[Rhodes22-list] Roger, I need your input...

[CarolN8 at aol.com]

Roger, (And Gil and Michael)
Thanks for your thoughts on this. As for the motor, the wires from the motor 
go directly thru the transom and connect to the battery so I'm pretty sure 
they weren't connected. But I'm far from a technical person so I could have 
missed another connection. Where would I look for that?

The mast connection sounds interesting to me. I originally thought it might 
have something to do with these wires because they were lying loosely at the 
bottom of the mast. The running light and mast antenna wires were torn out when 
I forgot to disconnect them before taking down the mast last winter (add it to 
the hard lessons learned list). When I saw them after the storm, both wires 
were exposed at the bottom of the mast and were touching each other. At first I 
though this might cause a short, but then thought, neither was connected to 
anything since they are broken. I did separate them and considered putting 
electrical tape over the exposed wires, but forgot to finish this project. I hope 
to go out this weekend and will check it with a VOM meter.

Thanks again for your help!

========Original Message======== 
Subj:    Re: [Rhodes22-list] Roger, I need your input...    
 Date:   8/4/2004 4:37:40 PM Mountain Daylight Time 
 From:   cen09402 at centurytel.net    
 Reply-to:   rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org 
 To:     rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org 
 Sent from the Internet (Details)   
    


Carol,

Since your outboard has electric start, it must also have an alternator to
keep the battery charged.  Usually, the alternator is hooked into the boat's
electrical system at or near the fuse panel or circuit breaker panel.  Thus,
even though you disconnected your batteries, your alternator was still
hooked up to your boat's electrical system.  That's probably why you kept
getting a shock even after disconnecting the batteries.

My guess is that you have a short circuit from an electrical cable running
inside the mast, for example the VHF antenna coax cable or the masthead
running light.  Under conditions where there is lighting nearby, the mast
acts as a pretty efficient charge collector.  The fact that your forward
lower sidestays are making sounds is an interesting clue.  My guess is that
the short circuit somehow involves the mechanical fasteners for this element
of the standing rigging.  On Dynamic Equilibrium, my 1976 Rhodes 22, the
lower sidestays are fastened to the mast with a thru-bolted fitting.
Assuming your mast is built in the same manner, perhaps the threads on this
thru-bolt have chafed thru the insulation on one of the electrical cables
inside of your mast.  You can check this hypothesis with a VOM meter.
Measure the electrical resistance to see that there is no electrical
connection between all the conductors running up inside of your mast and the
mast itself as well as all the sidestays.  If the electrical resistance is
anything but infinity (open circuit or overrange); then, the hypothesis is
confirmed.

Try this test &report the results back to the list.  In the meantime, I'll
think about what else might be causing the symptoms you describe.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

----- Original Message -----
From: <CarolN8 at aol.com>
To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 11:12 AM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Roger, I need your input...


>Roger,
>
>I sent this to the list last week but I think you were gone, and I'd like
to
>know if you have any ideas on this. Thanks!
>Carol
>
>OK, since I've come out of lurker mode I might as well ask a question. The
>last two times I've been out when there are storm clouds in the area, I
have
>had
>a problem with static electricity building up in the boat. Both times, I
have
>
>received pretty bad shocks. The first time was when I tried to start the
>motor (with an electric start). I thought I must have a short somewhere,
so I
>
>unhooked both batteries but still got shocked every time I touched the
motor.
>I
>was docked at the time, so I just went home. When I came back, it was
sunny
>out
>and I had no problems.
>
>The next time it happened, there was a storm nearby (this happens
frequently
>in Colorado) and I was out sailing. All of a sudden I started hearing a
>clicking sound coming off the forward stays. It was a steady and strong
>click. I
>immediately unhooked both batteries again, but it kept clicking. So I
>carefully
>hand-started the motor without touching the metal guard on the back (which
>was
>no easy feat) and went back to the docks.
>I've had this boat at the same marina for four years and this has never
>happened before. Anybody have any ideas on what I can do? It's pretty
>nerveracking!
>
>Carol
>s/v Painkiller
>
>__________________________________________________
>Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
>


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