My last boat, a Pearson Commander (26'), was hit while on its mooring, 1/2 a
mile downstream from where it had been hit at the previous owners dock. It
did not have lightening protection from the mast, where the boat showed signs
of having been hit.
In both cases, the lightening traveled down the stays to the chain plates,
thru the hull to the water. Every place there was a wave peak along the hull,
there was a pit mark in the gel coat. Near the water line at the chain
plates, the damage was more pronounced - a golf ball size scoop out of the
fibreglass amidships and delamination at the bow that I could stick a car key all
the way along. There was separation laterally from the amidships water intake
thru hulls to the motor mounts. When pulled-out, there was a siperweb of pit
marks every several inches all about the lead keel. There were no
electronics onboard to speak of, although some of the smaller guage wiring in the
cabin melted, leaving scorch marks along the former path of the wire in places.
The engine never started again. I was lucky this "classic plastic" hull was
as sturdy as it was. I easily could have sunk, or the gas engine/tank
exploded. I was glad not to have been onboard at the time.
The first time the boat was hit, the former owner's insurance company redid
the hull and applied extra glass between the motor mounts and thru hull. My
company totaled the boat and I chose to walk away from her in part because I
saw the results of the same strom on a larger Hunter pulled for hull repair.
Again, she had a golf ball sized hole below the amidships chainplates at
the waterline. In this case, the interior layers of glass mat looked like the
end results of a grass fire...char black fuzz. They cut a 1 foot by 2 foot
section out around the damage. Granted, my hull was a solid layup, but I
thought of that lateral damage around the the hull and motor and decided not to
risk a third strike.
I live in Minnesota, USA. I am happy to attach the gounding wire from the
lightening rod on the mast each year.
Paul Brown
Procrastinator
