Hull electrical ground

[Brett U]

It does not look like there is any designed-in electrical coupling between the hull and the water. Most boat designers will electrically couple the mast to the keel-bolts or to an external plate, but I don't see anything like this on the 7.9. Am I missing something here?

Maybe I'm letting my paranoia get the better of me, but It seems like the boat needs to be properly grounded. Without this, there is no way for charge to equalize and the easiest path for lightning is the transducer through-hulls. I'd appreciate your insights. Ok, I'll take of my tinfoil hat now.

[reidmefirst]

*chuckles in inboard*

Maybe get a slip next to a bigger boat with a taller mast? =).

Dunno really. My dad used to clip a wire lead to a sacrificial zinc to his standing rigging, and would drop it into the water when leaving his boat in a slip. That was more about preventing galvanic corrosion due his particular boat's keel. But I guess something like that would provide a less resistive path for electricity in the case of a lightning strike/might even prevent a strike?

[Jim Kloss]

Inboards ground through the engine; outboards, not so much. No ground to mast however. Someone suggested that if caught out in a lightning storm, you should attach your spinnaker pole to backstay and drag it in the water creating a path of lesser resistance; at least that would give you something to do. Or consider how the mast hight on a 7.9 compares to the circumference of the sea, and have another beer.

Jim Kloss

[MnM20]

#20 is grounded to the water intake fitting for the inboard. I assume this was done at the factory.