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Cockpit drainage, lets try again
"Richard Casady" wrote in message ... On Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:53:34 -0700 (PDT), wrote: Line Squalls are a different matter but I have always managed to avoid being on the water when they were around. It is not unheard of for an airplane to travel hundreds of extra miles avoiding thunderstorms. They are also fast enough to, with the aid of ground radar, as well as onboard, find a hole in the line. Or outrun it and land and let it pass. Thunderstorms cause planes to crash. They break the wings off. They can also turn a plane into a giant hailstone. Rather be in a decent boat, one with a lightning rod. Casady I don't know if I would want a lightning rod. I know it's a subject of debate, but I hear of too many stories of dedicated grounding plates on the hull (to which the lightning rod is attached) being blown right out of the hull due to a strike. Boat sinks. If not connected to a dedicated grounding plate, and attached to the boat's regular bonding system, results can still be the same, or, at a minimum, taking out all your electronics and possibly starting a fire. If I had a sailboat with a conductive mast, I think I'd install a large, round metal ball on the top ... similiar to those used on flagpoles. The round shape of the ball minimizes the static charge potential that leads to a strike. The new, old boat I recently bought has a "lightning diffuser" or some such device installed on the tubular, aluminum radar arch structure. I pulled out the manual on it, not completely sure I wanted it on the boat. It is essentially a stainless brush, a rod with stainless steel bristles coming out around the rod for it's full length. The concept is that a static charge builds up on object about to be hit by lightning. If the charge is concentrated on a sharp, conductive object, the potential builds higher and the chances of a strike is increased. The large number of stainless bristles on the device is supposed to diffuse the charge, preventing a single point from getting too high in potential. Makes sense to me and since it is a totally passive device (not powered .... just grounded to the arch) I left it on. Eisboch |
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