Lighting & Pilot Houses

[mx beach guy]

What do you guys do when a lighting storm come up an you
dont want to run in.We get these boats to get out of rain & sun.
I have not been in a storm sinse I got my pilot house. Do you think
were safe in there if we try to ride one out from the lighting.
What your thoughts.

 

[DaleH]

I place all graphite rods on the deck and lower my antennas and outriggahs. I also make darn sure I have rubber-based shoes/dock shoes/sneakers on and I try NOT to touch the steering wheel. If/when running or forced to be moving, I take one of those cheapo rubber beach sandals and put my hand in it to hang onto the steering wheel. Yup, I look stupid ...

I also turn off any electrical item I can. If near other boats, I try to sidle up next to a sailboat !

Sometimes if a strike or false strike is imminent, your hair will stand on end, the air will be buzzing, and you may smell ozone. If/when this happens and I don't need to be running, or if the crew or family are 'scared' (rightfully so) I will layup on anchor. I turn on the handheld VHF, drop everything, and stay buttoned up in the cabin. When doing this I SHUT-OFF my battery switch.

Remember that if your boat was to get hit, the lightning wants to get to ground by the fastest way possible. I have often wondered would it be best to take some plain carbon steel chain and loop it around one of my outriggah base, and drop it over the side of the helm cabin and into the water. Theorizing that 'if' something got hit, the outriggahs (being aluminum) would be better targets than the fiberglass encased VHF antennas, hoping the strike travels down the chain into the water.

I even thought about putting the chain in a rubber section of hose so where it hangs on the boat it won't scuff it up. I have never run this whacky idea across an electrical engineer, as this whole topic of lightning and lightning protection seems to be a weird science with many unknowns.

Whaddya think? Anyone else have any info to offer/suggest?

 

[JC]

Well stated Dale!

As we know Lightning is extremely unpredictable and causes millions of $$ worth of property damage each year…. Not to mention the tragic loss of human and pet lives. The best defense is to avoid lightning storms if at all possible.

Radar is a wonderful tool. It allows a heads up view of potential danger from miles away. If you receive a ping off an approaching thunderstorm, Radar could possibly give you the advantage of a head start to vacate the area. I believe every boat should have one installed. However given the proper environment, ferocious thunderheads can build in minutes and right before your eyes. In this situation, and as Dale suggested, be prepared.

 

[Phil]

Pretty much echo what Dale said. I used to carry a 10' trailer cable with weight at the end. In a TS I would clamp it to the bow rail and drop it in the water. After a couple of years, I nixed the idea because chances are the cable would do more damage to the boat than the chance of getting hit.

I was in a TS once and I was near a harbor so I just hovered around some sailboats. One of the sailboats got hit and began taking water--it turns out the strike blew out a thru-hull.

There is a company that will lighting-proof yatchs by building what is essentially a Faraday cage. They install a series of small metal posts on top of the boat all tied bonded together with heavy guage cable ending in a bonding plate under the boat. Everything metal component is also bonded. No reason you can't install a smaller version of the same if you have the time and money...Not sure it's worth it for a small but real chance of getting hit.

 

[pelagic2530]

personally, if it looks bad, i pick up and try to skirt the storm or run like he!! for the barn :shock:

ive also heard of people with wishbone-style riggers lowering them to about a 45 degree angle, then dropping a length of chain from the tips into the water. its far enough away from the boat to not scrape the hull, but still higher than the roof. i guess they drop the antennas. my policy is prevention