3450W of Solar Power on Our Off-Grid Catamaran Episode 70 #sailboatrefit
After two years of planning, fabricating, redesigning, and chasing down welders, our sailboat finally has a massive new solar arch—and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.
In this episode of our catamaran refit, we install a custom stainless steel solar arch capable of supporting 4 x 575W bifacial solar panels, plus an additional two panels mounted on the coach roof for a total of 3,450 watts of solar power onboard.
Getting to this point was anything but easy.
We had three different welders flake out on us before finally finding someone willing to take on the project for a reasonable price. By the end, we were deeply involved in the build ourselves—designing the arch, cutting and fitting the stainless supports, and acting as the welder’s extra hands throughout the fabrication process.
This wasn’t a simple bolt-on project. We handled all the heavy lifting ourselves and completed the installation without any help from the boatyard.
Along the way, we also:
Reused and integrated the original safety rails
Added a cockpit shower and foot wash
Built a strong, clean structure capable of supporting serious off-grid power generation
The final result completely transformed the back of the boat. Not only does the arch look incredible, but it’s also a huge step toward our goal of building a fully self-sufficient cruising catamaran capable of running comfortably without relying on marinas or a generator.
This project has been nearly two years in the making, and finally seeing the solar array mounted and complete feels like a massive milestone in our sailboat refit journey.
If you’re into:
Sailboat refits
DIY boat projects
Off-grid solar systems
Catamaran upgrades
Liveaboard cruising preparation
Marine electrical systems
…this episode is packed with real-world fabrication, problem-solving, and major progress.
⛵ One step closer to sailing.
00:00 Recap countdown
00:31 The plan
00:43 Channel intro
01:01 Coach roof panels
01:35 Measure for new arch supports
05:13 Cutting stainless
07:40 Cleaning up
08:34 Yep, still cutting stainless
10:09 Polish and reuse safety rails
11:33 Welding Day(s)
12:33 Pulling wires
12:59 Raise the panels
13:54 Shower box
14:01 Wrap up
15:03 Like and subscribe
15:25 End card
☝More about us, our adventures, and how we do all this on our website.More about Roam here
⛵️https://sailingroam.com/our-sailboat/
📲 Keep up with us on social
FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/sgsailingroam
INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/sailing_roam
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WE'RE GERI AND SHAWN. A couple travelers out chasing the horizon, meeting the people, and capturing it to share with you.
We’ve chosen to Roam the world by boat because, let’s face it, the most interesting path is rarely a straight line.
#SailboatRefit #SolarPower #OffGridLiving #Catamaran #DIYBoat #MarineSolar #BoatProjects #LiveaboardLife #Victron #SailingLife
Sailing Roam
👋 Hi, we’re Geri 👩🏻⚕️(a retired nurse) and Shawn 🤓 (a not retired technologist). We’ve gone on the greatest adventure of our lives instead of living the comfortable and predictable suburban world we left behind. Living aboard Roam, our cruising catamaran, we explore and immerse ourselves in new cultures, do boat repairs in exotic places, and get up to all kinds of shenanigans. Roam isn’t just the name of our boat, it’s kind of a philosophy. We’re not taking the shortest routes or using a formula to sail around the world. We’re not in a hurry either. We’re meeting the people, seeing the places and getting distracted by things we find interesting along the way. We’re unconventional and we’re living the best life we can imagine! Join us as we turn our 11-year old catamaran into our perfect adventure platform and see what’s over the next horizon. We can’t wait to meet you wherever you are! Clamptite Tools link: https://clamptitetools.com/?sld=syroam 10% discount: gerischaffer10
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