[Rhodes22-list] Electrical grounding and bonding

[Steve Alm]

Todd,

This is really a well-worn subject and it seems that nobody can agree.
Yes--there has been a lot of research, and none of that seems to agree
either.  I recently read a lengthy article in Sail, or maybe it was Cruising
World (can anyone quote the issue?) written by a man who does boat bonding.
He explains it pretty well but in the end, he says that in a direct hit, the
bonding might not help anyway.  Here's the clincher--he HASN'T bonded his
own boat.  

Some sailors worry about it, others just cross their fingers and try not to
think about it.  I'm one of the latter.  Injuries to people are very rare.
If you're boating through some lightening, as many a sailor has done before,
just be sure to NOT hold on to the mast, boom, stays, or anything metal and
you'll probably be alright.  A direct strike would probably take out your
electronics onboard but you will likely be unhurt.  I know, I know...not a
very satisfying answer but that's about the long and the short of it.

Slim

On 9/14/02 9:46 PM, "Todd Tavares" <sprocket80@mail.com> wrote:

> I was browsing through some books at the boat store (bought a book about
> repairing fiberglass).
> I was flipping through a book about the electrical systems.  This book would
> give the "two schools of thought" but never saying which was better.
> 
> I was reading about the grounding of the electrical system and rigging for
> lightning strike/protection.  One argument was that grounding the mast and
> rigging to ocean/earth potential would dissapate building up ions and help
> prevent lightning strikes by lessening the potential difference around the
> boat; and in the event of a strike, give a more direct path to ground from the
> mast to ground.
> 
> The other argument was that grounding the mast and rigging was creating a
> lightning rod and would attract a strike.
> 
> 
> Has anyone researched this?  What do most of you owners here do?  If you
> follow the first school of thought, how have you grounded your rigging?  How
> (what path) and what size wire did you use?  How is it routed to get below the
> water line??