Lightning.... I've been HIT !!!!!!!!!!

[Maine Sail]

Damn electrical storms. Wed night we had a nasty one but I was in meetings Thurs, Fri in So. New England so never knew I'd been hit until this morning.

Went to go for a sail today and got to the boat to the smell of burnt electronics.......


Multiple GPS devices, radar, AP, wind, depth speed, stereo, Bora Caframo fan, Matrix 2100 VHF/AIS, TV, 13 Sensibulbs, all LED nav lights, Link Pro battery monitor, DC & AC volt meter, DC & AC ammeter, tachometer, oil pressure, fuel gauge, inverter, charger, compass, compass light etc. etc. on and on...:cussing::cussing::cussing::cussing:

Hello insurance company...ummmm....

EDIT 8-2-2010: Boat was hauled and inspected and absolutely no damage to the hull was found. The areas around the thru-hulls were fine but ours are not bonded. The only damage was at the very bottom of the lead keel where the wood blocks prevented properly barrier coating the lead. There was some spyder crazing and a few chunks of barrier and paint blown off the very bottom. It also appears the strike may have partially exited through the prop shaft as well. The PSS seals carbon rotor blew carbon all over the engine bay. The PSS seal was replaced while she was out with a traditional packing gland....

Weirdly enough there was no huge damage to the mast head, just a brown spot yet the strike apparently exited through the keel which is bonded directly to the spar by 2/0 GA wire. The 2/0 GA wire was perfectly intact.

ITEMS FRIED - NOT PLUGGED IN:

An interesting note we have numerous items that were not plugged in that are now not working.

*HP Laptop Computer - On nav desk unplugged but battery in it. Was in "sleep mode".
*Garmin GPS-MAP 176 - In nav desk unplugged but batteries in it.
Garmin 76 Hand Held - In waterproof dinghy bag sitting on settee. Batteries were in it.
*Magellan HH GPS - In ditch bag wrapped in tin foil and inside a Ziplock with a desiccant pack. No batteries installed.
*EPIRB - Has been sent off for repair.
*iPod - In nav desk unplugged.

 

[CalebD]

More importantly you weren't on board and I suppose your hull is still sound. Of all the boats to get hit by lightning it had to be yours this time. Didn't you recently do a complete re-wiring of your boat? The irony of it all! I hope your ins. covers a large portion of your repairs.
Sorry to hear that this happened to you, MS. What a drag.

 

[zeehag]

damn. sorry to hear about that.

 

[RichH]

Sorry about your 'strike'. The usual good news is that most insurance policies cover lightning strikes ... less 'deductable'.

Welcome to the 'club'.

 

[kloudie1]

Sorry to hear that, MS..
Sounds like your boat took a hard hit.. Glad you weren't on it !

 

[Ross]

After all the time and effort and material you put in over the winter you sure didn't need this. Pour a tall one and cuss alot and wait until monday and file your claim. try to get them to pay as though you have to hire it all done.

 

[Maine Sail]

After all the time and effort and material you put in over the winter you sure didn't need this. Pour a tall one and cuss alot and wait until monday and file your claim. try to get them to pay as though you have to hire it all done.

Considering I don't have the time right now to do this that is how it will get paid minus the 3k deductible.

Yes, the boat was just totally re-wired EVERYTHING NEW and also lots of new electronics.

The good news is that it appears to not be a bad hit to the systems wiring. This is likely due to the lightning bonding system I installed to far better than ABYC standards. This strike also had a very high EMI impact. My neighbors boat suffered a blown out Sea Talk bus and nearly everything electronic and a few smaller NEMA type wires on our boat were toasted.

I keep finding stuff that is toasted even our cabin fans. Our VHF comes on the minute you turn on the breaker, should not, and will not turn off, on/off circuit likely welded closed. MY Garmin GPS Map 176 that was inside the nav table is also toast even though it was not wired to anything. My 182C plotter just says "Antenna Input Shorted" and my 3205 plotter turns on but won't do anything nor can it see the radome or the GPS antenna. The AP just says "Sea Talk Failure".

The funny thing about lightning and this strike is that no fuses were blown anywhere but all the electronics are fried. Nothing wrong with the hull, zero damage, and some of heavier the DC motors seem to work. It does smell real bad so I know I have some fried wiring somewhere but as of yet have not found it.

Batt switch was OFF and no switches or breakers were flipped to ON in the main breaker panel.

Lightning is funny and fickle..

Boat owing is fun.. The worst part of this is that I don't even get to "upgrade" any of my electronics. I just installed them and would choose the EXACT same set up again, and will.. Just R&R burned up stuff with new.

I'm really bummed about my portable GPS Map 176 that I have had for years and has been a wonderful unit. They no longer make them so I will probably need to do an eBay search.

From now on when I leave the boat the portable stuff will go in a METAL Faraday box. Oh even my iPod is toast, EPIRB and laptop computer none of which were even plugged in. Even the LED compass light was blown and the compass tossed off and is now very inaccurate......:cussing:

On another note my brothers boat almost sunk Wed night and we suspect it to was hit too. Both battery positive wires were blown clean off the posts and the studs reduced to thread-less tooth picks. The worst part is that we have the battery fuses but had not yet installed them. We have not even been able to get a new battery in there to see what damage his boat sustained as the lugs were melted..

 

[Stu Jackson]

Sorry to hear. I know you'll get it repaired. Only other thing is that you'll have a new "chapter" for your website!

 

[dparilla]

My thoughts are with you

Haven't been on Casco Bay in a while (need to get home to Bath at some point,) but our house here in Virginia got hit by lightning a few years ago, and it blew TV's Air Conditioning etc...no circuit breakers were tripped. The power surge was so high a so fast, the breakers didn't have time to respond. We now have a lightning arrestor on the lines coming in, but even my electrical engineer friends don't think they will help much. I can't offer much assistance right now, but if wires, crimps etc. will help, please let me know. I have some extra laying around. I even have a GPS handheld I can lend you if you need to get underway to "re-cage" your compass. Take care for now, I appreciate all of the webtech you have posted, it has helped us immensely.

Dan

 

[Maine Sail]

This brand new Sensibulb was literally installed on Tuesday over the galley sink..

My brothers battery, once the post was melted we suspect the bilge filled with the rain water cause the pump stopped working and the water level drove the batteries under water, thus the green corrosion from the "hot" water.. I had just been in there on Sunday and the posts and terminals were in perfect clean shape and nice and silver. I question whether a fuse would have even been fast enough...

 

[woodster]

wow this scares the hell out of me.......if read the info correctly...sounds like the lighting came in through the back door ei all the hull fittings under water......sorry you have to go through the repair process....but at least you are ok and that young cute daughter was no where near the event ...you are a very lucky person ....

regards

woody

 

[Witzend]

Jeezz, it could not have happened to a nicer sailor!!!
I have been lucky over the years, only near my house was hit, the surge came up through the ground rod and fried all my GFI devices.
When I was a kid of about 10 I was on our porch, got struck ~30ft away, blew me right out of my chair and through the screen. I felt the power!!!
Sparkey is unpredictable that's for sure. So sorry, it's the time out on the water that's not replaceable.

 

[kloudie1]

Lightning hit

again, sorry to hear that, Main.. Lightning is strange indeed.. My boat took a hit few years back while in the slip and connected to shore power.. battery charger and air conditioner/dehumidifier was on.. I lost the VHF (completely dead), attached photo is of the remains of a Shakespere antenna from the mast top; the aft nav light bulb exploded in the housing, The “reverse polarity” indicator light was blown across the boat and was on the shelf on opposite side; Fuse in LORAN unit was blown but unit worked after fuse replacement; The air conditioner fan speed control went to high speed and could not be adjusted (blown thyristor) ; Two DC circuit breakers cases were blown open but the breakers still worked.. There was soot tracking on the back of the electrical panel that went from the nav light switch around to the shore power ground buss.. the arc traveled about 6-8” to get to the AC ground. Other photo, hard to see)
Things which were not damaged.. Rigging swedging, terminals and wire.. Alternator, starter, engine wiring.. air conditioner mechanics.. bow nav light ! (on same circuit as blown apart stern light) , anchor light (2” from VHF aerial), steaming and deck lights, battery charger (old ferro-resonant, I’ll bet the new Xantrex would not have made it). None of the LEDs in the breaker panel were harmed. A small portable CD player laying next to the VHF was not damaged.. Depth and knotlog were fine. No damage to cabin lights or any wiring. Both slip neighbors boats were all ok.. masts about 10’ shorter than mine.
I think I took a small “side flash” and the main bolt went to a pine tree some 50 feet away and a few feet taller than my mast. I was lucky.

 

[Ross]

It probably would have jumped the fuse and vaporized it also.
Our house was struck years ago and it smashed a switch and a light bulb, blew a chunk of concrete out of the driveway and followed a crack into the garage and knocked a can of cement quick patch over and dented the bottom. We were fortunate.

 

[RichH]

Good possibility that it was a 'bolt' going across the top of your boat .... and your boat sent a leader 'up'. After I was struck for the second time, and in the same manner (no fuses, etc. blown) Im considering to put fuses on the all the GROUND system. Plus Im considering 'polyphase' 1Mhz chokes on all the wiring that feeds the 'sensitive' stuff for to help control the EMF/RF 'stuff' .... like on my 'seatalk' system.

A good article By Dr. Thompson, the lightning 'guru' of Florida State Univ. who is now retired and has started his own business — www.marinelightening.com
Has some 'novel' new ideas about lightening protection and has been applying them to mega-yachts. http://www.marinelightning.com/EXCHANGEOct2007Final.pdf

 

[Mark Ferrick]

Maine Sail, I am really sorry to hear about this. I looked at Craigslist tonight, using CrazedList . There are none in the US at this time.

There is one on ebay right now. Link to it here..

 

[Paul Brinkley]

Sorry to hear of your trouble, Maine Sail, but glad you and your family are ok. Boat equipment is replacable, people aren't. -Paul

 

[Rick D]

Awful & Discouraging

... best of luck with the claim and rebuild. Why not pull a NEMA 2000 backbone this time? I didn't when I replaced my instruments and now regret it.

 

[welderxman1]

yes we have been getting a lot of lightning up here, more so then usual.
i live in Maine, and sorry to hear that happened
no one was hurt, and that what matters. i a steel worker( unemployed!!! but lightning is not a nice thing!!) if you like a hand for free let me know i have all the time in the world right now!!!!!LOL!!!!

 

[sinnettc]

Well that sucks, Maine Sail. Sorry to hear but I'm glad you're all ok.