COMMENTS

  1. Should mast be grounded or not?

    The purpose is to make the mast, shrouds, lifelines, copper strapping throughout the hull act as a Faraday cage. This will reduce the likelihood of the charge ripping through the main cabin. The main charge is carried as far to the outside as possible and to a good ground. Most strikes are nearby and not direct.

  2. Should I ground my mast to the keel?

    For a boat that does not have a grounded mast, they state: The difference is what happens where the conducting path, the mast, ends. Since current cannot flow from the ground to feed the growing attachment spark, a negative charge accumulates at the base of the mast and eventually arcs across in the general direction of the water or a nearby ...

  3. Sailboat Grounding Systems

    One item I saw related to the bonding or grounding system. These systems serve similar purposes: to carry stray, galvanic or fault current back to its source. Let me clarify two related matters. First, electricity does not "seek ground" as so many dockside sages insist. No, whether from a battery or shore power, it seeks to return to its ...

  4. Lightning Protection: The Truth About Dissipators

    This indicates that objects more than 150 feet above the surrounding terrain are more likely to be hit than those which are shorter (most sailboat masts). Until 1980, it was assumed that a grounded mast would provide protection against a direct lightning strike for all objects within a 45-degree cone whose apex was at the masthead.

  5. Grounding the mast for Lightning Protection

    In salt water, the mast, which is the best conductor on the boat, must be grounded to a 1 square foot or better grounding plate following recommended practices. All metal objects and electronics must also be grounded to the grounding plate.u000bu000bThe reason everything needs grounding is that a lightning strike (even if not a direct hit ...

  6. Sailboat Mast: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Maintaining

    A sailboat mast is a vertical pole or spar that supports the sails of a sailboat. It provides structural stability and allows for adjustment of the sail position to effectively harness wind power. Typically made of aluminum or carbon fiber, mast design varies based on boat size, sailing conditions, and intended use.

  7. Mast Wiring for Dummies ...

    The mast is already grounded to the negative side of the battery by the manufacturer, but I would still run a separate ground for all the lights on the mast. To keep the plug pins from corroding and causing bad contacts - go to an aouto store and buy the kind of dielctric paste used to water proof the spark plug caps on your card.

  8. Sailboat Mast Guide: Types, Maintenance, and Upgrades

    Sailboat masts are the unsung heroes of the sailing world, silently supporting the sails and ensuring a smooth journey across the open waters. Whether you're a seasoned sailor or a novice, understanding the intricacies of sailboat masts is essential for a safe and enjoyable voyage. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the world of ...

  9. Sailboat Masts Explained: From Basics to Repairs

    Yacht Masts: Designed for grandeur, these masts are equipped to handle multiple heavy sails, sophisticated rigging systems, and the weight and balance demands of a large vessel. Sailboat Masts: Engineered for agility, they prioritize speed, wind optimization, and quick adjustments. Maintenance, Repairs, and the Importance of Both.

  10. PDF Marine Grounding Systems

    ground. On a boat, things are considerably more complicated. In addition to the AC ground, we need a DC ground or return line, a lightning ground, and a RF ground plane for the radio systems. Our first thought might be ... Given that you have grounded your mast solidly to the ocean, your mast will be at exactly the same

  11. Inspecting, Maintaining and Replacing Standing Rigging

    Aug 14, 2015. It's one of the most important features on a sailboat, but many owners put standing rigging at the back of their minds when it comes time to do their pre-season safety checks. A prudent sailor should inspect his or her standing rig at least once each season and should know when the time comes to replace most or all of it.

  12. Question re Grounding the Mast

    398 posts · Joined 2007. #9 · May 3, 2010. If you ground the mast to a lead keel, you may create galvanic corrosion issues, as the lead keel is at a different potential than other underwater metals like your SS propshaft and bronze propellor. You will need to make sure that the mast is not connected to any other boat ground--a common problem ...

  13. Getting the Charge Out of Lightning

    Ideally, therefore, the path from the bottom of the mast and rigging to ground would be absolutely vertical. In practice, this is rarely achieved. If the boat has an external metal keel, the mast and standing rigging is frequently grounded to a keelbolt. There are pitfalls to this method.

  14. Sailboat Lightning Protection: Technical Advice

    In the case of wooden, or carbon composite masts they present too high electrical resistance and a 4AWG cable must be run straight down the mast as the main down conductor. From the bottom of the aluminium mast or down conductor, the 4AWG onward path needs to be as direct and short as possible to the ground plate, or the metal hull.

  15. Mast ground/Lightning?

    The mast wiring has its own grounding wire and there is no mechanical bonding of the mast to the step so it could not be counted on to provide a positive ground. The only other thing I can think of might be some sort or rudimentary lightning pathway.

  16. Lightning, Sailboats and the Power of Points: Multihull masts need

    While on the subject, the ground wire cable for a sailboat mast needn't go straight down any more than the cable for your home's lightning rods comes down through your living room. With the advent of iron ships, then yachts with aluminum masts that set upon metal keels, it was impossible to have a mast that wasn't an effective lightning ...

  17. Sailboat Mast: Everything You Need To Know

    A sailboat mast is a tall pole that is attached to the deck. It helps secure the sail's length to the boat and upholds the sail's structure. A sailboat mast is the most defining characteristic of a sailboat, helping keep the sail in place. What's amazing about it is that it can even be taller than the vessel's length!

  18. MARINE LIGHTNING PROTECTION: Getting Z-Z-Z-Zapped on a Sailboat

    One source states that a sailboat with a 50-foot mast will on average be struck once every 11.2 years. According to insurance data, the general average for all boats is about 1.2 strikes per 1,000 boats each year. The average bill for damage is around $20,000. Most strikes are on sailboats (4 strikes per 1,000 sailboats each year).

  19. Grounding guide

    the rigging was grounded to the keel ballast; the grounding area was well in excess of 1ft 2; sideflashes occurred; the sideflashes blew holes in the hull at the waterline. A1.1 Current flow through grounded keel A1.1.1 Observations The owner of this sailboat made the observations in Figure A1‑1. The bottom of the mast was connected to a keel ...

  20. is catalina 30 mast grounded?

    Hi all, Back in the spring I was looking for Catalina 30 Mark II. Ended up finding a nice 1985meal Mark I. Surveyor said mast needed to be grounded to a thru hull grounding plate. I thought the Catalina 30 is grounded to the keel through one of the shrouds. Can anyone shed some light on this...

  21. Sailing in lightning: how to keep your yacht safe

    The cross-sectional area of the metal in aluminum masts on even small sailboats is such that it provides a low enough resistance path to be the down conductor. Whether deck- or keel-mounted, the mast will require a low resistance path, equivalent to a 25mm² copper conductor, from the base of the mast to the grounding terminal. Grounding terminal

  22. How NASA Uses and Improves Solar Power

    The seven-meter-long boom that holds out the solar sail can collapse into a bundle that would fit in your hand, which allowed it to fit compactly inside the spacecraft. The mission demonstrated the boom's deployment and is now testing the sail's performance using a series of maneuvers to adjust the spacecraft orbit using the sail angle.

  23. ground wire in mast

    Jun 3, 2012. 1,742. Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA. Sep 21, 2021. #9. Regarding a common ground wire; It is difficult to daisy chain the ground wire connections and retain reliability. I consider the mast unaccessible for repairs. If possible, suggest you run separate 16 GA cables for each device.

  24. Lightning Protection

    I have grounded my mast to my lead fin keel. Once while sailing a lightning bolt struck the water about a hundred feet from my boat. This led me to believe that my grounded mast did not attract lightning or that lightning bolt would have chosen my grounded mast instead of the water surface 100 feet away.