Lightning Strike

[Skippy]

Originally Posted by Wynand N

... a woman who had her car striked by a lightning bolt. The damage to the car was substantial. All four tires (steelbelt radials) blown apart, alu rims damaged, side mirrors blown off, arial melted, so are some of the glass, instruments shattered and needless to say the electrical harnass a mess. The was even severe burn marks on the paint work. The lady, alive but shaken.

After being struck by lightning, I would consider "alive but shaken" to be a blessing. Note that the great bulk of the damage was external, and even the electronics is connected to the outside through grounding wires. And a car sits on insulating tires, whereas a metal boat hull has just about the best ground connection possible, except for maybe the paint. Most metal cruisers are also bigger than a car, so the current can spread out more.

I live on top of a high strike area, mountain. Lighting is very simple. You can't always control it's path. But you can ASSIST it to the center of the earth. #4 stranded electrical copper wire is a very effective combination of lightning rod and lightning conductor. Years before, I lost a well pump, then a tv and outside light fixtures, then scarred trees, etc. #4 wire AND a lightning ARRESTOR in the power panel stopped all damage. Now I can hear the snap in my circuit breaker panel as the ARRESTOR shorts the bolt to a heavy #4 wire to the ground rods. Nervy, but OK. All wire runs are straight with a 12" radius for every turn. 10 years and still ok. Guy wires of metal need to be grounded at both ends, carbon fibre- and some other composites need a grounding system that can only be built in at the construction time. If it can even be done effectively. ALL the #4 wires should not be cut until at the main copper cable 16 ' of which is completly submerged in water. Water conducts electricty many times better than dirt. If we can do it on land why not in water? It comes down to doing the job the same way it is done on land.A LIGHTNING SPIKE at the top of the mast may be the missing part to attract it directly to the#4 cables to elimanite SPLINTER ARCS to other parts of the boat. Richard

[MikeJohns]

Wynand

Have a look at a prior thread on this subject.

Lightning protection