OUTRIGGERS - Dangers in electical storms

[Rob Welman]

For your information

We had quite a heavy storm today with some lightining. It was over in ten minutes , but its effect will stay with me forever

The first lighting bolt of the storm , struck the outrigger pole of a boat on our mooring. It completely disintegrated the outrigger pole(carbon poles) , fried the shade cloth.

The point that took the hit , is not the highest point on the mooring , as there are other boats moored , with the same type carbon outriggers , which stand way higher than this boat that got hit.

Scared the Cr*p out of me

Will find out from the owner if the electronics sufferd any damage , ie radios , gps , ff , engine management systems etc etc

regards

Rob

[99yam40]

I would think there is a lot more damaged on that boat than you would think.

Have a friend that had a hit by lightning close to his house and it also fried most if not all of his electronics on his boat moored in a slip by his house with no visible damage to the house or the boat, just some of the the electrical stuff in the house and most in the boat. Maybe it just went through the power lines, his boat was plugged into shore power.

[Rob Welman]

Just some feedback.

All the electronics have been coocked as well as the ECU of the outboard motors.

OUCH

[99yam40]

maybe insurance will help out

[Tucker]

Bringing this back up. Same thing happened to me, while on the boat! Hit a VHF antenna. In addition to everything Rob mentioned being cooked. Lightning exited out at the water line. 40-star bursts in the hull at the water line. Surveyor hit each one with plastic mallet and they crumbled like a potato chip. Boat was totaled.