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Advantages as I see them, as least for me.
I think I do better on the water than in the land test with reference to positioning, because I draw 6 & 1/2 feet with a heavy keel and therefore, I mostly ride to the current here unless the wind is really kicking up. Many of the smaller sailboats in the anchorage will sail about on their anchors much more than MISTRESS does until the tide is running fast.
Additionally, my panels are not on the house or deck and therefore that leaves me more room for life raft, dingy, water tanks, and all that other equipment we cruisers have.
The last thing I like about the idea of SS is the ability to add to it with the additional brackets you can buy and Skip also designed a gimbaled GPS mount which he had welded on to the SS. When we purchased our wind generator we included the mounting system for it. Once in hand, Skip found he did not need the mounting system and our wind generator sits atop one of our SS, again leaving more room on deck for,.... I don't know, my feet.
This is obviously a personal choice and one each of us needs to make based on your boat, where you are, how often you use your boat, and what kind of power consumption you are dealing with. I am very happy Skip was able to find this and did not have to pay to have it build and I rather like not having the panels on deck.
Kathleen
aboard
Schooner MISTRESS
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