That's funny, my electric start outboard refuses to turn over. I will just manual start it and sail anyway. Oh! What's this? The fuse panel has many pieces hanging off of it! And, Oh! what's this? all the lights are blown, some to pieces, and my VHF, and my depthfinder, aaaargh. Soot array around many connections, some literally blown apart, transducer arced to centerboard pennant and looks like a firecracker. Blew the whole housing of an interior light, but it could have blown a hole in the hull. Still dry! Any one else get to play this game? Or worse, play it while aboard? I simply discovered the damage, can't imagine the noise in the cabin when she hit! TT
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Stevec
Been there... Done that.....
When we took delivery of our 37 13 years ago and it was sitting at the dock on a Sunday morning a thunderstorm passed over. My wife and I were both below. I was sitting in the salon reading, with was still in bed. Lots of noise and fireworks. One in particular got our attention and I said 'that one was close, let's go on deck to see where it hit' Surprise.... people came running to see if we were OK & naturally we were surprised. Eye witnesses said it hit another boat a couple of slips away and then arc'd to our boat to the VHF antenna melting it with a shower of sparks raining on the deck. We were totally unaware below. Afterwards taking stock of the electronics, the only things that worked was the starter motor on the engine and the stereo(go figure). All else was fried.. TV, microwave,charger instruments, etc. etc. Minor cosmetics. All total $10,000....Thank god for insurance. Voyager
When we took delivery of our 37 13 years ago and it was sitting at the dock on a Sunday morning a thunderstorm passed over. My wife and I were both below. I was sitting in the salon reading, with was still in bed. Lots of noise and fireworks. One in particular got our attention and I said 'that one was close, let's go on deck to see where it hit' Surprise.... people came running to see if we were OK & naturally we were surprised. Eye witnesses said it hit another boat a couple of slips away and then arc'd to our boat to the VHF antenna melting it with a shower of sparks raining on the deck. We were totally unaware below. Afterwards taking stock of the electronics, the only things that worked was the starter motor on the engine and the stereo(go figure). All else was fried.. TV, microwave,charger instruments, etc. etc. Minor cosmetics. All total $10,000....Thank god for insurance. Voyager
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Harvey Small
Lightening Protection
A couple of docks down from our slip is a really nice Hunter 45 with a tall mast. So far he's been hit by lightening twice. I can't think of a better lightening rod for our boat...
A couple of docks down from our slip is a really nice Hunter 45 with a tall mast. So far he's been hit by lightening twice. I can't think of a better lightening rod for our boat...
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JimR
Bad luck with lightning
Struck last week in a Big Boomer! Blew the main 12V panel out- switches came out of sockets, a light was knocked off of the bulkhead, alternator was fried, compass flew off the pedastal, and the cabin sole panels over the bilge popped up and flipped over. Need to pull the boat looking for poss structural damage. Suspect that a grounding plate with through-hull (if I had one) could have saved the day by dissapating charges that attracted the strike, or could have made it worse by blowing a bigger hole than is used for the conducting cable. In other words, I've heard of grounding plates sinking boats. Any opinions?
Struck last week in a Big Boomer! Blew the main 12V panel out- switches came out of sockets, a light was knocked off of the bulkhead, alternator was fried, compass flew off the pedastal, and the cabin sole panels over the bilge popped up and flipped over. Need to pull the boat looking for poss structural damage. Suspect that a grounding plate with through-hull (if I had one) could have saved the day by dissapating charges that attracted the strike, or could have made it worse by blowing a bigger hole than is used for the conducting cable. In other words, I've heard of grounding plates sinking boats. Any opinions?
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Tim
Got hit 10 years ago.
I was out sailing in storm when: 1st bolt to the left; 2nd bolt to the right; 3rd one right on target. Get this: I was steering an outboard with a throttle extension. Right before the strike, my right hand feels like I put it in a light socket and I throw the extension out of my hand. Loud boom, big flash, and I *WATCHED* the blackened remnants of my VHF antenna bounce down the side decks. VHF, stereo, depth sounder, knot meter, most electrical wiring, all wires in the mast, every lightbulb filament, and the fuse panel were destroyed. The depth sounder transducer was blown up so I had a 2 inch hole blowing water into the boat. Motor didn't even stall. Later, I discovered a pinky size hole at the waterline, near the end of my whisker pole. I also discovered the rear stay chain (you know, the stay that runs just above your head when you're steering) had all the fiberglass blown off of the chainplate so it was hanging loose. Tip #1: Check your chainplates inside and out. Tip #2: There is nothing that cannot be fixed with 3M 5200. Tip #3: People who tell you that lightning follows wires are blowing smoke. One could even argue a low impedance path hung nice and high in the boatyard is an excellent way to provide the most attractive path for lightning to pick. Of course ground and bonding does help with electrolysis. Charge dissipators can work. You'll see them on the top of any tall building.
I was out sailing in storm when: 1st bolt to the left; 2nd bolt to the right; 3rd one right on target. Get this: I was steering an outboard with a throttle extension. Right before the strike, my right hand feels like I put it in a light socket and I throw the extension out of my hand. Loud boom, big flash, and I *WATCHED* the blackened remnants of my VHF antenna bounce down the side decks. VHF, stereo, depth sounder, knot meter, most electrical wiring, all wires in the mast, every lightbulb filament, and the fuse panel were destroyed. The depth sounder transducer was blown up so I had a 2 inch hole blowing water into the boat. Motor didn't even stall. Later, I discovered a pinky size hole at the waterline, near the end of my whisker pole. I also discovered the rear stay chain (you know, the stay that runs just above your head when you're steering) had all the fiberglass blown off of the chainplate so it was hanging loose. Tip #1: Check your chainplates inside and out. Tip #2: There is nothing that cannot be fixed with 3M 5200. Tip #3: People who tell you that lightning follows wires are blowing smoke. One could even argue a low impedance path hung nice and high in the boatyard is an excellent way to provide the most attractive path for lightning to pick. Of course ground and bonding does help with electrolysis. Charge dissipators can work. You'll see them on the top of any tall building.
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Scott may
Have I got a lightning story for you!
While working as a marine electronics tech in Ft Lauderdale, FL (also known as the lightning capital of the USA), I was working on a SSB on a 65 ketch that was out of the water on stands in the yard. Having found the problem with the radio to be a faulty antenna connection, I was replacing the PL-259 connector when a small thunderstorm blew in quickly. The Rain had just begun to fall when all hell broke loose. At the exact moment I heard the crack of lightning(which was almost deafing) I had a two foot arc jump out of the connector in my hand and into the DC panel in the nav station. My arm felt like someone had taken a 2 by 4 and smacked me with it. The captain who was standing only a few feet from me at the time said he saw the strike hit the backstay (which was also the SSB antenna) through the hatch above him. The strike completely burnt in half a 50 amp shore cord. This shore cord was the best ground I suppose. The jolt also destroyed every peice of electronics on the boat (including the SSB) which totalled $54,000. Needless to say I wasn't killed (just scared stupid) and got alot of work from the guy afterwards, about 54,000 dollars worth to be exact.
While working as a marine electronics tech in Ft Lauderdale, FL (also known as the lightning capital of the USA), I was working on a SSB on a 65 ketch that was out of the water on stands in the yard. Having found the problem with the radio to be a faulty antenna connection, I was replacing the PL-259 connector when a small thunderstorm blew in quickly. The Rain had just begun to fall when all hell broke loose. At the exact moment I heard the crack of lightning(which was almost deafing) I had a two foot arc jump out of the connector in my hand and into the DC panel in the nav station. My arm felt like someone had taken a 2 by 4 and smacked me with it. The captain who was standing only a few feet from me at the time said he saw the strike hit the backstay (which was also the SSB antenna) through the hatch above him. The strike completely burnt in half a 50 amp shore cord. This shore cord was the best ground I suppose. The jolt also destroyed every peice of electronics on the boat (including the SSB) which totalled $54,000. Needless to say I wasn't killed (just scared stupid) and got alot of work from the guy afterwards, about 54,000 dollars worth to be exact.
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