Sleep on Boat with thunderstorms

[Ceili]

Advice please! Being new to boating, I'm wondering if it is crazy to plan on sleeping on our boat this weekend given the thunderstorm warnings?

[Dave R]

I don't think it's any less safe than being in a house. There's nothing stopping a lightning bolt from hitting you in a house, it typically won't because it will find a path it likes better on the skin of the house, but there's no guarantee... The electricity has just traveled through miles of air (an excellent insulator), a little wood, drywall or glass is not going to stop it. The only really safe place in a thunderstorm is in a Faraday cage and a car is a pretty decent Faraday cage. It's not the rubber tires that make it safe, it's the metal body. That body offers a much more attractive path for the electricity than the humans inside, so it will go around the outside.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by Ceili

Advice please! Being new to boating, I'm wondering if it is crazy to plan on sleeping on our boat this weekend given the thunderstorm warnings?

Is your boat a sailboat?

[Ceili]

I have a 28 ft cabin cruiser, not a sailboat.
We will probably give it a try.

[RLW]

Originally Posted by Ceili

I have a 28 ft cabin cruiser, not a sailboat.
We will probably give it a try.

Ceili, I just noticed that you are fairly new to posting on the forum and glad you have joined us. Have fun and enjoy the Winni Forum while making many new friends.

[Slickcraft]

You will have a higher probability of injury on your drive home than from sleeping in the boat in a thunder storm. Highway fatalities per year is about 32,000 in the US. Lightning fatalities per year is about 62. Drive safe.

[NoBozo]

This is particulaly important with a sailboat. The aluminum mast needs to be "Bonded" directly to ground..the water.

During an electrical storm there is low level electrical activity everywhere in the low atmosphere. If you are "Bonded" the LOW level electricty will just go to ground through your mast...IF you are bonded...and disapate harmlessly.

Bonding: Connect a wire (Heavy is good but not absolutely necessary) from the foot of your mast to a metal object outside the boat...IN the water. A metal centerboard or lead keel is a good ground. The idea is to Dissapate the LOW voltage in the air..BEFORE it builds up to a massive Jolt.

A powerboat is no different. Ground the tallest mast you have directly to a GOOD Water Ground...Prop shaft..strait inboard: Good: Engine w/outdrive...Not so much ...as the outdrive is painted...not a good ground. Hang a grounding Sinker over the side during storm activity.

RUN The WIRE. NB

[garysanfran]

http://www.boatingmag.com/boatingsaf...htning-strikes

[ApS]

Originally Posted by NoBozo

"...If you are "Bonded" the LOW level electricty will just go to ground through your mast...IF you are bonded...and dissapate harmlessly..."

You'll see these on mast-tops:

Originally Posted by Slickcraft

You will have a higher probability of injury on your drive home than from sleeping in the boat in a thunder storm. Highway fatalities per year is about 32,000 in the US. Lightning fatalities per year is about 62. Drive safe.

Roughly speaking, if those millions were sleeping on their boats—instead of driving—wouldn't that probability reverse?



ETA:

Boats have far fewer "exposed" occupants under thunderstorms than those on Interstates: or to put it another way:

...Interstates carry about 60,000 people per route-mile a day...The total miles of the Interstate system is 46,837...

If those millions exited their cars, and moved to boats, wouldn't one expect the percentage of "exposed" people struck by lightning to be markedly increased?

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by ApS

You'll see these on mast-tops:




Roughly speaking, if those millions were sleeping on their boats—instead of driving—wouldn't that probability reverse?

It's not lightning fatalities of people sleeping on boats, it's lightning fatalities overall. If you include all lightning deaths, you'd need an increase of 51,613% for the lightning deaths to match the highways deaths (assuming the given figures above are accurate).

I have never heard of anyone killed by lightning while sleeping in a boat cabin. Not saying it has not happened, but it seems to very rare. Getting killed by lightning on a boat seems to be most prevalent when the victim is fishing.

[tis]

People live in their boats so they have no choice. Years ago, we sleep on our boat quite often-docked -but still on our boat. I wouldn't worry too much about thunderstorms either, but that's just me.

[NoBozo]

Here's another method, used on aircraft to "Dissapate" static electricity. The ones in the picture of an Airbus wing are flexable braided cords on the trailing edges of the wing. It's been awhile since I've looked at one but I think they are made of braided carbon fiber. NB

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_Wick

[Lakesrider]

Yep. Perfectly safe.....



From last weeks storms at the Quayside Yacht Club in Moultonborough.

Sweet dreams......

[jrc]

much safer at home

http://www.patriotledger.com/news/x8...ghtning-strike

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by Lakesrider

Yep. Perfectly safe.....



From last weeks storms at the Quayside Yacht Club in Moultonborough.

Sweet dreams......

LOL. Gotta die of something, otherwise you'll feel stupid sitting around dying of nothing. Might as well make it a spectacular and memorable end.