Details about Polar Seal's stainless steel arch

Hi guys!We recently published a video describing the process of installing a stainless steel arch for solar panels and dinghy davits on Polar Seal, our Beneteau Oceanis 40 from 2007, we received requests for more photos and added details. 

Contact of our arch builder

Stuart Sanders at Arcglow, AlmerimarWebsite: http://www.arcglowinoxalmerimar.com/Stuart let us know that although he builds arches (and all type of stainless steel constructions) all year round, he's got more time for those projects in December and July!

Construction details

Size of tubing used: 43mm diameter. The wires are run inside the tubes.Size and material of the backing plates holding the arch in place: Essentially, as big as they can be on our boat. The front part of the arch pulls on the structure, and the aft pushes into the boat (makes sense? ;)) The backing plates are made of stainless steel and are squares of 10x10cm (roughly)Solar panels: Our solar panels are 305W each, from Longi solar (we chose those cause they fit... that was it really! We didn't care about the brand.)

Price

For having the arch built in our pushpit on our Beneteau Oceanis 40: a little less than 4000€ including VAT. For having the arch built as an independent structure and added on top of the boat: 3200€ including VAT. Step 1: After some thorough measuring and design, the structure of the arch is tack welded. Step 2: trying out the solar panels. We were afraid they were going to be too big, but we think they are just right! Step 3: Test fit! Stuart had done an awesome job and it fit perfectly at the first trial.Step 4: Bells and whistles. Stuart added davits for the dinghy, a bar for our antennas and welded parts of the pushpit in the arch. Ryan is already very pleased with the result :) Step 5: installation! We had to wait two extra weeks because Ryan was away for work and a big levanter blew across the region at 50 knots, even in the marina. The arch was mounted, and the aft part of the pushpit was welded once the arch set on the boat. Step 6: Solar panels. Our massive 305W solar panels got up on the spot that Stuart had welded for them. They got right in, in less than 5 minutes. Taking shape! Step 7: wiring. Ryan ran the wires of the solar panels and the antennas inside the tube of the arch. The umbrella is here in order to prevent lost screws to fall in the water.Aaaaaand.... Tadaaaaa!!!!! Finished product :) The arch blends in with the existing structure of the boat. More photos of the results below!