Has anybody used a lightning master?

[Patrick Randall]

Connect mast to ground spike?

My first job 40yrs ago was designing lightning conductor systems for UK public buildings, I didn't really do any original stuff - just follow the code. Most installations comprised hefty 1/4" x 1" copper tape from finials on top to a copper spike driven at least 6ft into the ground.Now I have a boat with the tallest mast in the neighborhood canal. Its taller than power poles.. looks awfully close to the black clouds that frequently gather here in FL.What does the team think about "plugging in" (not sure how) some very hefty copper cable to the mast somewhere and leading it to a copper spike driven into the ground next to the dock.Silly idea?

 

[Fred Ficarra]

Patrick, that's a tough question. We don't want

to go out on a limb, based upon only an OPINION that involves potentially serious damage to your vessel. Clear? You're going to have to read this stuff and decide for your self. AKA, it's your call.

 

[Windship]

Lightning

I didn't read every response so I don't know if anybody mentioned this:Lightning doesn't just strike the ground or boat or whatever, it is drawn to the ground by a 'streemer' A streemer is an electrical charge that is created by static electricity.An electrical engineer told me that the best way to prevent an electric strike is to allow the static electricity to bleed of(like aircraft do) and the best way to do that is to run large wires into the water from the shrouds, so what I have done is used stainless steel cable clamps to attach no.6 wire to my shrouds(port and stbd) and cutting them long enough so they dip 2 feet into the water.Does it work? Who knows.Nothing(they say)can prevent a strike.And if it does strike it makes sense to me to have a grounding plate below the mast on the hull conected with a lenth of very thick (00 or 000)cable run without any turns on the run(which is comming to my boat very soon).Dennis