Hi Don,

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I have read some people have used 4 mm polycarbonate as a backing and asked Ocean Planet about it, even going to 6 mm. ?They said not to do it and further they would not honor a warranty [5 years] claim if any panel were placed across a support frame.? The reason being as Dave mentioned, the repeated flexing over a hard point can damage the cells and wiring connections.? The manual for Solbian SP panels actually warns against doing that:

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“Canvas Installation - If installing on canvas, do not run any panels over a support bar. This was previously done with polycarbonate backing, but experience has shown that the solar panels can still be damaged by pressure from a crossbar.”?

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Using Starboard would probably flex less than polycarbonate, especially anchored to the support frame under the canvas.? I have only used 1” Starboard and that is not bending.? Would ?” Starboard adopt the various curves on top of the frame like the masonite?? Am not seeing how the zippers in the canvas to attach to the frame could be modified and still maintain adequate tension on the canvas across the full bimini frame.? [Possibly due to the coffee not kicking in yet.]? Would have thought having partial zippers vs. running the full length of the support frame would create uneven tension, but maybe not.?

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I looked at the Custom Marine but my fore / aft maximum length is 41”that will still fit inside the support frames, though that would go over the center support.?

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Please post more photos as your project progresses.?

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Thanks,

Brian

Escapade S426

CT / LIS

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