Re: [Electric Boats] Re: 3M solar film to go on sale next year.

They are called "folding panel" so it seems obvious they are foldable. Trough you can't fold them across the cells but in between there is no problem. The integration of the cells in the sails could be 2 or 3 rows over the length of the boom with a folding (no cells there) space between the next 3 rows of cells and so further till the top of the sail. It will result in a nicely rectangle shape when folded. Where # is a cell and  - is the folding space # ##         60cm ### -----        5cm #### #####    60cm ###### ----------   5cm ####### ######## ######### -------------- --- On Fri, 10/7/11, John Robert <johnrbrt@gmail.com> wrote: From: John Robert <johnrbrt@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [Electric Boats] Re: 3M solar film to go on sale next year. To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com Date: Friday, October 7, 2011, 1:51 AM Aaron, and All; ALASKA !?!  And I was considering asking where you're located on the off-chance I might drop in to take a lot at your boat/project.  Never mind... I live in Florida these days.  Use to live in California; in fact, I was working as a shipfitter when I lived there, so I have a little experience with steel hulls. Was checkin' out some of the links and companies mentioned in this thread.  Went to the site of the company you mentioned, in South Korea; looked interesting, and also like it's going to be a while before they get around to even thinking about marine applications.  Somebody mentioned "Helio," a company doing somewhat the same thing here in the states.   http://www.heliovolt.net/products/    Similar in that they haven't even thought of marine applications... Somebody mentioned Brunton 2011 Solaris Solar Panel and panels that can bend 90 degrees.  Correct me if this is mistaken but to incorporate a solar generating panel into a main sail, isn't it going to have to bend a lot more than 90 degrees, like 180 degrees if you folding it over the boom.  Roller furling might not be quite as bad. Somewhere in all the pokin' around, there was also a reference to 3M coming out with a sprayable substance that would turn virtually any surface into a solar generating panel.  After a while, it starts to remind me of those "concept cars" manufacturers display at car shows.  It's really the coolest thing there, and what everyone wants; and because it's so new it doesn't really exist, but everybody wants it, it would be so obscenely expensive only the "1%" can afford it.  You know, is such a thing really going to do any of us any good if it isn't available and affordable well within our lifetime. But seriously, ALASKA ?!?  How does one work on building a boat with all the handicaps you must deal with up there.  Like the fact that for over half the year, that steel has to end up totally frikkin frozen, and how long are you guys completely in the dark up there... unless, I suppose, you actually have this project indoors. And we haven't even considered you were dealing with Sarah Palin as governor...   Speaking of steel hulls; two points about your boat.  1.)  Went to the origami group to have a look, but one must be a member to see the photos and I'm already in too many groups/lists/etc.   2.) What about the thermal properties of steel hulls.  As in, if you're sailing in cold waters, isn't that going to come through the hull rather effectively? Later Gents, "JR"