[Rhodes22-list] lightning protection

Wally Buck tnrhodey@hotmail.com
Tue, 19 Nov 2002 10:04:31 -0500 

Brad,

I hear you, I am not down playing the risks of lightning. Like I said I 
asked this same question, read up on the subject, and never really figured 
out the best course of action. I have checked out the site you mention and 
it is a good one. Someone on this list suggested it a while back and I 
bookmarked.

In the summer we have a chance of lightning just about every evening (like 
most of the south). If it is less than 30% chance I usually go out, if 
chance of storms is 70% or above I don't go. When it is 50% chance or so I 
may still go out but I will check a bunch of weather sites before doing so 
and keep a close eye on the weather when sailing. I also sail close to many 
safe inlets that I can duck into.

I always check weather closely before heading out. With live radar, updates 
on temperature, dew point, humidity and so on; one can make as good a guess 
as the local weather dude. I guessed wrong once early in the summer time and 
got caught in a lightning and hailstorm. Now that I think about it, that is 
when I started asking about lightning protection.

By the way, I sometimes fly a kite (not a head sail) while sailing and 
anchored.

Wally





>From: brad haslett <flybrad@yahoo.com>
>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
>To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] lightning protection
>Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 06:29:05 -0800 (PST)
>
>Wally, if you didn't get some experience last week you
>should have!  The statistics are that more people die
>of lightning strikes than do of hurricanes, floods or
>tornadoes.  You've already dodged one bullet this
>year.  The fast moving cold front convective activity
>is easily enough predicted.  You just stay home on
>those days.  The summertime isolated T-storms are my
>concern.  You would stay off the water half the summer
>in our part of the world if you only sailed on CAFB
>days.  That is why Florida leads the nation in
>lightning strikes and boat lightning deaths.  The
>StrikeShield website goes into great detail on their
>testing. The guru of the day is Prof. Thomson of the
>University of Florida who also has done extensive
>testing.  Based on what I've read so far I'm thinking
>in terms of an aluminum lug (bolt) extending from the
>front of the mast an inch or so.  Conductor cables and
>plates could be stored in a bag for quick attachment
>in impending lightning conditions.  The best course of
>action is of course to head for home or at least get
>close to the shoreline, (your mast is now competing
>with trees for a ground).  Absent that, get in the
>cabin, stay away from the mast step area, disconnect
>the radios, and don't touch two potential conductors
>at the same time.  I've been waiting for someone on
>the list to tell me to "go fly a kite".  Guess we've
>filled that square!
>
>Brad Haslett
>"CoraShen"
>--- Wally Buck <tnrhodey@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > Brad,
> >
> > This comes up quite often.  I asked the same
> > question myself a while back.
> > There seems to be a bunch of different opinions on
> > how effective the various
> > lightning protection devices work. Right now I just
> > try to avoid sailing
> > when high probability of lightning exists. I would
> > love to hear what you
> > come up with.
> >
> > How does one test a system like this? If you had an
> > old beater sailboat you
> > could do some real world testing. Ben Franklin had
> > to fly a kite in a
> > lightning storm didn't he, we expect no less from
> > you. :-)
> >
> > Be careful!
> >
> > Wally
> >
> >
> >
> > >From: brad haslett <flybrad@yahoo.com>
> > >Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> > <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
> > >To: rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org
> > >Subject: [Rhodes22-list] lightning protection
> > >Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 04:58:54 -0800 (PST)
> > >
> > >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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