That's one serious House bank you're talking about there!

To answer your question: Assuming you're connecting them together with the usual full-current cabling, volt drop will be minimal so it shouldn't be an issue. You might, however, consider an isolation switch or two because with such a large number of cells if one was to go bad you wouldn't want it to take out the entire bank.

 

You can minimize the imbalance by connecting the positive and negative leads of your charger (and load center) to opposite sides of the parallel strings. Like this:

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/installing_a_marine_battery_charger&page=2

 

You can minimize the imbalance by connecting the positive and negative leads of your charger (and load center) to opposite sides of the parallel strings. Like this:

Installing A Marine Battery Charger Photo Gallery by Compass Marine How To at pbase.com

I can do that with the small charger, but the big charger is also the inverter, and I have that wired as short as I can. Guess I can also do that with the alternator and the solar charger too. Yeah, that may work!

 

With an inverter of 2000 watts or more 2/0 if the cables are short - 5' or so. With the lengths the op is stating I would use 4/0.

 

The inverter is 1800 watts and I used 1/0 cable for a 6' run.

 

Scoobert, what can you possibly have for loads that would justify that size bank with that array of solar?

Just curious...

 

Fridge, freezer, AIS, radar, 12" GPS, autopilot, laptop, PC, fans, radio, SSB, watermaker, and a partridge in a pear tree.

 

Yup, makes sense if you're running 300-400 ah/day. Heavy, heavy loads, but continue to have fun.

 

lolz, do you have a photo of your solar array?

I mounted a 165 watt panel that's usually on a house onto my pushpit using some 2x4s painted white as a mount for a summer experiment, and it took up the whole beam. With a good MPPT controller, it worked great. Kept my lights on and all my devices charged all summer. Cant imagine 10 of them scattered about the deck cleating off every lose line they see fit to get the power you have.

Seagulls seemed to like it. Next year I might spend the thousand bucks or so to mount it properly with stainless, or just buy 2 new 2x4s, budget permitting.

 

We are 48' long, with a 13'6" beam.
Their will be 5, 320W panels, three in the center and two that fold down on the sides. Each one is roughly 3' wide.
They will be long ways to the length of the boat. They are about 4' long and will roughly make the boat 3.5' longer overall.
The two on the sides will stick out when folded out, but they will be folded in for the dock. They will also tilt fore and aft, and tilted the entire way they will not make the boat any longer at all for places I will be measured and charged by the foot.
I cannot mount them or build the solar arch until after I haul out.
Green cove springs can barely get me out of the water as it is.

 

As Rsuty said. And be painfully generous with conductor sizes, to minimize voltage drops.