About Us

Open Waters began as a boat manufacturer, driven by the vision of going fully electric and solar-powered. Like the rest of the industry, we struggled with the limitations of traditional solar technology. Instead of compromising, we set out to fix solar. Through dedication and innovation, we’ve created the lightest, strongest, and most resilient solar panels on the market—built to power the future, sustainably.

Our Start

Founder and CEO Simon Angus started his career as a project engineer at an oil refinery in Prince George. A lifelong water sports enthusiast and sailor, he was drawn back to the water and left his job to build his dream—an all-electric sailing catamaran, the ESC40 by Open Waters Yachts. To make it truly electric, it needed renewable energy. Solar was the obvious choice.

But there was a problem. Simon knew little about solar and had to decide between heavy, rigid panels like those used on houses or flexible panels that would preserve the sleek aesthetics of his vessel. He chose flexible—but quickly discovered that existing solar solutions came with their own set of problems.

Problem

In the boating world, solar is often an afterthought. Few boat manufacturers understand it, and those who do run into the same three major issues:

  • Micro-cracking – Flexible solar panels will easily crack under normal use.
  • Shading – Even minor shading from a mast or rigging could throttle an entire solar array, creating hotspots and inefficiencies.
  • Poor Real Estate Utilization – Conventional panels didn’t maximize available space, leaving gaps and exposed roof sections. Worse yet, they looked out of place—wires everywhere, a patchwork of panels disrupting the sleek design of a vessel.

Solution

We spent over 18 months in pure research and development, followed by years of installations, testing, and refinement. The result? A breakthrough in solar technology—our composite solar panels, engineered to be the lightest, strongest, and most durable on the market.

  • No More Micro-Cracks – Our panels are encapsulated to prevent cracking, eliminating the biggest bottleneck in traditional arrays.
  • Shading No Longer Kills Power – We integrated additional bypass diodes, allowing electricity to flow around shaded cells instead of being throttled by them. No more performance drops from a mast shadow.
  • Optimized Real Estate Utilization – We make custom the standard. While our rectangular panels are a fan favourite, we also offer custom shapes and sizes through our growing service network, ensuring maximum solar potential while maintaining the aesthetics of any vessel.

Commitment to Excellence

As Open Waters Solar continues to grow, our mission remains clear: to deliver the highest-quality solar technology and unmatched customer support. We’re leading the charge toward a sustainable marine future—giving sailors, boat builders, and explorers the power to harness the sun with confidence.

Join us in redefining marine energy.

CEO & Founder

Simon Angus