Lightning!

[stevensibs]

My trawler has #4.0 green cable connected to the chain plates of the mast stays, the cable runs down on both sides of the inside of the hull to a Dynaplate bolted on the outside of the box keel, unpainted. Calder says that from the top of the mast to the water, is the "cone of protection" whatever that means. As a pilot I've been struck by lightning many times with small damage if any, but that's because airplanes, like cars, are a Faraday's cage that keep us safe (not the tires). Scares the crap outta me too!

 

[Baker]

As a pilot I've been struck by lightning many times with small damage if any, but that's because airplanes, like cars, are a Faraday's cage that keep us safe (not the tires). Scares the crap outta me too!

Now I wonder...if we were to take the tires off of the car or even mount poles on it and stick it in the ground, would the Faraday's Cage still protect its occupants?? If the answer is "no", then the tires do something to protect the integrity of the cage.

 

[Bigsfish]

Scott

My dad would argue with you that you can't outfox lightning. He put oh his boat this wired looking wires going in all different directions, it had a name. When people would ask him if it he would always say that since he put it up high he had never been hit. LOL

 

[tadhana]

We were hit August 26, 2013 on the Chesapeake off Holland Point. Computer controlled Cummins=dead. We took two hits about 3-4 seconds apart. the sound was not a boom, but a hard metallic clang. The smoke was released from most of our electronics. But we had two back up navigation PCs which we could use and our phones had navigation programs too, while we waited for TowBotUS.

 

[stevensibs]

tires have nothing to do with the safety of the occupants in a car....its the metallic "sphere" of the car or tube of a fuselage that creates the cage.

 

[diver dave]

I read years ago (not sure how true), that the earth is smoother than a typical ball bearing (if made the same size). If that is even close to true, you can see why/how "short" objects get hit.

 

[Ex Sailor]

Reading another thread started me thinking?

Has anyone here ever had an actual lighting "strike", not close but actually hit the boat, while underway?

I've been out in the stuff many times over the years, usually not of my own will, and had the stuff all around us. Thankfully we were never hit.

For those of you liveaboards, how do you prep for it?

Just curious.

I've been very very close ..... you will know by the hair on your head Not an exact science but studies do show that's it's largely random. In my case, I was one of two sailboats in a Ma - Pa marina ( both very tall rigs ) and the lightning hit a clothes line at side of a wooden building, travelled inside and wiped out the radio room behind the wall .... FB

 

[rwidman]

Best prep is to stay on good terms with Thor
I have a Norwegian built boat.

Next in line to that is to find a bunch of sailboats and try to get in the middle of them.

 

[Wxx3]

This thread looks like a good place too post this video.
It was taken from an airplane at high altitude as it passed just west of Guaymas, Mexico on the night of 26 August.
I made the video because I've never seen so much lightning in my life, anywhere.

The next day i looked at the charts to see if it was possibly a band from Harvey, but no, it just seemed to be in the trough caused by the thermal low over se CA & AZ.

 

[Wxx3]

That's the wrong picture and i can't seem to attach the correct video.
Help anyone??
Richard

 

[Benthic2]

My father in law's boat was tied up to his dock and got a direct hit. It did enough damage to his 2 outboards that they were replaced and he had to replace his GPS, but not his VHF. Not sure if it matters...but he kept it on a lift and it was out of the water. He seems to think he'd have been better off if it was floating at the time.

 

[psneeld]

Probably not.....it could have hit the boat next door and your dads boat might have sustained the same damage.

 

[Lou_tribal]

regarding lightning, what is the best protection? I read book mentioned in this thread (calder) talking about the mast etc but on my boat I have no mast and there is no protection in place. Engine would not be an issue as mine has absolutely nothing electronic but I am worrying about damage to the boat itself. Damaged to a vhf or an old gps lie mine would be limited cost but damage to the hull would be something else.
Up here we have a lot of severe storm usually in summer and I was wondering if there is any risk mitigation system easy to retrofit on a boat not equipped. For example if I install a mast higher than my antennas to catch the lightning leader, where to run the massive cable needed for it?

Any input welcome.

L

 

[Bigsfish]

Many boats run a large copper wire or strap from the highest point on the boat to a very large ground in the bilge. In theory that gives the Lightning a direct route to the water.

 

[psneeld]

Read and read and read, I have and there does not seem to be enough agreement on how to protect a boat for me to put much effort into it.

The one thing I might do is wrap my phone, backup hard drive and favorite computer in 4 or 5 wraps of tin foil or stick them in a microwave/oven. A makeshift faraday cage but will I do it every time a thunderstorm passes?

Probably not an you can get nailed bt a clear blue bolt so roll the dice.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. ps.

 

[MYTraveler]

Best prep is to stay on good terms with Thor
I have a Norwegian built boat.

I am Norwegian built -- does that help?

 

[Seevee]

I live in the lightning capital of the world. (actually not true regardless of what people say, but in the top of lightning in the US).

I have no intention of doing much of anything for lightning protection. First, I don't believe it's really that effective.

I've been here since 1968 and done a bunch of boating and flying. And in the past 15 years have probably been out on the water somewhere here 4 days out of every week.

I've boated thru numerous thunderstorms with lightning that scares the bejesus out of me, and I've never been hit. Now, in flying, I can fly around them, but have been hit several times.... fortunately nothing horribly serious, but has damaged the radome and left "exit" tails by the static wicks, etc.

I guess I've been lucky, and I'll take luck over skill any time. I don't believe a lot of effort to prevent strikes from hitting is worth it.

I've had MUCH worse things to deal with... like keeping the beer cold so I can debrief the lighting later on.

YMMV....

 

[diver dave]

For me 55 years in FL And no losses. Second year in west NY and took a direct hit to an antenna. This is where people stare at lightning stores because of the scarcity.

 

[Seevee]

For me 55 years in FL And no losses. Second year in west NY and took a direct hit to an antenna. This is where people stare at lightning stores because of the scarcity.

Diver Dave,

I guess you never know....

 

[CaptSteve53]

1) A lightning ground should never be in bilge!!!(as some have stated) it must be on the outside of your hull and should be a dedicated plate just for this not combined with radio's ground plateor similar.
2) The lightening ground should never be connected to your thru hulls
3) It's a fact the Catamarans suffer way more strikes than Mono hulls(mainly due to double the water line length)
4) Trawlers/power vessels moored in a marina or presence of sail boats are largely unlikely to be struck.
5) Recently i came across a seemingly good idea as a Silicon bronze Anode placed inside a nylon thru hull fitting (which protects the hull but allows the charge to dissipate into the water as below,

Cheers Steve (MIIMS-Lloyd's Maritime)

 

[Spottsville]

This makes for interesting reading on lightning protection:

http://marinelightning.com