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Semi-Rigid Walk On Marine Solar Panels

With a strong aluminum backing and extra thick ETFE laminate non-skid surface, these panels can be walked on without fear of damaging the solar cells. These panels are ideal for mounting on boat decks, camper van roofs and docks. We use premium SunPower Maxeon A+ grade solar cells with an efficiency rating of up to 25.4%, the highest efficiency commercially available. (we offer the same panels with PERC or HJT cells, up to 24.1% efficient, see second chart below) There is no glass or aluminum frame making these panels are considerably lighter than our rigid panels and heavier and stiffer than our flexible panel series. They can be bent slightly to match up with an underlying surface, about 5%. The expected life of these panels is 10+ years in the harsh marine environment. The panels are available with a white or black backing. They are available in 60, 110,120, 150, 175, 225 and 330 watt power output. See below charts for details.

Note we have recently released a new "walkable light" panel that is about 3 mm thinner (4mm vs 7mm) with a thinner aluminum backing plate. They are not as robust - walkable but not dance or drive on. The upside is they dissipate heat better and thus perform better in hot climates.

See All Solar Panel Types, Dimensions, and Specifications

High Performance Walkable Marine Solar Panel Specifications - SunPower Maxeon Series (A+ Grade)

Our SunPower Maxeon Series solar panels are made with SunPower Maxeon's latest generation of solar cells which have the highest energy yield (power output) of any solar cell commercially available.  SunPower Maxeon cell technology uses a back contact design which maximizes the sunlight energy available to each solar cell and enables a sunlight to electric conversion efficiency of up to 25.4%.  These walk on panels are available is several styles.  Standard walk-on panels that are 1/4 inch thick with an aluminum backing, light walk-on panels that are 3/16 inch thick and ideal for hot climates and shade tolerant light walk-on panels ideal for hot climates and mounted where there is shading.  Our team will help you determine which style is best for your application.

Shade Tolerant Walk-on Solar Panels-  Solar panel shading is a major issue on many boats.  Shading can reduce a standard panel performance by over 60%.  Custom Marine Products has developed a series of semi-flexible and semi-rigid shade tolerant solar panels that have superior performance when partially shaded by boat equipment or nearby objects. These shade tolerant panels are ideal for bimini and dodger mounting where there is boom, mast and instrument pole shading.  Patent pending​

Carbon Fiber Walk-on Solar Panels- Soon we will have available Carbon Fiber backed semi-rigid walk-on solar panels.  These panels are 7 mm thick similar to our standard aluminum backed walk-on panels.  They are lighter and slightly stiffer than our aluminum backed panels. Our Carbon Fiber panels have the same high quality materials and comparable output to our other panels.  Ideal applications include flat or nearly flat decks. van racks, portable moveable requirements.  Heat distribution and heat dissipation is excellent.

PERC - HJT Series (~25% less cost, ~1.5% less efficient)

PERC (Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact) cells are about 1.5% less efficient than Sunpower cells and cost about 25% less. These modified conventional cells produce 6 to 12 percent more energy than conventional monocrystalline solar cells. Premium PERC solar cells have an extra layer within the back side of the cell. This allows some of the sun’s rays to reflect back into the solar cell, increasing the amount of energy produced resulting in a conversion efficiency of up to 22.5%.  (Our new HJT cells currently in production are up to 24% efficient) This enables us to provide the same high quality at a lower price per watt.

SunPower Maxeon Shade Tolerant Series

Solar panel shading is a major issue on many boats.  Shading can reduce a standard panel performance by over 60%.  Custom Marine Products has developed a series of semi-flexible and semi-rigid shade tolerant solar panels that have superior performance when partially shaded by boat equipment or nearby objects.  These solar panels have high performance SunPower Maxeon cells.  The diagram to the left illustrates how these amazing panels work. The junction box is mounted in the center or the edge of the panel enabling the panel to have four quadrants of solar cells linked in series and isolated with diodes.  If one or two quadrants are shaded, the other quadrants perform at normal output.  The result is a panel that will provide up to three times the output of a standard panel when shaded.  These shade tolerant panels are ideal for bimini and dodger mounting where there is boom, mast and instrument pole shading.  Patent pending

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Walkable Marine Solar Panels - Sunpower A+ Grade 24.4% Efficient Cells

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With a strong aluminum backing and extra thick ETFE laminate non-skid surface, these panels can be walked on without fear of damaging the solar cells. These panels are ideal for mounting on a rigid boat surface, van roof, RV roof, or dock. We use premium SunPower's latest Maxeon Generation,  A+ grade solar cells with an efficiency rating of up to 25.4%, the highest efficiency available anywhere. (or the same panels with PERC or HJT cells (up to 24% efficient), see second chart below) There is no glass and no aluminum frame so these panels are considerably lighter than our rigid panels but heavier and stiffer than our flexible panel series. They can be bent slightly to match up with the underlying surface, about 5%. The expected life of these panels is 10+ years in the harsh marine environment. The panels are available with a white or black backing.

Note we have recently released a new "semi-rigidlight" panel that is about 1 mm thinner (4mm vs 5mm) and with a thinner aluminum backing plate. It is not as robust, walk on but not dance or drive on. The upside is it dissipates heat better and thus performs better in hot climates.

The junction box can be customized to be on the bottom of the panels for flush mounting on boat roofs or docks. These are also popular solar panels for camper vans and RVs on roofs and roof racks. Shop our complete line of solar panels here.

  • Semi-rigid Solar Panel Corner

  • Semi-rigid Solar Panel Junction Box

  • Semi-rigid solar panels are about 1/4" thick

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Semi-Rigid Marine Solar Panels with SunPower Cells - Heavy Duty Walk-on

Semi-Rigid Marine Solar Panels with SunPower Cells - Light Weight Walk-on

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Semi-Rigid Solar Panels - Light Weight, Shade Tolerant, Walk-on

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Semi-Rigid Solar Panels with SunPower Cells - Carbon Fiber Backed, Walk-on

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Semi-Rigid Marine Solar Panels with PERC/HJT Cells

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Semi-Rigid Marine Solar Panels with HJT/PERC Cells - Light Weight Walk-on

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Mounting Semi-rigid Walk On Marine Solar Panels

There are at least three ways to mount the semi-rigid solar panels on a rigid surface.

  • They can be screwed down directly to the deck surface at each corner.  We recommend a stainless screw with an oversized washer.
  • They can be taped down directly to the deck with double sided Very High Bond (VHB) tape.  Because the back side of the panel has a pebbled surface like the front side for air circulation, the tape must have a foam core of at least 1/8 inch to secure the panel.
  • The third method is our preferred method.  We have assembled a mounting kit consisting of two 'J' shaped aluminum extrusions. Buy the 1" VHB tape from Amazon on your own. The extrusions are mounted on each side of the long sides of the panel and adhered to the deck surface with the tape.  If the deck surface is not conducive to adhering the tape, the 'J' extrusions can be screwed to the deck and the panel slid into position.  This mounting method allows for the panel to be slid out of the extrusion for removal and cleaning of the deck surface. See pictures below.
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Semi-rigid Solar Panel Mounting Kit

$49.95 USD
$49.95 USD
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Premium Marine Solar Panels/Systems and Lithium Iron Batteries

Improve your cruising experience with the highest efficiency solar panels available. 

  • Shipping

    Products ship day after payment domestically. Free shipping on orders over $1000 applies to Lower 48 US states only. International takes longer. We do not add tariff charges. Call for pricing.

  • Custom Designs

    Our engineers will work with you to design a solar system specific to your needs including Lithium Batteries if you like. (Batteries are 10% off w/ solar system purchase).

What Our Customers Have To Say

More Reviews

  • Doug Heath - Santa Fe, NM

    Customer Service and Product

    Very pleased with the performance of the rigid solar panels purchased in 2022. Customer service also has been consistently excellent both before the sale regarding product selection and after the sale regarding installation and maintenance concerns.

  • William Roth - Kodiak, AK

    Heavy Duty Panels For The Win

    Installed 1200watts of panels on my 56' commercial fishing boat in Kodiak Alaska, with salt spray and harsh winters I hardly run my genset. Installation was a breeze with using silicone to mount them. Most the boats in my family fleet have them now and we are all saving big on the fuel bill! Couldn't be happier with the purchace.

  • Hartwell C - Bellingham, WA

    Easy Install - Great Performance

    I worked with Tom last year to design a system for my sailboat; the dialog and information was very detailed and helpful in helping determine my system needs and completing the installation. Once ordering, the kit arrived in a timely manner and very complete. The install was very straightforward and Tom provided additional information as needed. After the install I took off on a 7 month cruise of British Columbia. The system worked perfectly during my trip. I’m very happy with the equipment and support from CMP and Tom. I highly recommend !

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