On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:38:50 -0400, "Eisboch"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .


I am always curious about how a boat takes a hit but I do have some
experience with a lightning rod. I put a 3' copper rod over my weather
station with a pointy stainless steel tip, connected to 2ga copper
wire and terminated in a ground rod (connected to my extensive house
grounding system)
It has been hit twice that I know of and I was about 30' away during
one of them. A mexican laborer was pretty much under it, plastered
against my garage door. Other than the poop reflex we were totally
unaffected.. The steel garage door he was plastered to is bonded to
the same grounding system as the lightning rod as is the wet concrete
driveway I was standing on.
We were fine. The weather station ... not so much ... either time.


Our house has a copper clad cupula, grounded to two metal rods located near
the house power panels.
It's been hit at least three times. Once, the driveway (near the metal
rods) snapped, crackled and popped for about 5 seconds following the hit as
the energy was absorbed by the ground plane. Originally, it also had a big,
copper weather vane. That has long since been vaporized.

Fine for a house .... not so fine for a boat.

Eisboch

This is the best thing I've seen on lightning, and think it pretty
well hits the mark on what you can do on a boat.
It's geared toward sailboats, but the principles are there.
For electronics gear, I would do the same as I do at home with my
computer and other electronic gear if I anticipate lightning:
unplug it. An insulated non-conducting case might be appropriate
for a radio when at sea.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/SG/SG07100.pdf

--Vic