can it be set up like a plane

[dennismenace111]

The features on the end of airfoils you are speaking of are "Static Wicks"

The "lightning rod" on a sailboat is a statistical fallacy. Do some Googling.

I've had lightning hit my airplane on the skin, about a foot from where my knee was on the inside. Sounded like someone fired a gun next to my ear. Got my attention.....

Or have Saint Almos fire floating around the inside of the windshield! That will get your attention!

 

[dennismenace111]

I recall reading a study done by an expert in the field, I can't recall his name, but he lived in Miami and was a well known sailor and lightning expert.

His solution was to connect all the metal in the boat to a series of foot long spikes protruding from the hull about a foot or so under water. The spikes completely surrounded the hull.

I'll look for it and post the url.

 

[Wonderfullife]

Static Wicks on planes are there to discharge Static Electricity which builds up asa result of friction from flying through clouds, rain, snow, dust etc.. The static affects the planes radios ability to communicate with others.
Planes do get struck by lightning, the Static Wicks do nothing to discharge the lightning strike. Some times nothing happens as a result of a lightning strike, sometimes catastrophic damage to the aircraft occurs. It is not unusual to not be able to determine where the lightning entered the aircraft, but the exit point is usually obvious as it leaves a hole of various sizes.
So to recap, static wicks will not protect your boat.

 

[ljk]

LIghtening arrestor

The SSB radio on my N46 went to exterior ground plate. I dont know if today's SSB require a ground plate.
If you are concerned about the future, next time you haul the boat, have a ground plate installed. Then when you wish, put a lightening rod and heavy copper bare wire down to the ground plate on the highest point of your boat and hope the lightening finds the designated lightening rod.
It has been said, true or not, if you are in a lighten storm, put a hand held VHR in your oven, for protection. (Not the time to be baking a cake or cookies)

Many years ago, I had a client that wanted to come out with a kit exactly like you describe. As we researched the idea, we found that boats (I think it was power boats) were hit so infrequently the market would be too small to make the kind of profit we were targeting. Also, our research at the time showed that boats that were moving through the water were hit far less frequently than those standing still, because movement through the water tended to "even out" the differences in positive and negative charge that others have referred to above.

 

[Ric in Richmond]

Cool video. You know you can vary speed .25x to +2x on youtube?

Click the gear and then change speed. Keeps pitch. Very handy for musicians trying to learn something and handy for listening to people speak since we can hear about 50% faster than people speak. Makes a 1 hour podcast much quicker!!!

Two lightning stories.

3o years ago Anchored in the Corsica on MD's eastern shore. Heard of big storms on the bay all afternoon and it was our turn. We had low clouds with tons of cloud to cloud lightning. Flat calm and no rain. An audible hiss would grow between strikes. Sounded like a compressed air leak. Each stroke it would stop. Crew all down below. away from chainplates.

Not my boat no idea if it was grounded.

Grabbed a set of jumper cables. Waited for the hiss to end clamped it to the back stay and tossed the end in the river.

No more hiss. My theory is static charge bleeding off. Just a big capacitor waiting for a discharge. Freaky as hell.


Second

About thirty years ago. Bringing a little boat back to Annapolis from Bermuda. Gulfstream...another little rain. no wind. lightning storm.

No autohelm. SO holding the wooden tiller with my rubber rain coat wrapped around it like that would help..... From my seat to the point of impact was MAYBE 100 feet. Why we didn't get it I have no idea.

The bolt was about 3 feet thick and the kind of blue you want to see on you lawnmower sparkplug...irridescent bluish plasma.

The surface of the sea boiled and exploded in steam and spray and you had enough time to think....this is going to be AND BOOM just knocked the air out of your lungs.

Absolutely incredible and I never want to see it again.



How this affects the current conversation? Don't know. I believe you are damned if you do and damned if you don't.

I don't see much reason to ground it all as that makes you a more likely "completer of the circuit" but probably removes only some of the damage potential. And any small wire you can supply is hardly rated for lightnings current power.

I don't see much reason NOT to ground since it might keep you from losing everything.

I do think if you can physical arrange a disconnect from valuable electronics their odds of survival are much greater.

I like it that my boat is relatively low to all the other boats in the marina. Hate being out in it....that is for sure....

 

[Bigsfish]

Many years ago I took a class concerning lightning and boats. Two things I took away was that to protect electronics You need a large ground connected by a large wire to all the electronics and a large disconnect on your tallest antenna. I was also taught that a sailboat with a tall mast would provide a cone of protection about 30 degrees.

My dad had what looked like a metallic bottle brush with a bunch of ten inch metal heavy wires. He could prove it worked as he was never hit in 60 years.

 

[psneeld]

Me either...but no brush lightning protectors.

The 60 degree cone of Faraday cage sorta applies to sailboats, bolts still seem to travel down the mast within that cone.

All the grounding in the world that is practical may not protect electronics.

 

[Bigsfish]

Scott the one thing I’ve learned about lightning is there are no hard and fast rules. A friend of mine was returning from the Bahamas when he took a direct hit. Engines shut down, all electronics quit except his compass. He checked the boat and was about to use his EPIRB when he tried to start his engines one more time and they fired up, electronics started to work and he continued on. Why? Who knows.

BTW I told my dad that he could use his wire brush device to get rid of his hemmorids

 

[JenMorri88]

I have never encountered such a thing, it will be very interesting to learn this too! If there is an exact answer, then answer me too, I also wanted to do this

 

[Jeff Lebowski]

Planes get stuck all the time. USUALLY, nothing bad happens as far as the outcome of that particular flight however the plane usually needs some work upon landing.

The energy needs to go somewhere and often times it leaves the plane through its rivets. It will burn little holes around them, and make other little holes in the skin wherever it wants to. They are generally along the bottom of the plane, where the keel would be on a boat. All of those holes need to be drilled and filled. It will also take big bites out of the aluminum where it went into the plane.

It also likes to ruin the "sling" between the engine on a turboprop and the prop where the prop heat current flows. Think of a brake disc on your car with a brush to send current to the disc. It will burn the brush right up and wreck the disc. Big money and long downtime.