Working to complete solar panel install for Ocean Kayak Trident 13. I want to have extra power for recharge of cell phone, VHF radio and depth finder.

I was thinking about doing that myself to keep my battery topped off for my FF and lights when I install them.

That a great idea. How much did the panel cost? Do you have pictures of the wiring?

The solar panel cost $25.00 at Fry's. SunForce Power Sports Charger. Has Built in Overcharge / Discharge protection. All the wire harness and plugs are included. I have not finished running the wires.. more photos soon. Thanks!

This looks like a good idea. Keep us informed on how it does.

Let's play with the numbers and see how much it adds to your day.

The model I found is a 1 Watt unit. At 12V, that's 0,083 Amps.

Let's say you stay out for 12 hours and manage to keep the cells pointed straight to the sun and you experience searing heat Texas sun for all that time.

In 12 hrs you managed to add 1 Amp-Hour to your battery.

I have a 7.5 AH battery inside my hull right now and it lasts several days. I can change it for a 9.0AH battery and it'll probably add a couple more days to my battery and doesn't add any more complexity to my setup. Weight is still about the same and I don't have to orient my kayak to the sun.

Try charging your cellphone without the solar panels first and see if it's drawing much from the battery.

E=MC2

Not worth the time, effort nor the extra weight, bother. But if it makes ya feel better go ahead.

Not sure if it would be needed for a day trip BUT I think it's a great idea for extended trips.

I was able to bring a lawn tractor from "near dead" to cranking the tractor in one hour. That is the extent of my research. So..It will be fine when I am off the grid.