Since we enjoyed the house battery on "Cordon Bleu" always being full from the use of a small solar panel, the first order of business for the "3 Monkeys" was to install a new solar panel. Since this boat is bigger than our last, it only seems right to install a larger panel.

I picked up a 15 watt panel then went to work trying to figure out the best location. It was much longer than the 5 watt we previously had so I finally decided the best location would be to use the stern rails.

The next order of business was to fabricate some sort of strong holder. Wood was too bulky, pvc was too floppy and metal was to heavy. Then I came across some aluminum angle bar. It was light and strong... the perfect material.
After some not so accurate measuring and cutting, I created a tray that the panel would bolt to, attached the tray to some tubing, then strapped the entire assembly to the stern rail posts.

The end result was an incredibly solid solar panel holder which keeps the panel up out of the way but in constant sunlight.