G-
You are looking at ground stations. The tripod bases are designed for field deployments, i.e. if you decided to invade Spain and set up some fast base camps complete with communications equipment, that's what you could bring to power them. I suspect that's a demo of a drop kit intended for military users--note the wonderful OD Green case it connects into. Which also has the self-contained AGM battery and controller installed in it, which is why they are called "drop kits".
The boaters' version is "just" the stick and panels, which then mount into a deck flush fitting or a transom mount outside the rail, or similar. See
http://www.solarstik.com/pdf/latatt.pdf the picture at the bottom left of the page to see how much less goes on a boat, when it is installed outboard of the transom. Although, I'd think one could cut the corner off a standard pushpit and replace the corner pole with the base for it, making for even less "stuff" to have around.
But even then, this is more appropriate to bluewater cruisers and others who want serious power for long terms away from land, not dayracers.
The point that shouldn't be lost on you, is that even if they don't make a smaller model, the
technical aspects of using an MPPT controller and "making" more power with the same old panels and battery, are something that can apply to many other setups.
Small craft is a small market, I can see why they'd want to go after bigger boats (i.e. 40 foot plus seems to match the scale on this) and after the terrestial markets with the drop kits. In the US we are finally--finally--starting to put together civilian emergency response kits through organizations like the American Red Cross. They can distribute practically everything a shelter needs, including radio communications drop kits. But, they haven't had any good way to drop off "power". The typical suggestion is "commandeer the batteries from abandoned cars" since generators and fuel for them are bulky, expensive, hard to deploy and maintain.
Is this gizmo for everyone? Hellno. Especially when you are looking at ground stations with the eyes of a boater.
Is a Mercedes worth ten times the price of a Kia? Probably not--but they're definitely different products and it doesn't take long to appreciate that there ARE differences, once you see them close up.
I know my first reaction from the other thread was "That's obscene, for $1600 worth of equipment and some pole!" But, that's like asking why you paid more than ten grand for your boat. After all, it's just "a boat", right?
SD-
That's probably about right. The "pole" is easily hefted by one man, and the two solar panels, which strap together with rubber bumpers/straps to make a conveniently stowed/transported pack, are also man-heftable. You'd need to be a bull to carry the whole thing any long distance by yourself, all at once.
As I said, the pole is more substantial than many mast and boom sections I've seen. Assuming that the panels were removed and stowed below before a storm at sea...I can't think of any way the pole could be damaged, even if a boat were rolled and tumbled. Massive overkill for most of us, you could weld up a cleat on it and us it to tie off the dinghy, too.