Sometime last week I took a direct hit on my VHF antenna. Needless to say, I have damage to the boat. It is still afloat but has at least 4 holes in the hull on each side and one large hole in the bow at the waterline. No water in the boat All electronics are toast. Lost the VHF, AM-FM, Depth & Knot Log, all mast lights, running lights and I am sure some wiring. Still don't know about charging system on the outboard. Outboard seems to run fine. I have inside scorch in the forward compartments and under the vberth. I believe the strike came down the mast into the compression post and from there ran around inside before the big exit in the bow. What little fire there was is generally located where the individual holes were made in the hull. These are very small spots. I will be having the boat short hauled and inspected for bottom damage. I also think the center board should be dropped and checked although the center board seems to operate properly. If Dave Condon has any suggestions for items and areas to inspect, his help is appreciated. I'm off to the "swiss cheese", might be the new name, to unload personal stuff and get ready to haul. Bob "Gravyboat"
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Wow!
Sorry to hear about this, Bob. There are many posts about lightning in the archives, but I'm not sure there's anything about what to check after a strike. given the extent of the damage you'll rpobably want to throughly check *everything*. Let us know what you find!
Sorry to hear about this, Bob. There are many posts about lightning in the archives, but I'm not sure there's anything about what to check after a strike. given the extent of the damage you'll rpobably want to throughly check *everything*. Let us know what you find!
lightning strike at home a couple of years ago.
As a result of a lightning strike at my house a couple of years ago, I did extensive research into the area including consulting with several electrical engineers. Some items will be completely fried and some may be working fine. If it was my boat, I would insist that all items electrical in nature be replaced regardless of how well they appear to be working. Some damage may take a long time to show up. In my case, my insurance policy stated that I was covered from damage caused by lightning. Some of this damage takes place in devices called mosfet or mesfet. This damage could be a change measured at less than millimeters. It is not possible to adequately check for lightning damage without checking all componenets under a very powerful microscope.This is too expensive an undertaking. That is why you demand that all electronics on board ( even if not plugged in) must be replaced. I have no experience as to whether or not wiring should be replaced. Some wires may have carried more current than rated and therefore be damaged. Read your insurance policy very carefuly and dig in your heels as necessary. Good luck wfeldstein@home.com
As a result of a lightning strike at my house a couple of years ago, I did extensive research into the area including consulting with several electrical engineers. Some items will be completely fried and some may be working fine. If it was my boat, I would insist that all items electrical in nature be replaced regardless of how well they appear to be working. Some damage may take a long time to show up. In my case, my insurance policy stated that I was covered from damage caused by lightning. Some of this damage takes place in devices called mosfet or mesfet. This damage could be a change measured at less than millimeters. It is not possible to adequately check for lightning damage without checking all componenets under a very powerful microscope.This is too expensive an undertaking. That is why you demand that all electronics on board ( even if not plugged in) must be replaced. I have no experience as to whether or not wiring should be replaced. Some wires may have carried more current than rated and therefore be damaged. Read your insurance policy very carefuly and dig in your heels as necessary. Good luck wfeldstein@home.com
suggestions
Bob, I am sorry to hear about your boat but thankful no one is hurt. Here is what you need to do. Take boat out and check bottom as electricity will dissapate throughout the hull. Suggest that the centerboard be dropped for inspection too. Your 12 volt system may work but do check the big fuse holder that is near the battery to see if blown. If so, replace and check 12 volt system. Look for any burn marks around lights, etc but mostly the mast light connection. As for the VHF, check the fuse behind it which is an in line fuse. If blown, replace and see if it will come on. Of course you will n eed to hook up to an antenna or tester. Any instruments generally will be history due to the thru hulls. Check sink drain thru hulls too. As for your engine, it too has an in line fuse and if blown, replace which should take care of that. I would check the VHF antenna wire for sure. You may want to replace anyway for safety. Check the turnbuckle studs too at the deck. There is alot ot check and suggest that you find a good service tech that knows sailboats. If you need any further information, call Gregg Emerson at Hunter for my number. You will probably end up having the bottome that will need epoxy barrier coatings after the repairs. Make sure the hull is completly dry befor applying the epoxy. Good Luch my friend Crazy Dave
Bob, I am sorry to hear about your boat but thankful no one is hurt. Here is what you need to do. Take boat out and check bottom as electricity will dissapate throughout the hull. Suggest that the centerboard be dropped for inspection too. Your 12 volt system may work but do check the big fuse holder that is near the battery to see if blown. If so, replace and check 12 volt system. Look for any burn marks around lights, etc but mostly the mast light connection. As for the VHF, check the fuse behind it which is an in line fuse. If blown, replace and see if it will come on. Of course you will n eed to hook up to an antenna or tester. Any instruments generally will be history due to the thru hulls. Check sink drain thru hulls too. As for your engine, it too has an in line fuse and if blown, replace which should take care of that. I would check the VHF antenna wire for sure. You may want to replace anyway for safety. Check the turnbuckle studs too at the deck. There is alot ot check and suggest that you find a good service tech that knows sailboats. If you need any further information, call Gregg Emerson at Hunter for my number. You will probably end up having the bottome that will need epoxy barrier coatings after the repairs. Make sure the hull is completly dry befor applying the epoxy. Good Luch my friend Crazy Dave
I feel for you
Bob - It made me feel so sad to read about your lightning strike. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. Ron Mehringer
Bob - It made me feel so sad to read about your lightning strike. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. Ron Mehringer
You're invited...
...to come sail with me while your boat's out of commission. If you get the itch, just give me a call. You've got the number. Ron M
...to come sail with me while your boat's out of commission. If you get the itch, just give me a call. You've got the number. Ron M
Me too!
My H26 was struck by lightning last summer and there was extensive damage to the hull, wiring and electronics. Be sure to very carefully examine the hull all over for fine "spiderweb" cracks in gelcoat. There were several on my boat in addition to the two holes (above the waterline). The boat in the shop right now so I cannot go into detail about the damage to the electrical and electronics, except most do not work. Interestingly enough, visual inspection of the wiring shows no damage except at terminals, junctions, etc. There was damage to the hull joint originating from the shrouds. So far the damage is more than 5 figures. Sure makes me glad that we were not in the boat when it happened. Best of luck.
My H26 was struck by lightning last summer and there was extensive damage to the hull, wiring and electronics. Be sure to very carefully examine the hull all over for fine "spiderweb" cracks in gelcoat. There were several on my boat in addition to the two holes (above the waterline). The boat in the shop right now so I cannot go into detail about the damage to the electrical and electronics, except most do not work. Interestingly enough, visual inspection of the wiring shows no damage except at terminals, junctions, etc. There was damage to the hull joint originating from the shrouds. So far the damage is more than 5 figures. Sure makes me glad that we were not in the boat when it happened. Best of luck.
Update
I think that most of the internal wiring on the boat is okay. I have running lights after replacing the bulbs. I have all inside lights and the bilge pump works. The mast lights still need to be checked as well as the diode. Put new fuses in the radios but they still don't work. I'm now thinking that the damage is probably confined to the electronics, the holes in the hull, and the mast wiring. Still don't know about the centerboard yet. Thanks to Dave Condon and everyone for all the input. Bob
I think that most of the internal wiring on the boat is okay. I have running lights after replacing the bulbs. I have all inside lights and the bilge pump works. The mast lights still need to be checked as well as the diode. Put new fuses in the radios but they still don't work. I'm now thinking that the damage is probably confined to the electronics, the holes in the hull, and the mast wiring. Still don't know about the centerboard yet. Thanks to Dave Condon and everyone for all the input. Bob
Where there's thunder.
Sorry to hear about that, Bob. While there is much discussion regarding latent defects caused by lightning, there is simply no proof to back these claims. If you have a lightning strike, especially a direct or near-direct discharge, your electronic equipment WILL be damaged. And no, this is not something that you need a microscope to detect. There MAY (and I stress "MAY") be some rise for concern regarding latent defects and power surges. Lightning, no. Period. It will either work after the strike, or it won't. If it does work, you need not fear it will quit six months down the road due to latent defects. My concern with a direct strike would be punch-through of the insulation on the boat's wiring. That is, if you apply enough voltage to an insulated wire, you run the risk of exceeding the "insulation resistance" of the coating. This quite often causes small pinholes in the insulation where an arc jumps from the conductor to a lower electrical potential. The carbon left behind in the pinhole is conductive and may cause shorting of the circuit that can be very difficult to troubleshoot. The wiring can be checked with a megohm meter (megger) which is not to be confused with a multimeter. If you have a local yard doing repairs, just ask them if they know what a megger is. If they don't, you'll know that they can't test the wiring properly. If that's the case, call eleswhere until you find someone who knows what a megger is and how to use it to test your wiring. Most good electricians will be able to help. Good luck and keep us posted on repairs. Wishing you a swift return to "Gravyboat". Mark Kissel Kittiwake/98H240
Sorry to hear about that, Bob. While there is much discussion regarding latent defects caused by lightning, there is simply no proof to back these claims. If you have a lightning strike, especially a direct or near-direct discharge, your electronic equipment WILL be damaged. And no, this is not something that you need a microscope to detect. There MAY (and I stress "MAY") be some rise for concern regarding latent defects and power surges. Lightning, no. Period. It will either work after the strike, or it won't. If it does work, you need not fear it will quit six months down the road due to latent defects. My concern with a direct strike would be punch-through of the insulation on the boat's wiring. That is, if you apply enough voltage to an insulated wire, you run the risk of exceeding the "insulation resistance" of the coating. This quite often causes small pinholes in the insulation where an arc jumps from the conductor to a lower electrical potential. The carbon left behind in the pinhole is conductive and may cause shorting of the circuit that can be very difficult to troubleshoot. The wiring can be checked with a megohm meter (megger) which is not to be confused with a multimeter. If you have a local yard doing repairs, just ask them if they know what a megger is. If they don't, you'll know that they can't test the wiring properly. If that's the case, call eleswhere until you find someone who knows what a megger is and how to use it to test your wiring. Most good electricians will be able to help. Good luck and keep us posted on repairs. Wishing you a swift return to "Gravyboat". Mark Kissel Kittiwake/98H240
Hit my 240 also!
Our 240 was struck at its mooring last August. There were many spots on the hull that were damaged. Due to likely damage to the ballast tank and being impossible to fix, the boat was totaled. We bought another one and named it Deja Vu. Best of luck to you.
Our 240 was struck at its mooring last August. There were many spots on the hull that were damaged. Due to likely damage to the ballast tank and being impossible to fix, the boat was totaled. We bought another one and named it Deja Vu. Best of luck to you.
Q re hull marks
We are discussing lightning prevention on the thread titled "Sailing Tactics in a Squall / Thunderstorm" in this forum. Bob, I would be interested to know if the holes/burnspots in your hull were generally located where the rigging terminates. On the theory that lightning follows the path of least resistance, I wonder if the lightning did not travel down your forestay and shrouds and then exit thru the hull, as opposed to bouncing around thru the interior of your boat after coming down the mast/compression post. I wondered if the others who had lightning damage also have any observations on this. Thanks.
We are discussing lightning prevention on the thread titled "Sailing Tactics in a Squall / Thunderstorm" in this forum. Bob, I would be interested to know if the holes/burnspots in your hull were generally located where the rigging terminates. On the theory that lightning follows the path of least resistance, I wonder if the lightning did not travel down your forestay and shrouds and then exit thru the hull, as opposed to bouncing around thru the interior of your boat after coming down the mast/compression post. I wondered if the others who had lightning damage also have any observations on this. Thanks.
Update 2
The boat is out of the water and I can see no damage to the bottom below the waterline. It needs to be power washed and dried then it can be inspected further. I have no evidence that the strike traveled down the rigging. No burn spots at the terminals. Nothing to indicate heat or fusing of metal parts in the rigging. I do think my head stay streched some but I can't be sure. It seemed to be loose after the strike. Tomorrow we will deliver to a yard that has experience with lightning strikes. I expect it will take a week or more before they give me all the bad news. Thanks for all the replys and the email and phone conversations I have had with you all. Your input has been very helpful. Bob "Gravyboat"
The boat is out of the water and I can see no damage to the bottom below the waterline. It needs to be power washed and dried then it can be inspected further. I have no evidence that the strike traveled down the rigging. No burn spots at the terminals. Nothing to indicate heat or fusing of metal parts in the rigging. I do think my head stay streched some but I can't be sure. It seemed to be loose after the strike. Tomorrow we will deliver to a yard that has experience with lightning strikes. I expect it will take a week or more before they give me all the bad news. Thanks for all the replys and the email and phone conversations I have had with you all. Your input has been very helpful. Bob "Gravyboat"
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