Shrink wrap over solar panel

[rpmerrill]

Does anyone have advice on protection of the solar panel during shrink wrap.
I'm thinking a cardboard box placed in the middle to give the wrap a peak for water/snow to runoff?
Or how about a layer of foam rubber to keep the wrap off the surface?

Or nothin'?
thanks

 

[Scuffy]

We just use a white tarp as suggested by Mike Rizzo. About 125 dollars. A little more of a pain in the butt to get covered up but cheaper than shrink wrap. I covered the mast and radar dome with a piece of carpet to eliminate the pipe pieces from causing holes in the tarp. I'm not sure what shrink wrapping costs but I would think a wooden 2 x 4 or a 2 x 4 piece of rectangle vinyl on edge in the middle of the panel extending over both ends of the solar panel would provide for runoff and would still let the solar panel function. I wonder if you can trailer a shrink wrapped boat from Pa to Florida? Can you reuse portions of the shrink wrap?

 

[rpmerrill]

I've seen boats being transported on semi trailers down the interstate. With shrink wrap.
Private owner or mfgr, dunno.

 

[R Baker]

I haven't covered my tug as it winters indoors. On previous boats I built a ridge pole so there would be some slope to the covering. I have used cheapo plastic tarps and greenhouse plastic put on much like shrink wrap, but without the shrinking from heat. I folded the excess and taped with wide vinyl tape. As to the solar panel a ridge pole keeps the cover clear. Last winter the boat was under one of those translucent barns and the solar panel worked well enough to keep the batteries up over the winter.

 

[rpmerrill]

Just back from the boatyard. They are going to run a ridgepole from bowsprit to the folded mast, over the "smokestack", back to the eyebrow, over the cabin door. AND they are going to put some clear shrink wrap over the solar panel.
Sounds like a good deal to me.