Lightning - Am I Protected?

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Buster_boy

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I own a pontoon. The pontoons and frame are aluminum, the deck is wood, the seats are a blow molded plastic box with cushions attached. If I happen to get caught in a storm with thunder and lightning, if I pick my feet up off the floor, am I safe from lightning if it strikes the water?
 

GA_Boater

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No, Crispy Critter. And lightning usually hits the highest object in the vicinity. You or the boat.

Watch the weather and if you hear thunder, you waited too long.
 

Grandad

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Even with your feet lifted, since the voltage that lightning exhibits is great enough to jump through air, your body would just provide an easier link in its path before it then jumps from your butt to the deck to complete its path down to the water. Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. - Grandad
 

Grandad

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I couldn't resist adding this. - Grandad
attachment.php
 

Scott Danforth

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lighting is unpredictable in indiscriminant and will find a path to ground thru air (non conductor) and thru people, objects, etc. if you are the lone boat on the water in a storm, pretty sure that lighting will hit your boat first as it is the highest object in the area. it wouldnt hit the water first

A good friend of mine witnessed two lighting strikes to boats on his lake during storms. both times were fatal.

general rule - get off the water in a ligthnig storm
 

H20Rat

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The lightning bolt just traveled hundreds/thousands of feet through the air. The air gap between your feet and the floor is trivial! There is no way to be 'safe' from lightning if you are outside.
 

gm280

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It seriously has nothing to do with the type boat you're in. Any boat is the highest point on large bodies of water. Unless you are in a cover with high banks on each side YOU are the highest point. The boat materiel or composition is irrelevant. You will become a FUSE. If you really want to attract even more lightening, use a graphite fishing rod as well when a storm rolls up. :eek:
 

Buster_boy

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Actually, there are two bridges, a dam, and high tension wires/towers spanning the water so there are a few things higher than me around, but on the water itself would be just lil ol me on my toner.

Grandad, I got nothing after that man. LOL
 

MCFLYIN

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What do people in live aboards and cuddys do? Or sailboats? say they were boating around chesapeake bay area and mooring, potentially miles from a marina. Im just asking because im curious. I'm guessing they should have probably have paid attention to the weather and been heading towards a marina of some sort.
 

spoilsofwar

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I've seen lightning strikes on boats discussed in Seaworthy a few times among other places. The consensus is you can do what you can do to lower your risk of being hit, but there is no foolproof way to be protected. Just get off the water if possible, and failing that; don't be the tallest object around and cross your fingers. Here's a few articles:

http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/maga...ning-facts.asp

http://Www.threesheetsnw.com/blog/20...g-experts-say/

http://www.frugal-mariner.com/Lightn...your_boat.html
 

Capt Sully

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I know a guy he swears by, having a set of Jumper Cables attached to the mast on his Sailboat. With one end hanging in the water.
He hasn't had the chance to see if it works yet......... lol
 

gm280

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I know a guy he swears by, having a set of Jumper Cables attached to the mast on his Sailboat. With one end hanging in the water.
He hasn't had the chance to see if it works yet......... lol

Well maybe the flash as the jumper cable explodes and vaporizes won't kill him...who knows. :noidea:
 

shaw520

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I got caught in a pop up lightning storm 2 weeks ago,... the closest 'safest' area I could find were some moored sail boats,... so I anchored close to them, went below deck and prayed,... luckily im still here to type this.
 

roscoe

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The bigger the sailboat, the more likely it is that it will have a grounding rod through the mast and keel, then out the bottom. Or at least thats what I've been told by they sailors who travel the Great Lakes all summer.

In the event of a strike, it will direct it through to the water.
There still can, and likely will be damage, but it will not be traveling through your body to get to the water.

But actually, according to my physics teacher at the UW, the direct ground from water to top of mast will act to dissipate the electrical charge which attracts the negative charge of the electrons in the sky. So if there is no attracting charge on the boat, the likelihood of a direct strike is greatly diminished.

This is the same system used on barns and large buildings for years and years. Those cute little lightning rods on the roof dissipates the charge so the lightning is not attracted to the building.

According to NOAA, 14 people were killed by lightning while boating between 2006 - 2013, so less than 2 per year.
Just as many people were killed while camping, or playing soccer.
Another 30 people were killed while fishing, including from bridges, piers, or shore.
Still less than 6 per year for boating and fishing combined.
 
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