull maintenance on a new boat ?...The answer, the afternoon of the day you buy her !...That's what shake down cruise is for...

[@dancampbell8149]

its the best anchor alarm on the market!!! We check it more than Facebook. Also liveaboards we two dogs Canada to Hawaii and back then Canada to Mexico now back to Canada.

[@kevbjork1]

Old boat or new boat, it's always some thing. LOL. Your boat is gorgeous and yeah, ya gotta keep tabs on Jetty1 She's the star of the show after all. Hope you have a good trip south.

[@bowlinggreenoil]

Add velcro to your shades and tarp to keep the tarp from falling. Thanks.

[@paulas_lens]

Hopefully you guys are way south of Beryl. Thinking of you and sending you safety and protection.

[@philthomas6123]

Such a tough line to toe, sharing your experience without coming across negative... My take is that repairs are expected, and as anything in business having good follow through and good follow up makes or breaks it.... I feel for ya with the comments... the one thing I know is you two have eachother and have this handled just fine. love your channel, it is honest and it is fun

[@bunkyayars1179]

Captain Rick Moore has some great ideas too

[@UUBrahman]

Real World...love it.

[@LukeHabein]

I was c/s and warranty for Latson Glastron, then purchasing, then sales, then a buyer again, then inside sales manager for Crestliner boat for a while. Biggest thing I was ever around was 500k 35' cruisers. But you guys are Spot on!! It's not like you will never have issues on something new, it's how the manufacturer and your dealer takes care of you. It's just the nature of the beast. Keep the positive attitude and just keep floating on guy's!. I'm truly envious of your lifestyle 🙂

[@allenwilson9656]

Wow billy, that's too many POE , POM's and POV's 😂 Congrats on your repairs

[@sandrarenwick1225]

Hi guys, if you are headed to Trinidad you can anchor around in Carnage bay by the Trinidad yacht club and then dinghy into shore for customs. The main anchorage is very deep and crowded. For Jetty coming in, Jesse James has made arrangements for the vet and rules for dogs coming in. We are meeting with the vet today and get our permit. Sandra and Dave, we met you in Antigua and you came for Dave’s birthday dinner to our condo.

[@johnmartlew5897]

This type of mil-spec security is great, but I rented a Marine Infantry squad. Hooaaah! 😂 👍

[@pken9814]

Great idea with the tarp. A suggestion if the cut out wants to slide down. Use some velcro with tape on the back, and tape a couple of pieces of velcro to the top of the tarp and shade. Or velcro the whole cut out to the back of the shade. Then snap back on.

[@MarkSnop]

Another wonderful video you guys thank you for bringing us all along. I almost feel like I’m there sometimes but it’s a lot easier to watch than it is to help ha ha

[@PorscheSpeedster-kz6nc]

I like the tarp idea. It would be better to cut the footprint the same size as the screen and then cut holes for the snaps on the tarp to hold the tarp from all the snap points. A great low cost hack…😊

[@phillipmullis7904]

You will have to say seawind would be more interested in making you happy then someone that doesn’t have a KZbin channel.

[@pammager7135]

Smooth sailing Sierra, Billy, and Jetty!

[@justwayne4785]

Thanks guys, I love these types of episodes.

[@sebell69]

day late and dollar short but LUBRICATION is GREAT for passing cables thru small conduits! And Silver Sharpie is better marker for black tarp! Maybe "ears" for the black tarp and then use velcro to stick it to the mesh covers!?!

[@waltsailing2009]

We understand your warranty issues… been there …Gelcoat was specifically called out that it was not covered …

[@TomTalley]

Great to see you guys. I wonder if they make floating solar panels. You could just float a bunch out on the water...when at anchor...probably be a pain, but...lots of room...🤔

[@jakejaekels7991]

Although I think these manufacturers have poor quality control, since almost my entire career was in quality control and working on all sorts of boats, large and small. in either case you are winding up with out of control repair issues that should have been identified and corrected before you sign the final papers. I relate to buying a new boat is somewhat like buying a new house. Usually about the same amount of effort involved and time involved. With the exception if the manufacturer is not that close just adding to the complications of buying a boat. Recently I’m sure you have read about issues with total bulkhead failures on one particular well known boats.

[@paigetillison8543]

Thank you for this video! I’m a liveaboard with a dog & this info is so helpful! 🐾🐾🐾

[@stevenseiler7921]

Your discipline and creativity is inspiring!!! Love you guys!

[@MnGirl1994]

You can add heavy-duty velcro or sew on some extra snaps to the main sunshade and tarp to make sure it doesn't slide down.

[@justsomeguy6474]

A good trick is to put a thermometer in front of one of the cameras so you know that Jetty is ok incase a sensor fails.

[@davidprado9630]

I've been meaning to comment, I saw some of your merchandise on a person in Benicia, California.

[@marcjoseph1892]

Hey you guys are great..great boat..there's a lot of bad people out there...they are just jealous of you..enjoy life..

[@tms1624]

The biggest performance killer for solar panels is shading. If you look at 40:10 dishy fulls shades at least 1 cell of your port quarter panel, cutting power output of that panel in two (if these are 12Volt panels there is 2 sub-strings in the panel. The substring with the shade on a cell is pretty much off). At 40:55 those 2 new panels will have had an output very close to zero due to the boom shading the top cells. Iunderstand you didn't have a choice to turn them 90 degrees, so did the best you could. I understand there is always constraints on a sailboat. Keep in mind that generally, it's better to get one panel fully in the sun than 2 partially shaded. When at anchor, you can often move the boom accordingly. For dishy, I would consider if you could have it on a mount that can be lowered to not protrude above panel level.

[@DYoung-vt8pq]

Love you kids! Safe travels. ❤

[@tmerema]

I'm sure y'all are done with this wiring project, but next time look for "mil spec" wire. It is just as strong and just as capable, but the insulation is able to be thinner and makes the overall wire diameter smaller. Added cost sure but worth it.

[@CharleyGeorge]

Can you apply E-Coat film to your windows. Check that out. It is a great option to keep the heat from the sun from overwhelming your boat with no need to add a black out curtain. This allows you to see out as well.

[@dennisrobinson4588]

I have been sailing for 67 years now and have owned or had use of a boat much of that time and it never fears the amount of work required to get a boat in shape is daunting to say the least. However, I would not trade it for anything because of the real pleasure I have experienced from sailing is worth all of the crap I and those who helped me put into it. Sailing is the most beautiful experience I have ever had while alive, it offers so much joy and sorrow at times but will never give it up!!! Happy days and good sailing to all!

[@carltontweedle5724]

Mate the truth freedom the Earth powering you around it.

[@Trk09dr]

Black shades absorb heat so boat will be hotter than if you have reflective material or white on exterior

[@Rodrifuuu]

Hey Billy and Sierra. One thing that would be cool to add to your website would be to connect it to your SOG. "Are we sailing right now?"

[@Berend-ov8of]

SeaWind clearly deserves more credit than they have been getting in some of the comments. If what you see on this channel shocks you, forget about ever buying a boat, because if you're that naive, you're bound to do a lot worse than Sierra and Billy. Any boat is an ongoing process. Cheers to SeaWind for this one. She's a beauty. All things considered.

[@BB-bv6uq]

Seawind would be sol if they didn't fix their KZbin influencers boat. If Sierra & Billy bashed seawind they wouldn't get any orders .. regular people wouldn't receive this treatment

[@fireboltjd]

This comment right here is why companies continue to do this. They didn’t leak test the boat. The floors weren’t attached. And this boat was supposed to go to the owner of the company. If companies had a quality control process, they would catch items like this. This is just a rush job and unfortunately seawind doesn’t have a good enough warranty network to support this level of lack of craftsmanship.

[@Berend-ov8of]

@@BB-bv6uq That's the whole point. If I was a boat builder, that might be a reason for me not to sell to KZbinrs. I mean, look at this platform. 90% of the comments is either cheering for no reason, or hating without argument. Even this channel isn't immune to that. A boat builder is taking a big risk selling to KZbinrs. One that does, like SeaWind, deserves credit just for that.

[@Berend-ov8of]

@@fireboltjd Try build a boat. I just rebuild a few, but half of it is learning process, and boat building isn't anywhere near as profitable a business as building cars. That's why most companies have such short lives. Defect is defect, but bad and bad is two. What reality are you comparing them with?

[@fireboltjd]

@@Berend-ov8of the floors weren’t attached and the boat wasn’t leaked tested so you tell me.I build extremely complicated things for a living and we have test procedures to ensure the product going out is quality

[@paulgilliland2992]

Curious why seawind wouldn’t install some future tunnels and empty conduit for exactly these things. We always have installed utilities in our buildings for tenants so there are no problems when them move in.

[@johnnylightning1491]

I think a big part of the issue with folks dissatisfaction with having to get warranty work done is they are comparing boats, or in my world RVs, to cars. They don't seem to understand that the entire RV industry production for a year is roughly equivalent to the production of Ford F150s for a year. This production is spread out over many, many manufacturers and models. I imagine the boat industry is even fewer boats but still quite a few manufacturers. In essence every boat and RV of any size in the world are custom made so mistakes are going to happen. As you said the issue is more whether the manufacturer is responsive and accommodating, not whether or not the issues occur. Keep the good stuff coming guys;.

[@josephgaydosh7300]

If you put Velcro on the tarp and on the screen stick them together before you put them up they won't sag

[@Bamathafan]

Suggestion... The cork sunglasses should be neon so it would stand out in the water

[@dcallan812]

I think people that have NEVER bought a new boat or even a boat. Can get to defensive for you about the issues. Its cr@p having problems with a brand new boat, but they happen, its how its dealt with Good luck and happy sailing. 2x👍👍

[@EngelbertKarcovnik]

This is reality of production boats.

[@kimsexton3191]

Add Velcro onto the tarp and screen so it doesn’t sag. You would only need to add a couple of pieces on the top. Have Fun!, safe travels

[@larrymills4223]

Fantastic Video. Very well done.

[@vic2265]

If I were a boat builder I would make dam sure it was correct in this day and age as everyone will see your issues. Word of mouth is still an important factor when you talk about issues on these new builds. Reputations can be made and destroyed by social media at a speed of the internet.

[@Roskellan]

Buying boats is not the same as buying a car, volumes are much smaller. Testing and development per unit sale can only be that there is less money available. That given a lot depends on the manufactures willingness to address the problems as they occur, and you seem to have that. That's a thumbs up for the manufacturer as far as I can see.

[@CharleyGeorge]

if you have a tight spot running wires use silicon lubricant. That will allow it to slip without eating the wire cover and the fiberglass

[@MrBIGBOBBO]

I think if I were doing what you're doing, I'd count on home basing in Florida every year for a month or two. Some things can be done so much easier there! Great video on lots of levels.Good job!

[@dustoff1472]

With the service and support you are getting from the manufacturer, if I were buying a new boat I would ask for the same boat. Enjoying the channel. Tks for sharing.

[@tonyfromaus7855]

For BRNKL input.. have you considered strain gauges epoxied to underside of deck surfaces? They can detect weight applied to the deck. So an intruder can’t move on boat without setting them off but birds don’t. They are simple inexpensive electronic parts a bit like resistors…. it’s DIY but info is on interwebs. I only know from reading about it on a forum a few years ago.

[@lesterwicklein717]

Love the sun shirts !

[@lawsonshilingkendall4246]

Wow, that's some fancy stuff. In my day, it was LORAN navigation systems... land based reference points triangulation give you your coordinates.

[@jefferyholland]

Maybe some little suction cups attached to the top of your sunshades will keep them from dropping.

[@davidwood4427]

I had a similar issue in not being able to run the gauge cables I wanted. The only fix was to run the panels in series which multiplied the voltage but kept the amps down so smaller gauge cables could be used. Individual cables and controllers would have been ideal but sometimes just not practical.

[@waltsailing2009]

We have a similar solar set up on our catamaran. So I would suggest that you remount them… not what you want to read…. go buy some corrugated plastic. Put this under the panels. The air flow under them will improve things a bit, the back sides will get hot. For example, even with corrugated plastic and air flow, you can feel from the underside of the hard dodger, different amounts of heat… Mounting them is better done using some screws. A stand off made with some g10 which you can epoxy down with the corrugated plastic making an air passage will be simpler. You can then screw into the stand off, not the boat. Only the corners are glued down,. Try not to walk on them…. 😂you will find that if you tie the boom as far out as possible this will remove the shade, for half the day…. Shade is not your friend with the solar. Shade stripes from the boom can cut your entire solar array off depending on how you have it wired. Series is best for the lower current, and higher voltage, in this set up. If you can mount some standard panels on the stern davits or arch area, this will be the best, and if you can tip them towards the sun, late afternoon or early morning sun, you can have some significant gains. Unless you have the flex panels perfectly normal to the sun, and have no shadows, and the backs are not covered, with good air flow, don’t expect anywhere near full output. We suffered from a real problem of a radar pole and radar causing shade. You can watch on your Victron app, in graph mode, as the boat swings at anchor the solar power go from less than 1/3 to full as shade fills parts of the panels. Internal panel wiring and internal diodes can help but the best solution it to just get the shade off. And, you can experiment with connecting them in parallel and in various series connections to optimize the results due to small shade like from the mast or stays..when we were in the Bahamas, you could see the difference when the radar shade pattern was out of the way…, And docking in the right direction and anchoring with an uneven bridal can get you more output….good luck… ps, watch the app, and swing the boom as far out as possible…