[Rhodes22-list] lightning protection

[Bill Effros]

Sail or dock near a boat with a 30' mast.

Bill Effros


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "brad haslett" <flybrad@yahoo.com>
To: <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2002 7:58 AM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] lightning protection


This all got started while doing research on
installing a mast antennae.  Several vendors lightly
addressed surge protection from lightning strikes to
the mast and I thought, "who cares about electronic
euqipment? I want the boat to survive!"  Yesterday I
spent eight plus hours on the net researching the
issue and downloaded a 3" binders worth of material
including the R-22 site info.  My conclusion is this;
sailboats take more lightning strikes than one would
think, freshwater boats without grounding don't fare
well, and, protection is not that difficult.  While
there are many different opinions and several "old
wives tales" the general concensus among the experts
is that having a protection system on board does not
make one more likely to be struck.  All protection
systems pretty much do the same thing, they provide a
path from the mast to the water.  While at dock its a
simple matter of attaching a #4 cable or flat
conductor to a 1' square or bigger conductor in the
water.  The straighter the path and the fewer the
bends the better (lightning doesn't like to turn
corners).  Under sail is a different story.  No one
wants to sail with cables on the foredeck and plates
dangling in the water.  Therefore, a portable and
quickly attachable system is needed (battery cables
get knocked off at the moment of strike).  The
StrikeShield system is perfect but expensive.  I am
presently researching a "homemade", ie, Home Depot
approach that will do the same thing for far less
money. Most boat manufacturers don't address the
issue, probably for liability reasons.  Catalina
issues a bulliten from the ABYC on the subject and
basically tells you "you're on your own".  Over the
past fifteen years I have been caught at least three
times in thunderstorms in powerboats and once in a
canoe.  Now that my boat has a 26ft tall lightning rod
I'd like to better my chances.  Ideas?

Brad Haslett
"CoraShen"

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