Need oppinion on this device

[phorvati]

I am looking for collective forum oppinion on lightning protector such as this.

https://www.preventlightning.com/

Did anyone use something like this. Do I bother installing one before my fall voyage south.

[stimpsonjcat]

Lightning crosses miles of air. There is no magical device that can prevent it going where it wants to at or near the surface.

[S/V Illusion]

Don’t know what an “oppinion” [sp] but the consensus among radio tower professionals is nothing prevents lightning. The only reasonably effective defense is good grounding. This thing is an excellent example of advertising aimed at removing money from your wallet

[Hartleyg]

100% snake oil - when I was in the mountaintop radio site business we referred to such devices as "lightning attractors". Some slick salesman sold a bunch to DoE - every place we saw them installed, we would walk around the tower and pick up pieces of them


For lightning protection, install a mast protection ground (metal plate, metal keel, etc.) and, if you can, connect your chainplates to it, too. Arrestors on your RF cables and power systems may help, but the "biggie" is the grounding and bonding system.

[skipmac]

When studying electrical engineering at UF I took one class from Martin Uman, one of the top lightening researchers in the world. Read several of his papers one in particular about lightening protection. According to what he published there are techniques and equipment that can protect sensitive equipment and structures from lightening damage BUT it is extremely expensive, suitable mainly for large commercial buildings and not practical or maybe not even possible at all on our scale.

[sailm8]

My boat came with a "bottle brush" protection at the top of the mast. Been hit twice. I'm going to try a crucifix next. Lighting goes where it wants.

[basenay]

Agree with others that very unlikely to be effective. Twenty-six years ago researched boat lightning protection systems in depth for months. Conclusion then and I think still true any of the systems sold are as likely to increase your chances of being struck as they are of protecting you. Website says "100 % guaranteed" but could not find any specifics. Probably likely only covers your insurance deductible. I have had one major and 2 minor strikes in 26 years and have not changed my plan. Carry good boat insurance, try not to be tallest boat around and don't worry mon. Probably be something like to cow that fell from the sky & sank a Japanese fishing boat that gets me next time. Survivors ended up in North Korean prison for 2 years or so until someone heard about the cow being tossed from an air transport when it went postal.

[Cheechako]

My gut says a bolt is going to go where it wants to go, regardless. They do weird stuff, even run horizontal when they could ground readily instead etc.

[oleman]

I have spent a total of 8 years attached to and working on large war ships in the Pacific/Indian region that were also antenna farms. We were never struck by lightning in all that time. I think the real reason is the ships were steel hulled with aluminum superstructures, don't recall any specific lightning avoidance system on those vessels. Appears large metal vessels are not lightning prone, seems counter intuitive that all that metal is not a larger target!

[Singularity]

Originally Posted by phorvati

I am looking for collective forum oppinion on lightning protector such as this.

https://www.preventlightning.com/

Did anyone use something like this. Do I bother installing one before my fall voyage south.

There are at least a few threads here on this device, most recently perhaps earlier this month:
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...on-239187.html
I suggest considering saving the money you'd spend on one of these things for a lightning-day fund, while in the mean time learning/wiring best-practices for how to best survive a strike.

[tkeithlu]

Lightning is static electricity. As such, it strikes the highest and sharpest (charge concentration) point available, which is likely to be you mask. Conductive properties are not a factor in that. But, once it heads your way, it has a voltage (c. 300,000,000) and amperage (c. 30,000) that are truly awesome. Your defense at that moment is to get as much of that electricity to a ground (water) as you can without it finding that you, your electronics, your wiring, and the moisture in your fiberglass (= steam, = flying fibers) as possible. It is likely to take multiple routes. A BIG conductor from the mast to a conductive plate on the outside of the hull helps.

Be aware that fiberglass boats are not Faraday cages. The advice about not touching metal or water during a thunderstorm, and for ten miles around one, makes physical sense.

[RiverRat37]

Originally Posted by sailm8

My boat came with a "bottle brush" protection at the top of the mast. Been hit twice. I'm going to try a crucifix next. Lighting goes where it wants.

Goes where it wants and there's no prediction where that will be. None. There have been boats "hit" hard and no resulting problems anywhere. Others have a multitude of issues after the bomb. One piece of electronic equip could be blown apart and melted and the similar equipment next to it left untouched. The only piece of info that made some sense to me is that lightening tends to not go around corners well. When it gets to the angle it keeps going (generally) straight. True? I don't know, but it could be.
All who have been hit, have stories. For the most part none are the same.

[OS2Dude]

I have great respect for Tesla and his ideas. However just because this site says their product is 'based' on his patent doesn't mean squat. Lightening strikes are initiated by a step leader from a relatively positive source, like the earth, travelling up to the negative source. Many step leaders may form and are not easy to see. The first one to contact a leader coming from the cloud completes the connection and BOOM! Leaders coming from higher points have a 'head start' over ones coming from a lower point which is why higher objects tend to get hit most. As I understand this product, it is intended to ground the positive energy to prevent the step leaders from forming. Sounds good, but if the earth has enough positive potential to initiate a leader in the first place, I do not know where the device intends to ground it to, especially in a marine setting.

[Don C L]

100% guarantee though... will they replace your boat?

[billdre]

I think by now you have a clear idea of what those on this forum think. Be sure your mast is well grounded and then if you're still serious I have a bridge to sell you.