Metal vs non metal

[Steve Beynon]

Is there any insurance database that can tell me if it is safer in a metal boat vs non-metal in a thunder storm.1 Does the Farad shield in metal keep the lightning on the outside?2 Is there less damage created by lightning hits in metal boats?3 Is there less personnal injury in metal boats?

 

[Al Golden]

Lightning

I'll try to answer your questions as best I can off the top of my head, but I'll try to do some research next week.1. There is NO way to protect boats or their equipment from lightning strikes.... Farad shields depend on perfect horizontal alignment to work. That may be possible in a ground based electrical substation, but not on any sailboat.2. I'm not aware of any data which would support one hull material over another for lightning protection.3. The number of people injured by lightning while aboard a boat is so infintesimal that there can be no valid conclusion other than don't worry about it.Al GoldenIMIS

 

[Ex 23 owner]

I suspect metal boats fare better, but crew ??

(1) When fiberglass boats get struck by lightening, the aluminum mast, bronze grounding plate, and bronze through-hulls typically sustain no damage, despite providing routes for the current. However, nearby fiberglass is often burned or holed. (2) However, I don't know what this portends for the crew. One *might* speculate that the metal would provide such a good path for the current that nearby and relatively high-resistance bodies would be bypassed. On the other hand, those bodies are more likely to be in contact with the conductor carrying the current. On yet the third hand, crew is safest on the safest boat. So .. I don't know.

 

[Al Golden]

I think that if you look at the CG's stats you'll find the number of injuries and deaths resulting from lightning strikes on boats is vanishingly small.Al GoldenIMIS