Richard, what you're describing sure seems to be a case for bonding everything, such as lifelines, to the ground. I've heard fishing rods and lower VHF antennas start to crackle before, and it was time to pack it up and haul @ss, as futile as that might be.
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Moe
Lightning protection options
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waternwaves
- Admiral
- Posts: 1499
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:18 pm
- Location: X less in North Puget Sound -have to sail other boats for a while
Abatement and dissipation
Moe... et. al.
Moe.
The only reason I use stainless steel wire is because I know it is approximately the same conductivity as the oxidized mast..lol both of which are almost an order of magnitude greater in resistance than annealed copper . My problem with copper is that copper oxide is not a great conductor...and eventually bare copper on my boat turns green. I thought about a bronze and brass wire and when I either have the time to braid OO, or can find it at a reasonable price I might replace it. I actually wanted to carry a dissipation rod inside the boom, with a removal plastic plug for the boom.. but the idea of swinging around a 9 ft long metal rod immediately before a thunderstorm does not greatly appeal to me.... and primarily, I am just after a dissipator an order of magnitude larger than anything in the boat......, and personally I would be up in the bow if inside, or sitting on the port side aft cushion in the cockpit. (my backstay is on the starboard side). An oxidized copper cable may be sufficient...most of the time....but on a boat moored on the water or in a very humid climate, MHO is that by the time I need it, it wont be enough. Based on viewing other copper on my boat.
A boat kept on a trailer in the midwest.....probably not a problem.
Now as an electrical engineer I have to digress and address a few misconceptions in the previous comments.
comparing AC/DC power distribution and lightning is misleading at best.
And yes There are now extreme high voltage DC transmission systems in place Designed by ABB and others, in the million volt plus range that transmit power very efficiently. (under certain configurations)
And the statement that "as it is physically impossible to attract lightning." may be taken out of context.....but it is absolutely false. Electrical discharge is well studied field.....and positioning of lighting rods is absolutely for the purpose of "attracting lighting" to save higher value equipment. So to me, this was a statement of advertising hype and hope over reality. And greatly affects the credibility of the underlying advertising.....(could underlying be tongue in cheek here??)
Additionally being the shortest mast in the harbor with the least metal compared to the other sailboats moored around you probably helps..lol...
I only throw the dissipator down when I am out underway or in anchored condition.
And as far as St. Elmos fire, stand clear. This is a particular difficulty for those with glass and wood boats. But the Mac has relatively low capacitance, and thus cannot build up a great stored charge such as a boat with a large metal filled keel.
AS far as mast connection, having a bar connect to the mast and extending the contact area prior to entry into the cable could only help.
A quickly deployed dissipation system seems to offer many advantages. and Moe, I really like the scissors gate idea out of aluminum bars stock... (Lots of edges) now if I can figure out a place to keep it on deck....lol In the boom anyone?????
Moe.
The only reason I use stainless steel wire is because I know it is approximately the same conductivity as the oxidized mast..lol both of which are almost an order of magnitude greater in resistance than annealed copper . My problem with copper is that copper oxide is not a great conductor...and eventually bare copper on my boat turns green. I thought about a bronze and brass wire and when I either have the time to braid OO, or can find it at a reasonable price I might replace it. I actually wanted to carry a dissipation rod inside the boom, with a removal plastic plug for the boom.. but the idea of swinging around a 9 ft long metal rod immediately before a thunderstorm does not greatly appeal to me.... and primarily, I am just after a dissipator an order of magnitude larger than anything in the boat......, and personally I would be up in the bow if inside, or sitting on the port side aft cushion in the cockpit. (my backstay is on the starboard side). An oxidized copper cable may be sufficient...most of the time....but on a boat moored on the water or in a very humid climate, MHO is that by the time I need it, it wont be enough. Based on viewing other copper on my boat.
A boat kept on a trailer in the midwest.....probably not a problem.
Now as an electrical engineer I have to digress and address a few misconceptions in the previous comments.
comparing AC/DC power distribution and lightning is misleading at best.
And yes There are now extreme high voltage DC transmission systems in place Designed by ABB and others, in the million volt plus range that transmit power very efficiently. (under certain configurations)
And the statement that "as it is physically impossible to attract lightning." may be taken out of context.....but it is absolutely false. Electrical discharge is well studied field.....and positioning of lighting rods is absolutely for the purpose of "attracting lighting" to save higher value equipment. So to me, this was a statement of advertising hype and hope over reality. And greatly affects the credibility of the underlying advertising.....(could underlying be tongue in cheek here??)
Additionally being the shortest mast in the harbor with the least metal compared to the other sailboats moored around you probably helps..lol...
I only throw the dissipator down when I am out underway or in anchored condition.
And as far as St. Elmos fire, stand clear. This is a particular difficulty for those with glass and wood boats. But the Mac has relatively low capacitance, and thus cannot build up a great stored charge such as a boat with a large metal filled keel.
AS far as mast connection, having a bar connect to the mast and extending the contact area prior to entry into the cable could only help.
A quickly deployed dissipation system seems to offer many advantages. and Moe, I really like the scissors gate idea out of aluminum bars stock... (Lots of edges) now if I can figure out a place to keep it on deck....lol In the boom anyone?????
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Divecoz
- Admiral
- Posts: 3803
- Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 2:54 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
- Location: PORT CHARLOTTE FLORIDA 05 M Mercury 50 H.P. Big Foot Bill at Boats 4 Sail is my Hero
Grounding best versus none
AS it so happens we deal with fault protection and Lightning arrest at work a lot. We design and supply ac/dc power to web host centers. When you are liable for protecting several hundred million dollars worth of web hosting main frame computers , grounding is as important as proper power supply. A few of the issue's we deal with . Cable Size and Strand Number . Bigger and More is better IMHO. I would think for your cases Welding cable /stinger whip. No sharp bends anywhere no bolted connections . Should you bolt your connection to the mast as has been discussed and should the strike come down the mast . . .in all likelihood it would BLOWOUT the bolt and find its own new route not good btw.
As stated it travels on the outside, not the inside like a water pipe, more like a rat leavening a ship so make it easy on the rat. Corrosion we use numerous products no-ox among others but we are inside no standing water and no salt water for sure.
One thing is for sure . . .that is after years of practical on site real problems/strikes , faults and lighting play by their own set of rules which . . .seem to change or . . .be non-existent . In the world I live and work in Ground Fault and Lightning Arresting has no absolute's, no guarantees no sure things . I saw the same problems with Cell sites 480 VDC supplies with 100,000 amp available . I have yet to see so much as two building protected alike. Its been said here and I concur from my past on job experiences, that a poor ineffective system could be a LOT worse than no system at all.
As stated it travels on the outside, not the inside like a water pipe, more like a rat leavening a ship so make it easy on the rat. Corrosion we use numerous products no-ox among others but we are inside no standing water and no salt water for sure.
One thing is for sure . . .that is after years of practical on site real problems/strikes , faults and lighting play by their own set of rules which . . .seem to change or . . .be non-existent . In the world I live and work in Ground Fault and Lightning Arresting has no absolute's, no guarantees no sure things . I saw the same problems with Cell sites 480 VDC supplies with 100,000 amp available . I have yet to see so much as two building protected alike. Its been said here and I concur from my past on job experiences, that a poor ineffective system could be a LOT worse than no system at all.
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Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL
- Admiral
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- Sailboat: MacGregor 26D
- Location: Oconomowoc, WI
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waternwaves
- Admiral
- Posts: 1499
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:18 pm
- Location: X less in North Puget Sound -have to sail other boats for a while
Dive
I also have station and transmission design experience, as well as nuclear, industrial and commercial facility electrical and lightning protection and design.
If bolts were blowing out....internal resistance of the connection was the issue, andcausing boiled metal. Hence this is why we use plaited/woven bonding jumpers to lower joint resistance in almost all cases to dissipation systems. And I suggest the same for the boat.
The number one reason why any particular lightning attraction, arresting and dissipation system has reduced effectivity is corrosion of the elements. The second biggest cause of problem for land based systems buildings and components is changes in soil conductivity, especially in the vicinity of the dissipators.. Many if not most building strikes are dissipated via a combination of building wiring and piping systems considerably before being efectively discharged to ground and ground water. And as many have noted.... aluminum oxide is not a great conductor, and it is present on the surface that the discharge is traveling on. Nor is steel water pipe, or dry soil particularly great conductors. Skin effect, plasma formation and distribution and dielectric for dry and wet air are variables that greatly affect the discharge paths...
However, for a boat, Especially in salt water, we actually have a somewhat more analyzable geometry, and if underway, and in pouring rain and lightning, I get the anchor/chain off the deck if possible 15 ft overboard is just fine for me, deploy the dissipator, and get back below deck with no wet clothing on...
And I agree that it is difficult to guarantee a particular discharge will follow a particular path.
And Getting in the way of the preferred discharge path is never a good idea. But a dissipation system is measurable and can be checked for whether or not it meets low resistance and requirements and whether or not it has sufficient surface area/edges to carry a particular skin current. And even if the dissipator system only can carry off half the strike....a correctly designed system is still better than none.........is all I was trying to say. And The armed forces, DOE, utilities and municipalities have standards for lightning arresting and I can illustrate many cookie cutter buildings with standardized protection... especially schools, apts, condos, substations, etc.. So I dont think that was the issue at hand.
Many utilities have instituted inspection and modification programs to bring lighting and dissipation controls into place, testing systems internal resistance, calculating surface areas, measuring soil conductivity, bonding etc.,
All I am trying to point out is that it is not hard to get a better connection to the dissipation system from the mast, than to the boom, and it is possible to divert considerable charge overboard with an easily deployed system. And if you do not maintain such a system, and if internal or surface resistance gets too high, you can boil metal, pop bolts and result in unintended paths. It really is a function of surface area.. Aircraft get hit all the time in cloud to cloud discharges....and often the electronics are not fried....They survive these discharges by being able to bleed that charge over a wide area... tough on our boat, and though I am sure that using a pipe with equivalent surface area as the mast would be preferrable to route the charge over the side, I have yet to install one on my boat.....But who knows. maybe I'll pick up some 8" wide, 1/8 inch thick bronze braid at a Boeing excess sale..
I also have station and transmission design experience, as well as nuclear, industrial and commercial facility electrical and lightning protection and design.
If bolts were blowing out....internal resistance of the connection was the issue, andcausing boiled metal. Hence this is why we use plaited/woven bonding jumpers to lower joint resistance in almost all cases to dissipation systems. And I suggest the same for the boat.
The number one reason why any particular lightning attraction, arresting and dissipation system has reduced effectivity is corrosion of the elements. The second biggest cause of problem for land based systems buildings and components is changes in soil conductivity, especially in the vicinity of the dissipators.. Many if not most building strikes are dissipated via a combination of building wiring and piping systems considerably before being efectively discharged to ground and ground water. And as many have noted.... aluminum oxide is not a great conductor, and it is present on the surface that the discharge is traveling on. Nor is steel water pipe, or dry soil particularly great conductors. Skin effect, plasma formation and distribution and dielectric for dry and wet air are variables that greatly affect the discharge paths...
However, for a boat, Especially in salt water, we actually have a somewhat more analyzable geometry, and if underway, and in pouring rain and lightning, I get the anchor/chain off the deck if possible 15 ft overboard is just fine for me, deploy the dissipator, and get back below deck with no wet clothing on...
And I agree that it is difficult to guarantee a particular discharge will follow a particular path.
And Getting in the way of the preferred discharge path is never a good idea. But a dissipation system is measurable and can be checked for whether or not it meets low resistance and requirements and whether or not it has sufficient surface area/edges to carry a particular skin current. And even if the dissipator system only can carry off half the strike....a correctly designed system is still better than none.........is all I was trying to say. And The armed forces, DOE, utilities and municipalities have standards for lightning arresting and I can illustrate many cookie cutter buildings with standardized protection... especially schools, apts, condos, substations, etc.. So I dont think that was the issue at hand.
Many utilities have instituted inspection and modification programs to bring lighting and dissipation controls into place, testing systems internal resistance, calculating surface areas, measuring soil conductivity, bonding etc.,
All I am trying to point out is that it is not hard to get a better connection to the dissipation system from the mast, than to the boom, and it is possible to divert considerable charge overboard with an easily deployed system. And if you do not maintain such a system, and if internal or surface resistance gets too high, you can boil metal, pop bolts and result in unintended paths. It really is a function of surface area.. Aircraft get hit all the time in cloud to cloud discharges....and often the electronics are not fried....They survive these discharges by being able to bleed that charge over a wide area... tough on our boat, and though I am sure that using a pipe with equivalent surface area as the mast would be preferrable to route the charge over the side, I have yet to install one on my boat.....But who knows. maybe I'll pick up some 8" wide, 1/8 inch thick bronze braid at a Boeing excess sale..
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Divecoz
- Admiral
- Posts: 3803
- Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 2:54 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
- Location: PORT CHARLOTTE FLORIDA 05 M Mercury 50 H.P. Big Foot Bill at Boats 4 Sail is my Hero
It would appear
We have similar backgrounds Hanford Works, Seabrook, Fermi Lab, Argonne National Lab's Lucent . I agree on most if not all points you make with possible exceptions of a singular bolt attachment which changes from vert to horz. direction. Also as I see it in the field . . .Grounding and Strike systems are changing in this industry almost daily again from what I see in the field anyway. I admit I have given this problem , zero thought as I, after 14 + years associated with the dive industry on Cozumel have yet to see problems with any of the over 200 boats calling that place home... I wonder could we come up with a "quick connect " that could #1 be "beefy" and #2 be left in place attached to the mast. Almost like the connectors we use too lengthen wielding cable?? IMHO we need effective simple cheap and quick and easy to deploy and yes because of the limited space available small and compact. Braided cable yes we use lots of braided cable , tinned jumpers, and cold flow compression fittings of all sizes and configurations . Cold flow connections btw are the secret to anti-corrosion, or so it appears . . .in the field day in day out. Lets try Cad-welding to someone's mast teheheheheheheheh NOT Mine of coarse. You come up with a system and I might well be able to get the needed supplies donated for a few on first come etc.
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waternwaves
- Admiral
- Posts: 1499
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:18 pm
- Location: X less in North Puget Sound -have to sail other boats for a while
Dive,
Perhaps I am not clear about the mast connection.., but I would not be using the bolt/connector to carry charge, merely to attach matching surfaced lead to the dissipation system.
The problem with welding cable is that the charge is traveling on the surface, and most cables are not shall we say, sufficient in surface area...
and often times there is a insulator on the wire...
My research has led me to non insulated conductors and their advantages for charge drain, as well as flexible braided drains with large flat profiles...
Compression fittings could correctly chosen and be fine for endpoint termination, But I think the key for the mac will be a machined piece that exactly fits the mac mast, long sweep, and has an aluminum compatible antiC (NoAlox type ) and the correct transition to the drain. The drain connector, (maybe 12 Inches or so long) would be permanently mounted to the mast, and the braid would attach to the sweep.
Tinning in and of itself is helpful for corrosion protection on copper, it is less conductive than the base copper and not necessary for stainless
When I leave the lake and head back for the island on saturday, I'll look at pressing/machining an aluminum piece of pipe into the proper geometry for mounting on the base of the mast.
I too dont think it is a huge problem, but it seems like an easy accessory for under 100 dollars..., perhaps rather than machining I could just make the dies for my press, the little 10 ton would be plenty for doing a pipe section.
Maybe Moe can direct me to some internet storage space where I can post the diagrams....
Perhaps I am not clear about the mast connection.., but I would not be using the bolt/connector to carry charge, merely to attach matching surfaced lead to the dissipation system.
The problem with welding cable is that the charge is traveling on the surface, and most cables are not shall we say, sufficient in surface area...
and often times there is a insulator on the wire...
My research has led me to non insulated conductors and their advantages for charge drain, as well as flexible braided drains with large flat profiles...
Compression fittings could correctly chosen and be fine for endpoint termination, But I think the key for the mac will be a machined piece that exactly fits the mac mast, long sweep, and has an aluminum compatible antiC (NoAlox type ) and the correct transition to the drain. The drain connector, (maybe 12 Inches or so long) would be permanently mounted to the mast, and the braid would attach to the sweep.
Tinning in and of itself is helpful for corrosion protection on copper, it is less conductive than the base copper and not necessary for stainless
When I leave the lake and head back for the island on saturday, I'll look at pressing/machining an aluminum piece of pipe into the proper geometry for mounting on the base of the mast.
I too dont think it is a huge problem, but it seems like an easy accessory for under 100 dollars..., perhaps rather than machining I could just make the dies for my press, the little 10 ton would be plenty for doing a pipe section.
Maybe Moe can direct me to some internet storage space where I can post the diagrams....
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Catigale
- Site Admin
- Posts: 10421
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- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Admiral .............Catigale 2002X.......Lots of Harpoon Hobie 16 Skiffs....Island 17
- Contact:
More on (moron?) lightning
....for the record I dont have a system on Catigale of any kind...I try to use the get the h*** off the water method, wunderground with remote phone access on board to watch weather radar, and the Admiral to say "Like h*** you are taking the kids out today..."
I feel for your guys in the states where if you didnt sail on days you saw a flash to two, you would never go out!
ACcording to the statisitics from the 'rebuttal' referenced in Moes post- in 2000 there were only 2 lightning boating fatalities in the US and they were both in sunny Florida
Sp the obvious statistically based solution, with due respect to The Sunshine State Tourism board,is to pick your sailing state carefully!!
Catigale
PS - can someone pm me with the right way to post links with the neat simple text link - that area of my brain has ceased to function again.
I feel for your guys in the states where if you didnt sail on days you saw a flash to two, you would never go out!
ACcording to the statisitics from the 'rebuttal' referenced in Moes post- in 2000 there were only 2 lightning boating fatalities in the US and they were both in sunny Florida
Sp the obvious statistically based solution, with due respect to The Sunshine State Tourism board,is to pick your sailing state carefully!!
Catigale
PS - can someone pm me with the right way to post links with the neat simple text link - that area of my brain has ceased to function again.
Darren, PhotoBucket is one of the more popular free image hosting sites, and there are others. If they're large, email them to me and I'll put them up on my website.
Stephen, when composing a message, in the lower left corner of the page, there's an Options list that tells you HTML is OFF, and in the next line where it says BBCode is on, the BBCode is a link to code help. Right-click on it and select Open in New Window, and you can have the instructions for using the code while you're composing.
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Moe
Stephen, when composing a message, in the lower left corner of the page, there's an Options list that tells you HTML is OFF, and in the next line where it says BBCode is on, the BBCode is a link to code help. Right-click on it and select Open in New Window, and you can have the instructions for using the code while you're composing.
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Moe
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Divecoz
- Admiral
- Posts: 3803
- Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 2:54 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
- Location: PORT CHARLOTTE FLORIDA 05 M Mercury 50 H.P. Big Foot Bill at Boats 4 Sail is my Hero
It would then appear Over kill Over weight Oversized
Over kill Over weight Oversized For most. Its really because of those problems that it just doesn't make sense to worry about it. IF and by the experts here, there isn't a simple inexpensive easy to deploy and to store solution, then this is only of interest to those that sail in areas of the country where strikes occur often. Is there such a place I ask ?
1/0 braided copper cable is heavy and as you need at least 30 ft. with a dissipater. As I have never seen anything smaller than 1/0 used in a system and everything else would be no more than a fusable link
I guess you could mount a big Pelican Box to the deck for storage.
Its too bad we don't have a Marine Electrician on this board as we would not find it necessary to guess and guess though educated it may well be is all we are doing .
For those who have not seen a "mistake in installation" it can turn into a very high temperature problem concentrated into/ onto a small area .
1/0 braided copper cable is heavy and as you need at least 30 ft. with a dissipater. As I have never seen anything smaller than 1/0 used in a system and everything else would be no more than a fusable link
I guess you could mount a big Pelican Box to the deck for storage. Its too bad we don't have a Marine Electrician on this board as we would not find it necessary to guess and guess though educated it may well be is all we are doing .
For those who have not seen a "mistake in installation" it can turn into a very high temperature problem concentrated into/ onto a small area .
2mm silicone insulated tinned copper cable is about 1/2 lb per foot and a bit under 5/8" diameter for 1/0, and .6 lb per foot and a bit over 5/8" diameter for 2/0. 3/0 gets up to .7 lb per foot and 3/4" diameter. So yeah... big and heavy... and no doubt expensive.
Mounted from the baby stay location to ease bends in the cable might give enough depth in the water with 15' per side. That's good to know about the bolt issue. Would want a larger contact patch on the mast too.
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Moe
Mounted from the baby stay location to ease bends in the cable might give enough depth in the water with 15' per side. That's good to know about the bolt issue. Would want a larger contact patch on the mast too.
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Moe
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Sloop John B
- Captain
- Posts: 871
- Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2004 2:45 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Florida 'Big Bend'. 02x Yamaha T50
The discussion of installing lightening protection is too far over my head.. I wish there was a simple sure way of doing so.
I have never experienced lightening storms the likes of which we suffer on the Florida coast. All the clocks run on one or two AAs. The others (micro wave, stove, coffee maker) spend much of the summer months blinking.
For me, there are two seasons for sailing: early spring and late fall. In these short spells one can check the Doppler and see that the dark green blob wont arrive for another two days or so. In July and August, temperatures reach near 100 degrees. Almost every afternoon, with regular monotony, huge cumulus clouds form over the Gulf and their bottoms are black as night. I have the impression they travel around 35 mph. The initial cells that pass over are loaded with fireworks. I never did pin down the speed of sound at sea level, maybe five seconds a mile. The flash and boom occur inside a second. Three or four seconds for the next one. The ones that hit close by make your shadow appear on the inside wall Hiroshima style. The explosion of the thunder makes me jump (this could be particular to me because at sea on the bridge, every shell fired caused me to start, while others lounged about looking bored).
Anyway, I know I couldnt take it curled up in the Mac.
Im only aware of one sailboat hit in the area. I posted earlier about a small 22' keel boat in a slip having the bottom blown out. I would guess it had a one piece mast that extended down to the cabin sole. A few years ago a guy in the northeast had his Mac struck pier side while he was away. All the electronics were destroyed and he described hundreds of pin holes at the water line. He was relieved to be able to get it fixed rather inexpensively.
I have never experienced lightening storms the likes of which we suffer on the Florida coast. All the clocks run on one or two AAs. The others (micro wave, stove, coffee maker) spend much of the summer months blinking.
For me, there are two seasons for sailing: early spring and late fall. In these short spells one can check the Doppler and see that the dark green blob wont arrive for another two days or so. In July and August, temperatures reach near 100 degrees. Almost every afternoon, with regular monotony, huge cumulus clouds form over the Gulf and their bottoms are black as night. I have the impression they travel around 35 mph. The initial cells that pass over are loaded with fireworks. I never did pin down the speed of sound at sea level, maybe five seconds a mile. The flash and boom occur inside a second. Three or four seconds for the next one. The ones that hit close by make your shadow appear on the inside wall Hiroshima style. The explosion of the thunder makes me jump (this could be particular to me because at sea on the bridge, every shell fired caused me to start, while others lounged about looking bored).
Anyway, I know I couldnt take it curled up in the Mac.
Im only aware of one sailboat hit in the area. I posted earlier about a small 22' keel boat in a slip having the bottom blown out. I would guess it had a one piece mast that extended down to the cabin sole. A few years ago a guy in the northeast had his Mac struck pier side while he was away. All the electronics were destroyed and he described hundreds of pin holes at the water line. He was relieved to be able to get it fixed rather inexpensively.
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Divecoz
- Admiral
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- Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 2:54 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
- Location: PORT CHARLOTTE FLORIDA 05 M Mercury 50 H.P. Big Foot Bill at Boats 4 Sail is my Hero
In The End I am with you
In The End I am with you Sloop 
There is noway to really protect my boat from Strike damage. With all the other stuff I see that I need onboard as several have listed. . I am down to less than a inch or two freeboard as it is ! 
ah but I could add outriggers and drag 5/8" 8 foot copperclad . . .na With 5 and a wake up and I'll be at the other house where its warm and sunny and sailing a Catalina 25 in the open blue and watching for storm clouds I guess In the meantime I am waiting for toys to arrive so I can play with them as we have cold and snow here and the boat is still up at Bills 
. . . just got my radio's Atlantis 250 handheld and Oceanus DSC 
cool Lowrance stuff arrives next week after I am gone
There is noway to really protect my boat from Strike damage. With all the other stuff I see that I need onboard as several have listed. . I am down to less than a inch or two freeboard as it is ! ah but I could add outriggers and drag 5/8" 8 foot copperclad . . .na With 5 and a wake up and I'll be at the other house where its warm and sunny and sailing a Catalina 25 in the open blue and watching for storm clouds I guess In the meantime I am waiting for toys to arrive so I can play with them as we have cold and snow here and the boat is still up at Bills . . . just got my radio's Atlantis 250 handheld and Oceanus DSC cool Lowrance stuff arrives next week after I am gone -
Chip Hindes
- Admiral
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- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 6:13 am
- Location: West Sand Lake, NY '01X, "Nextboat" 50HP Tohatsu
With 5,000+ X boats out there, the huge majority of which have the same system as me (i.e. no lightning protection system at all) it seems to me that by now there would be some real data on lightning in connection with the Mac.
So far, to my knowledge, not so much as a single anecdote of an actual lightning strike.
Based on the data, I'm very happy to conclude it's not a problem. If there's a lightning bolt out there with my name on it, so be it. I'm not going to lose sleep over it. I prefer to save my worrying for stuff that actually might happen.
Bill, do you have a sketch of your snake oiler? I'm thinking I may want one.
So far, to my knowledge, not so much as a single anecdote of an actual lightning strike.
Based on the data, I'm very happy to conclude it's not a problem. If there's a lightning bolt out there with my name on it, so be it. I'm not going to lose sleep over it. I prefer to save my worrying for stuff that actually might happen.
Bill, do you have a sketch of your snake oiler? I'm thinking I may want one.
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craiglaforce
- Captain
- Posts: 831
- Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 8:30 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Houston, Tx