Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show
- Lyall Burgess
- Apr 30
- 2 min read
It was great to be back in Annapolis this time for the Spring Boatshow, although when I landed at BWI airport at 6am and it was 39'F I was a little nervous for the week ahead! The weather was a real mixed bag from blue skies to lightning & torrential rain that flooded out the docks pretty good!
All boatshows are a great opportunity for us to see how boat owners are responding to solar panels, have they seen them, heard of them for their boats, know why it's useful to have aboard, understand how many they need etc. We often get a real broad spectrum of questions as many boaters are at different stages of knowledge and understanding of their boat systems. I often joke that sailing is the easy part, knowing how to be an electrician, mechanic & plumber and repair/maintain systems is a lot to take on.
We enjoy showing the key components required to get you up and running and our solar panel bundles make going solar that much easier. We're always available to answer any questions and our wiring sketches simplify how to better understand your install.
I was lucky to have a reporter from the Capital Gazette stop by and ask us some questions:
Boating tech steals the spotlight at Annapolis Sailboat Show
From barnacle-busting tech to solar sails, innovators chart a cleaner course
Lyall Burgess talks about solar panels his company sells for boats. The Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show opened Friday at City Dock. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff)
“Boaters like having clean and quiet power aboard,” Burgess said. “When you have the engine on it’s either going to ruin your experience on anchor or ruin your experience sailing, listening to a noisy engine just to charge the batteries. Solar is doing that quietly in the background.”
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While the solar panels do not eliminate the need for gas or diesel for propulsion, they allow boaters to power all their onboard devices. The panels cost between $95 to just under $1,000 and can last 10 to 25 years, Burgess said.
“When we first started, people were kind of almost laughing at us, saying, ‘Why do I want solar panels on my boat?’ Now people can’t get enough of it,” Burgess said.
Some of the other highlights of the show it was great to see the Vision Yachts that have 8x430W panels aboard, that's 3.44kW of solar :) I really enjoyed the 2026 Foulest Foulies Fashion Show that was hosted by Gill at the Friday evening happy hour. The worst dressed competitor winning a brand new set of Gill foulies. I think there should be an investigation into why Trash Bag Guy didn't win a prize!
2026 Foulest Foulies Fashion Show, hosted by Gill
Great to also meet the team helping promote the Clipper Race coming to Washinton DC, and so many Yacht Clubs and organizations geared to getting you out on the water. Special mention to our booth neighbors Fawcett's and Six Knots.
We hope to be back for the Annapolis boatshow in the Fall, in the meantime let us know any questions you may have about going solar on your boat.
