Lightning Protection

[roan]

I have just acquired a new H 33 and found out that Hunter does not supply any lightning protection on the boats. Any suggestions to the choices I have and what to expect. Not from an eventual strike but the value of having protection, where to buy it, etc.

 

[Night Sailor]

Ben Franklin

I spoke last month with a gentlemn who retired after owning the largest lightning rod installer business in the US. Many famous landmarks protected by his expertise. He said: the best protection possible is by a "Ben Franklin", which is a solid copper or brass rod, of at least zero gauge, pointed on the top end, connected to a stranded cable of at least 4 gauge copper, leading directly to ground or water. National Fire Protection Association has rules and standards for lightning protection for vessels. You can read them online. I've forgeotten the chapter and paragraph numbers, but it worth reading. All metal in the boat and all electrical systems should be grounded to the same commom ground, but the lightning should have it's own, shortest path to ground, separate form the boat's electrical system.

 

[Larry Long]

What is your goal?

The device described by Night Sailor is the most efficient method of making sure that you get struck by lightning. That is how they have done it on barns for over a hundred years. It simply attracts the lightning strike to that point and privides a somewhat controlled path to ground. Is that what you want?Another school of thought is to provide many, many points at the top of the mast(like a wire brush or tinsel on a christmas tree) so the ions can slowly bleed off, hopefully nullifying the charge differential and preventing the lightning strike altogether.In the late 1990's I occasionally saw new Hunter boats equipped with the latter system. I don't know if it came from the factory or was a dealer installed option. I've noticed that I rarely see these systems now.When I was a kid, my mother told me lightning always struck the tallest object around. She was wrong. Last summer I saw a strike hit the top of a mast in my marina. The boat that was hit was between two boats with taller masts. I'm also pretty sure I was the tallest thing around when I went thru a lightning storm about 75 miles offshore and I didn't get hit.  I believe that LUCK is the primary factor in lightning and boats.

 

[Steve O.]

clarification here

When you state that "Hunter does not supply any lightning protection on the boats" it should be noted that neither do any other production boat builders that I am aware of. I assume you are speaking of some type of aftermarket lightning protection, which are of questionable value IMHO. To my knowledge Hunter bonds the keel to the mast on all models that I have seen, which is SOP on most production boats.

 

[roan]

I will look it up.. thanks