24
Aug
Just because you are in the midst of a thunderstorm doesnt mean you will get hit Ive spoken to two sailors who reported lightning striking the water next to their boat but not touching them. However for small boats once a lightning strike hits you and electrical charge gets into the boat side flashes can destroy electrical instruments and engine controls and knock holes in the side of the boat as they find their way to water.
The mast of a sailboat is hands down the most attractive part of a boat for lightning.
Can lightning strike a boat. Thats an attitude aided by the low odds of a boat being struck by lightning which BoatUS. Pegs at about one out of 1000 boats in any given year. Count the seconds between the flash of lightning and clap of thunder then divide by 5.
The result is the distance in miles from the storm. Thunderstorms lightning and tornadoes can all be frightening experiences to go through. Being on a boat during any of those can double that terrifying experience.
Which is why a lot of people wonder. Can Boats Be Struck By Lightning. Boats can be struck by lightning during thunderstorms.
Tall ships did get struck by lightning quite often but just because a ship is struck by lightning doesnt mean it will be completely destroyed. In 1852 British inventor Sir William Snow Harris published the first systematic study of lightning strikes on wooden ships. More than 70 percent of the lightning fatalities occur in the months of June July or August.
So summertime boaters should be especially mindful and well prepared for potential lightning activity. Third if your boat is the only one in the vicinity when lightning strikes Boating Magazine warns the odds of being struck go way up. The magazine also reports that most strikes occur between noon and 6 pm.
The chances of lightning hitting the land are more than hitting water. Swimming deeper is a good idea to deal with this situation. People of submarine are safer than those on the land.
Entirely Randall Monroe said A boat without a cabin is as safe as a golf course. A boat with a closed cabin and a lightning protection system is as safe as a. Lightning strikes nearby can also generate electromagnetic pulses that can affect all of your boats electronic equipment.
With our neighbor taking the direct hit and no visible signs of damage to our antennas or tower it soon became obvious that we took our hit through the water. What type of damage do boats suffer due to lightning. Lightning strikes can blow through the metallic hulls right out of the boat and those would be pretty devastating.
More commonly though the lightning passes through the fittings of the metals and totally damages the surrounding fiberglass if any. Thunder is the result of a lightning bolt. Lightning is a large current for a short period of time milliseconds.
This is a danger on an unprotected boat. Lightning can vaporize antennas destroy electrical power navigation systems blow a hole in the hull or start a fire. If a mast is not properly earthed a lightning strike might well cause the electrical potential difference to simply blow a hole in the deck or the hull in order to run to ground in the surrounding water.
Obviously this is not good. If your boat is properly earthed then the. Chances are it would fare as well as my friends 60-foot sport-fishing boat that was struck by lightning at the dock hours before a planned fishing trip by what experts termed a mild strike All of the boats fixed electronics were rendered inoperative.
A narrow boat dweller phoned in to the Jeremy Vine show on BBC2 earlier this week and asked this very question. The expert on the show answered that most narrow boats were so low down that they were unlikely to be struck but if the narrow boat had a high metal mast aerial or wind turbine erected it may attract a lightning strike. Boats and Lightning What You Should Know.
The answer is a big YES boats do get struck by lightning. However they say the odds of your boat getting struck by lightning during a thunderstorm are low. But I wouldnt want to take those odds because if lightning did.
Lightning Safety While Boating. Over the last 10 years thunderstorms and lightning activity have caused 312 deaths in the US 246 males and 66 females. 21 of those deadly strikes occurred on or near a body of water either fishing boating or some related activity.
Lightning doesnt strike the ocean as much as land but when it doesit spreads out over the water which acts as a conductor. It can hit boats that are nearby and electrocute fish that are near the surface. If youre at the beach and hear thunder or see lightning get out of the water.
However for small boats once a lightning strike hits you and electrical charge gets into the boat side flashes can destroy electrical instruments and engine controls and knock holes in the side of the boat as they find their way to water. This is not only expensive to fix it is a real safety issue. Lightning strikes and electronics do not mix at all.
Finally a boat over 40 feet have a 6 in 1000 odds of being struck by lightning. The mast of a sailboat is hands down the most attractive part of a boat for lightning. If your mast top goes from 35 feet to 45.
When lightning strikes a boat the electricity is attempting to find a path down to the water. It is much more common on sailboats to be struck by lightning as they have a towering mast that acts as a lightning rod. Many boat materials can conduct lightning quickly to the water such as aluminum but wood and carbon fiber can become damaged.
Needless to say when we moved on to our next boat the dissipator came off the first time I climbed the mast. Top tips to prevent lightning strikes onboard Head for safety. When storm clouds gather head for shore.
The worst place to be is on the open water where your boat is the tallest lightning rod around. Drop anchor in shelter if you can. Just because you are in the midst of a thunderstorm doesnt mean you will get hit Ive spoken to two sailors who reported lightning striking the water next to their boat but not touching them.
Lightning strikes your boats ungrounded radio antenna. The metal antenna carries the electrical charge to the radio which doesnt have a good conductor to the water. Your hand is on the radio or on metal connected to the radio and your feet are on a wet surface which is in contact with metal that extends through the hull of the boat to the water.