I'm a 373 guy. Think my boat got a direct or collateral hit last last Summer while stationed on mooring. No one on board at time. Has anybody had this happen and what anomalies presented in systems?
Lightning Strikes
- Thread starter skysledder
- Start date
Yes, I had both a direct hit and a close call with a huge magnetic field disorder:
DIRECT HIT: Damage was extensive... Everything on top of the mast was burnt and disintegrated (windvane, wind speed indicator, ionic dissipator, VHF antenna), the rolled-up genoa was melted at the furler joints, the anchor and chain were de-galvanized, the hydraulic backstay adjuster cooked all it's o'rings and leaked it's oil, the stove-oven was magnetized (had to change it to re-use an autopilot with a compass inside the cabin), all the soda and beer cans exploded, the lead keel had hundreds of burnt pinholes on it, VHF, SSB, AM-FM, Radar, GPS, Autopilot and electronic compass were all burnt, magnetic compass was de-magnetized, alternator and battery charger were also burnt, all fluorescent lighting was destroyed.
INDIRECT HIT: no visible damage, the alternator, battery charger, radios, radar and hour-meter didn't function!
I'll prefer the indirect hit any day... Or even better none at all!
Both hits on same boat in salt water; boat was very well grounded and bonded... No through hull pinholes and boat didn't take on water. I crossed the Atlantic three times with this boat after these hits.
Pierre
DIRECT HIT: Damage was extensive... Everything on top of the mast was burnt and disintegrated (windvane, wind speed indicator, ionic dissipator, VHF antenna), the rolled-up genoa was melted at the furler joints, the anchor and chain were de-galvanized, the hydraulic backstay adjuster cooked all it's o'rings and leaked it's oil, the stove-oven was magnetized (had to change it to re-use an autopilot with a compass inside the cabin), all the soda and beer cans exploded, the lead keel had hundreds of burnt pinholes on it, VHF, SSB, AM-FM, Radar, GPS, Autopilot and electronic compass were all burnt, magnetic compass was de-magnetized, alternator and battery charger were also burnt, all fluorescent lighting was destroyed.
INDIRECT HIT: no visible damage, the alternator, battery charger, radios, radar and hour-meter didn't function!
I'll prefer the indirect hit any day... Or even better none at all!
Both hits on same boat in salt water; boat was very well grounded and bonded... No through hull pinholes and boat didn't take on water. I crossed the Atlantic three times with this boat after these hits.
Pierre
I had a direct strike this summer (I keep the boat behind the house and watched it get hit from the living room). It blew everything off the top off the top of the mast, burnt one of the shrouds, damaged (ruined) all off the electronics except the TV, blew the alternator, wrecked the battery charger, exploded the VHF AM FM antenna spliter, damaged the DC panel, damaged the Air Conditioner, blew out all the nav. lights and melted the wiring in the mast. No hull damage as the boat was on a boat lift out of the water and plugged into AC the theory was the strike exited though the AC circuit as my dock circuit breaker all all the dock GFIs were damaged.
What makes you think your boat was struck? Damage from a strike is generally pretty extensive even a close call will cause a lot of problems.
What makes you think your boat was struck? Damage from a strike is generally pretty extensive even a close call will cause a lot of problems.
If you had a direct hit you would know it.
An indirect hit can be problematic to solve and insurance companies LOVE indirect hits because they are very hard to prove and they can very easily deny claims, and do.
I had one last summer where this was happening. The owner was wise enough to have me on-site the day the surveyor arrived. He tried to deny claims on damaged items, and with me there he had no argument. he really knew nothing about electrical systems or how they should operate so I question how he got hooked up with this insurance company to do lightning strike claims....???
Owner got his claim settled because I was there to explain what happened to the surveyor and walk him through the trail of debris left behind by the strike.. This one, most likely high EMP, took out the radome, plotter, VHF, tachometer (but not hour meter), inverter/charger, wind, depth speed and a hand held GPS that was not plugged in. Almost everything else survived including all on-board pumps & motors. He was 30 yards from a boat that took a direct hit...
I would suggest hiring someone with experience in lightning strikes to come do an assessment. They will run through every piece of gear on the boat. Also a good idea to have them on-site when the insurance surveyor shows up. These guys love to deny claims on "indirect" strikes where there is no "visible" damage... You guy can also have an educated discussion with the surveyor to ensure you get everything replaced that should be. Just because something works now does not mean it will continue to work for very long. Be sure you fight for an open case for a period of time. Many companies are open to this with strikes.
An indirect hit can be problematic to solve and insurance companies LOVE indirect hits because they are very hard to prove and they can very easily deny claims, and do.
I had one last summer where this was happening. The owner was wise enough to have me on-site the day the surveyor arrived. He tried to deny claims on damaged items, and with me there he had no argument. he really knew nothing about electrical systems or how they should operate so I question how he got hooked up with this insurance company to do lightning strike claims....???
Owner got his claim settled because I was there to explain what happened to the surveyor and walk him through the trail of debris left behind by the strike.. This one, most likely high EMP, took out the radome, plotter, VHF, tachometer (but not hour meter), inverter/charger, wind, depth speed and a hand held GPS that was not plugged in. Almost everything else survived including all on-board pumps & motors. He was 30 yards from a boat that took a direct hit...
I would suggest hiring someone with experience in lightning strikes to come do an assessment. They will run through every piece of gear on the boat. Also a good idea to have them on-site when the insurance surveyor shows up. These guys love to deny claims on "indirect" strikes where there is no "visible" damage... You guy can also have an educated discussion with the surveyor to ensure you get everything replaced that should be. Just because something works now does not mean it will continue to work for very long. Be sure you fight for an open case for a period of time. Many companies are open to this with strikes.
Wow! Thank's to all for replying. The tales of real destruction are incredible! Thankfully, no, I don't have anything even close to that going on. Just a problem with helm-mounted VHF comm not transmitting/receiving properly, but nav station set is ok. Probably bad connection. Helm handset works ok directly plugged into main radio backside, but not at helm plug. Thought maybe set/wiring had been zapped. Thank you also for insurance heads-up!