[Alberg30] Lightning protection

[Wally Moran]

>
There are a lot of theories about lightning protection. One of those 
is that a thin, broad piece of metal on the hull is better than, for 
example, the strip on the A 30. Another says that creating a link 
from the stays to the water - for example, by using a battery cable 
with a piece of metal welded to  the wet end - can help also. Still 
others suggest bonding all metal on the boat together and leading 
that to a proper ground on the keel. So there are lots of opinions, 
very little that is known for sure. Evidence seems to point to the 
thin broad metal. Also, a lightning bolt isn't just a small jolt. If 
the lead to ground isn't sturdy enough, the lightning can shoot out 
and connect to other pieces of metal onboard, or even pierce the hull 
in its search for ground, causing a multitude of small pinholes. You 
can imagine the fun that would be. There was a tale in Gam about one 
boater who suffered that fate.
You might check in Nigel Calder's books re lightning protection. 
Also, the ABYC standards are worth looking at. I'll look this weekend 
and see what other books address the issue and post that info later.
Have you considered prayer? As they say, there are no atheists at sea 
in a storm.

Wally Moran


>A posting to this mail group in 1999 suggested all Alberg 30's are 
>lightning grounded by virtue of the stainless strip running from the 
>stemhead down to about 3 feet below the waterline.  It connects to 
>the forestay and thereby providing a grounding from the masthead to 
>the water.
>
>Any comments as to whether this should be sufficient and what 
>alternatives there might be.
>
>
>George and Kathy White
>Close Harmony # 637
>
>email: <mailto:salty at ns.sympatico.ca>salty at ns.sympatico.ca
>Telephone: 902 893 1080


-- 
The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in 
sailing. Anon
www.georgianbaysailing.ca for interesting reading for sailors
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