Ernest Scribbler wrote:
"Roger Long" wrote

I'm beginning to get the picture. Lightning will go everywhere and the
charge can't be led.


One thing to consider is that air is generally a good insulator with the
kind of electricity we're used to dealing with, but that lightning bolt just
travelled through half a mile or more of it to get to you, so you probably
shouldn't much count on being able to change its mind about where it's
going.


Air is a far far better insulator than damp and salty GRP especially if
you can avoid corona discharge (no sharp points or edges on the
conductors and nearby objects). A lightning strike is the closest you'll
ever see to a perfect current source as it really doesn't care *what* it
goes through on its way to ground and is driven by such a high voltage
that it might as well be infinite so unless you shunt it aside
effectively, it *will* break down *any* insulation you can practically
put in its way.