Open boats and lightning.

[kerny]

I have just been reading on the internet that while out at sea in an open boat especially boats that are made of fiberglass or wood, people are more at risk of being killed or seriously injured during a thunderstorm if struck by lightning more so than the larger metal boats because there is nowhere for the current to disperse or find earth, so a person is the next best thing for it to find earth, making us ribbers very vulnerable.

Apart from lowering the ariel, then staying low and avoid holding the microphone, I guess that there isn't much else you can do but hope that you don't get hit.

Is there anything else you can do to protect yourself if caught out in a thunderstorm and minimise the risk ??

[Festinghouse]

put your head between your legs, and kiss your arse goodbye?

[Poly]

Originally Posted by kerny

Is there anything else you can do to protect yourself if caught out in a thunderstorm and minimise the risk ??

Well yachts commonly earth the mast to the sea to mitigate this risk - presumably concerned ribs could do the same with the A - frame. Even some chain dangling off the A frame in the sea would probably be preferable to going through you - although with a strike that close I suspect all your electrics are dead including any engine electronics?

[Nos4r2]

Sit next to a yacht

[Exe treme]

Minimise the risk? Check the forecast; any risk of thunderstorms, go to the pub instead ;-).

[kerny]

Originally Posted by Exe treme

Minimise the risk? Check the forecast; any risk of thunderstorms, go to the pub instead ;-).

Sometimes the forecasters get it wrong

[mick]

Originally Posted by kerny

I have just been reading on the internet that while out at sea in an open boat especially boats that are made of fiberglass or wood, people are more at risk of being killed or seriously injured during a thunderstorm if struck by lightning more so than the larger metal boats because there is nowhere for the current to disperse or find earth, so a person is the next best thing for it to find earth, making us ribbers very vulnerable.

Apart from lowering the ariel, then staying low and avoid holding the microphone, I guess that there isn't much else you can do but hope that you don't get hit.

Is there anything else you can do to protect yourself if caught out in a thunderstorm and minimise the risk ??

Just stick close to PD mate it will get him 1st

[willk]

Originally Posted by kerny

....apart from lowering the periscope, then staying low and avoid holding the microphone, i guess that there isn't much else you can do but hope that you don't get hit.

ftfy

[neil.mccrirrick]

You could abandon ship, once in the drink you will have a separate set of concerns

Sent from my iPad using Rib.net

[Erin]

Originally Posted by willk

ftfy

Depending upon where you are (i.e. away from shore and taller boats), if you provide a nice earth route to the sea with conductive chain or wire, I would have thought you would actually be encouraging a strike.

[kerny]

Originally Posted by mick

Just stick close to PD mate it will get him 1st

Yeh!! who needs a yacht

[Ian M]

Er yes, frightening when you can hear the strikes on the sea. Not something I would want to repeat I just used large helpings of WOT.
On that boat the 2" A frame was a through hull fixing, so I thought that the worse result would be to loose the stern

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by kerny

I have just been reading on the internet that while out at sea in an open boat especially boats that are made of fiberglass or wood, people are more at risk of being killed or seriously injured during a thunderstorm if struck by lightning more so than the larger metal boats because there is nowhere for the current to disperse or find earth, so a person is the next best thing for it to find earth, making us ribbers very vulnerable.

Seems to me that a glass or wood boat would actually insulate you from the water, making you a less conductive path to water than something like my hull, where it's aluminum from my feet to the water.

I suppose a strike to the boat would have more dispersion damage than a metal hull as the current tried to find a route; don't know. At those voltages and currents electricity does weird things.

All in all I think I'd rather sit out a thunderstorm on shore in either case. If on the water, dunno: pray?

jky

[kerny]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

Seems to me that a glass or wood boat would actually insulate you from the water, making you a less conductive path to water than something like my hull, where it's aluminum from my feet to the water

jky

Apparently not from a direct strike j. because fiberglass is such a good insulator, if struck, the charge will look for something else to find earth. i.e. a person.

[tony t]

Originally Posted by kerny

I have just been reading on the internet that while out at sea in an open boat especially boats that are made of fiberglass or wood, people are more at risk of being killed or seriously injured during a thunderstorm if struck by lightning more so than the larger metal boats because there is nowhere for the current to disperse or find earth, so a person is the next best thing for it to find earth, making us ribbers very vulnerable.

Apart from lowering the ariel, then staying low and avoid holding the microphone, I guess that there isn't much else you can do but hope that you don't get hit.

Is there anything else you can do to protect yourself if caught out in a thunderstorm and minimise the risk ??

Your alright Herman as long as you stop doing this

[kerny]

Originally Posted by tony t

Your alright Herman as long as you stop doing this

Wasn't he Austrian

[tony t]

Originally Posted by kerny

Wasn't he Austrian

Fooked if i know he was your leader not mine

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by kerny

Apparently not from a direct strike j. because fiberglass is such a good insulator, if struck, the charge will look for something else to find earth. i.e. a person.

But unless you're dangling your leg over the side, you ain't earthed, you're insulated by the hull

[kerny]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

But unless you're dangling your leg over the side, you ain't earthed, you're insulated by the hull

Makes sense PD.

Typical I can't find the article I was reading, I think that it was the US coastguard that says more deaths were caused by small open fiberglass/wooden boats than the larger metal boats.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

But unless you're dangling your leg over the side, you ain't earthed, you're insulated by the hull

Well, unless you are standing in water (a bone dry deck in a thunderstorm?) or touching anything that is earthed - like anything joined to the engine...