Kyocera KC40 panel mounted on the main hatch.	The Perko deck plug is wired to the charge controller

With our decision to keep Necessity at the marina dry-slipped (on the trailer, rigged and ready to launch) came the need for a way to keep the battery charged. There would be no shore power available, so solar seemed the way to go. After extensive research, we went with the Kyocera KC40, a 40-watt panel that would just overlap our companionway hatch. 40 watts seemed perhaps like overkill, but the KC40 had a frame that would lend itself to mounting on the hatch, and was actually cheaper than a 32-watt panel I had also considered. I was also looking ahead to our planned Apostle Islands trip in the summer, and figured the extra capacity would come in handy.

I wanted a charge controller with a built-in volt meter and a blocking diode to prevent battery discharge back through the panel at night. Holly Solar makes the ST-10VM, which fit the bill nicely. Two wires go to the battery, two others to a Perko deck plug, which I installed next to the companionway. The male end of the plug connects to the solar panel with a little over two feet of 16-gauge marine romex-type wire. The long length allows the hatch to slide all the way forward with the panel plugged in.

Holly Solar's ST-10VM Charge Controller showing about 12.25 volts	The charge controller mounts flush and out of the way.

We wanted the panel to be removable, so we borrowed a page from Jobst Vandrey's book of tricks. I bought a block of mahogany and cut four smaller blocks, which I screwed and sealed to the hatch. Four pieces of aluminum angle iron were bolted to the panel's frame. I put 1/4" lag bolts into the mahogany, which line up nicely with the holes in the angle iron. The panel bolts right on and is easily removable for a daysail.

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