{"id":26372,"date":"2026-03-05T10:47:42","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T10:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/youtubomatic-test\/demoa26f6b3a\/2026\/03\/05\/diy-retractable-solar-panels-on-speed-rail-arch\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T10:47:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T10:47:42","slug":"diy-retractable-solar-panels-on-speed-rail-arch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/youtubomatic-test\/demoa26f6b3a\/2026\/03\/05\/diy-retractable-solar-panels-on-speed-rail-arch\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY Retractable Solar Panels on Speed Rail Arch"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"youtubomatic-video-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allow=\"autoplay\" width=\"580\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/F4X8eeEEVeM?controls=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>DIY Retractable Solar Panels on Speed Rail Arch &#8211; Cape Dory 30 Refit Part 4.<br \/>To maximize solar power in the restricted space on this 30-foot Cape Dory cutter (with electric propulsion), we designed this no-weld\/no-bend method for a DIY retractable solar array arch built from Speed Rail fittings, aluminum pipe, and heavy-duty stainless-steel drawer slides. The two extendable panels stow flush under the two fixed upper panels while maneuvering in a marina or for low windage when sailing offshore in heavy weather. They slide out on tracks to deploy when needed at anchor or in moderate conditions offshore. <\/p>\n<p>The arch is done but the wiring will be covered in a future video. Subscribe to follow the refit. For more sailboat projects, visit AtomVoyages.com<\/p>\n<p>Parts List:<br \/>Eight pieces 6463-T66 schedule 40 polished anodized 1.25&#8243; pipe sold in two pieces 23&#8242; stock length. (we used about 36&#8242; total) $270 total. It&#8217;s easiest to cut the pipe and angle on a chop saw but you can also cut it with an angle grinder or hack saw. <\/p>\n<p>We purchased two pieces 1.25&#8243; polished 6463 grade aluminum schedule 40 pipe in standard 23&#8242; lengths from our local wholesale supplier. At $135 each it was cheaper than ordering 8 pieces of cut lengths online. Bright polished anodized aluminum pipe is twice as expensive as 6061 non-anodized and if you don&#8217;t have a local wholesaler then anodized pipe cost could be prohibitive, which is why most DIY builds choose non-anodized. In that case be prepared to let it weather into that dull oxidized appearance.<\/p>\n<p>Note that pipe (like this Schedule 40) is measured by its Nominal Inside Diameter (ID), while stainless steel tubing is measured by its Outside Diameter (OD). This 1.25-inch pipe has an OD of 1.66 inches. If you\u2019re building a larger arch, you&#8217;ll want to use 1.5-inch pipe (1.9&#8243; OD). We used Schedule 40 because it\u2019s plenty strong, lighter, and less pricey than heavy-walled Schedule 80.<\/p>\n<p>Two pieces 6061-T6 3\/16&#8243; x 2&#8243; x 62&#8243; angle bar (NOT anodized) sold in one piece 25&#8242; stock length $87. Anodized angle bar is hard to source and in this build it is not in a highly visible area so doesn&#8217;t matter if it becomes oxidized on the surface. A stock 25&#8242; piece of angle bar is double what we needed but at $87 it was cheaper than buying two shorter pieces online. And we can use some of the leftover on other projects.<\/p>\n<p>Speed-rail fittings: <br \/>1. Four pieces 1.25&#8243; Tee-E $16.48 each<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buyrailings.com\/shop\/variant\/07060-5e-tee-e-aluminum-magnesium-1-1-4-ips-12794\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.buyrailings.com\/shop\/variant\/07060-5e-tee-e-aluminum-magnesium-1-1-4-ips-12794<\/a><\/p>\n<p>2. Four pieces 1.25&#8243; elbows $21.16 each<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buyrailings.com\/shop\/variant\/07020-3-elbow-aluminum-magnesium-1-1-4-ips-12035\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.buyrailings.com\/shop\/variant\/07020-3-elbow-aluminum-magnesium-1-1-4-ips-12035<\/a><\/p>\n<p>3. Four pieces 1.25&#8243; Rectangular Base Flange $22.34 each <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buyrailings.com\/shop\/variant\/27170-47-rectangular-base-flange-aluminum-magnesium-1-1-4-ips-12476\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.buyrailings.com\/shop\/variant\/27170-47-rectangular-base-flange-aluminum-magnesium-1-1-4-ips-12476<\/a><\/p>\n<p>4. Two sets stainless steel drawer slides, 27 9\/16&#8243; closed length. McMaster-Carr Model: 13875A21 $80 each.<\/p>\n<p>Solar panels:<br \/>Two 200 watt and two 100 watt N-type BougeRV 200w bi-facial panels. Because these are N-type bi-facial, shade tolerant, and wired in parallel, they will cope with partial shading better than standard single-sided P-type panels.<\/p>\n<p>Clamps and fasteners:<br \/>We used two Garhauer Dinghy Davit Stern Rail Clamps 1\u2033 to 1.25\u2033 DD-SRC 1-1.25 $75 each. These tube clamps are not a perfect fit to 1.25&#8243; pipe but are still useable. You can special order these clamps for 1.5&#8243; tube for a better fit (model DD-SRC 1-1.5) or look elsewhere for different style cheaper clamps.<\/p>\n<p>Fasteners:<br \/>16 sets 3\/8&#8243; stainless hex bolts sized for deck thickness and backing plates, nuts and washers for bases<br \/>12 pieces 1\/4&#8243; x 3\/4&#8243; flat head stainless machine screws for angles to pipes<br \/>20 pieces #10 x 1\/2&#8243; flat head stainless machine screws for Tracks to angle bars<br \/>20 pieces #8 x 3\/4&#8243; flat head stainless machine screws, nuts and washers, for tracks to solar panels<br \/>24 pieces 3\/8-16 x 1\/2&#8243; Allen head stainless cone point set screws to replace Speed Rail zinc-plated steel set screws<br \/>AtomVoyages.com<br \/>#DIYBoatProject #SailboatSolar #HollaenderSpeedRail #AtomVoyages<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DIY Retractable Solar Panels on Speed Rail Arch &#8211; Cape Dory 30 Refit Part 4.To maximize solar power in the restricted space on this 30-foot Cape Dory cutter (with electric propulsion), we designed this no-weld\/no-bend method for a DIY retractable solar array arch built from Speed Rail fittings, aluminum pipe, and heavy-duty stainless-steel drawer slides. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8553,"featured_media":26373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[84056,84055,84052,84053,84057,84058,84054],"tags":[84049,84048,84045,84046,84050,84051,84047],"class_list":["post-26372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-atom-voyager","category-cape-dory-30-refit","category-diy-boat-project","category-diy-sailboat-solar-arch","category-offshore-cruising","category-sailboat-modifications","category-speed-rail","tag-atom-voyager","tag-cape-dory-30-refit","tag-diy-boat-project","tag-diy-sailboat-solar-arch","tag-offshore-cruising","tag-sailboat-modifications","tag-speed-rail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/youtubomatic-test\/demoa26f6b3a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/youtubomatic-test\/demoa26f6b3a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/youtubomatic-test\/demoa26f6b3a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/youtubomatic-test\/demoa26f6b3a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8553"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/youtubomatic-test\/demoa26f6b3a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/youtubomatic-test\/demoa26f6b3a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/youtubomatic-test\/demoa26f6b3a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/youtubomatic-test\/demoa26f6b3a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/youtubomatic-test\/demoa26f6b3a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/youtubomatic-test\/demoa26f6b3a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}