scruzin forum posts in last 60 days

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scruzin said..

shaggybaxter said..
It's worth mentioning that speaking with the yacht builders, not one uses a floating (isolated) DC system. Why?
Because:
- the standards (ISO etc) mandate it; and
- they dont want to get sued.
In a boat, an earthed system is MUCH safer than isolated. Maybe we should buy aircraft. Aircraft get away with it because the systems are in a controlled environment, they are rigorously maintained, stuff doesn't get added by twisting it into the closest power wire and.... they don't float in water.
Actually that's a bit harsh. They might float...just not for very long

Lightning protection is a good case in point. Marine lightning protection systems require a grounded path to the water to either (1) safely conduct and dissipate the massive energy of a direct strike, or (2) reduce the risk of a strike by bleeding off static charge to minimize the formation of upward streamers.

Although the lightning protection system may be implemented as a separate grounded system.

Scarlet Runner at the boat ramp. Looks very stern heavy.

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shaggybaxter said..
It's worth mentioning that speaking with the yacht builders, not one uses a floating (isolated) DC system. Why?
Because:
- the standards (ISO etc) mandate it; and
- they dont want to get sued.
In a boat, an earthed system is MUCH safer than isolated. Maybe we should buy aircraft. Aircraft get away with it because the systems are in a controlled environment, they are rigorously maintained, stuff doesn't get added by twisting it into the closest power wire and.... they don't float in water.
Actually that's a bit harsh. They might float...just not for very long

Lightning protection is a good case in point. Marine lightning protection systems require a grounded path to the water to either (1) safely conduct and dissipate the massive energy of a direct strike, or (2) reduce the risk of a strike by bleeding off static charge to minimize the formation of upward streamers.

Runs aground and subsequently loses its keel while being towed by water police!

www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/adelaide-breakfast/yacht-recovery/106340220?utm_content=messenger&utm_medium=content_shared

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Kankama said..
You may have no interest in racing but for learning how to sail well very quickly there is absolutely nothing so effective. You don't have to get worked up competitively, just listen, do the tasks set and ask questions later. You won't find a better or cheaper way to learn how to cruise your own boat well.

Offshore races are particularly useful in this regard.

But even if you don't want to race yourself, consider inviting crew who do race. You're guaranteed to learn a lot from them.

Also, an electric winch (or two), especially for the mainsail halyard, is a nice upgrade for the single-handed sailor.

If your reefing lines come back to the cockpit (as I prefer), you'll want at least two clutches directly in front of that winch, i.e., for main halyard and reefing line.

I'm not particularly familiar with the Bavaria 38, but a 38-footer is not a particularly large vessel to sail single-handed, if properly rigged. I've sailed a Lightwave 38 for decades, single handed hundreds of times.

They key thing is for ALL lines to run the cockpit. In particular, make sure you can reef without going to the mast. After years of single-line reefing failures, these days I prefer two-line reefing, which is bullet proof. Either way, you need to be able to drop the main without going on deck in heavy weather. Lazy jacks help greatly.

Also, your autopilot is the single-handed sailor's best friend. Make sure you have something super reliable. If you have a wheel pilot (such as Raymarine EV-100) consider replacing it with a more durable linear drive (such as Raymarine Evolution).

Consider getting a wireless wearable remote for your autopilot (such as Raymarine RCU-3), which allows you to steer from anywhere on the vessel.

PS Not meant to be an ad for Raymarine, but this is all gear I've personally used. I'm sure B&G and others have excellent gear too.

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EastCoastSail said..
7kg added to the top of the mast according to the specifications. That's a lot of weight in the wrong spot.

Yes, 7kg would be a lot! The GOLD model, which they claim is sufficient for vessels up to 25m, weighs only 1.06kg

By comparison, a shielded cable sufficient to dissipate a lightning strike to a 15m mast would weigh ~20kg, albeit spread along the length of the mast.

I'm from SA, but from a sailing standpoint, I'm a convert to the West Coast. I can't wait to return later this year.

Belated, but better late than never, here are two blog posts from my 2025 WA trip. One part sailing trip, one part road trip.

Fremantle to Shark Bay:
blog.arribasail.com/2026/01/cruise-fremantle-to-shark-bay.html

Geraldton to Carnarvon:
blog.arribasail.com/2026/01/cruise-west-is-best.html

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Trek said..
I know two people who were on sailing boats that had masts hit by lightning. From what happened to them, and my experience with the nasty effects of high voltage arcs there are three protection methods. These apply if you find yourself on a boat vulnerable to lightning. 1. Sit far away from the mast at an extreme end of the boat. 2. Wear sunnies. 3. Plug your ears with toilet paper (if nothing else). Both people I know were burnt and got eye and severe hearing damage.

I would add:

- Sit on the floor in the middle of the saloon, below window height. Avoid leaning against the bulkheads or the sides of the hull.
- Sit with your knees tucked to your chest to reduce the chance of current traveling up one leg and down the other. This is what usually kills people, not a direct hit.
- Put your handheld equipment into something that will function as a Faraday cage (a microwave if you have one, or a steel pot with a tight seal).

It is the sonic boom that can rupture glass windows and ear drums. Acrylic windows are must safer.

The CMCE claims are certainly bold, but there does seem to be some science behind it.

It is not to be confused with the older charge dissipation arrays, which attempted to prevent lightning by "bleeding" charge into the atmosphere via thousands of sharp points. That was proven to be ineffective 20 years ago.

Rather than trying to "neutralize the sky", which is impossible, the new CMCE method instead tries to neutralize just the upward streamer, by balancing the electric field locally between two internal plates (a capacitor-like structure). They absorb the potential difference and convert it into a controlled leakage current, which is measurable by a monitor.

The theory is based on the fact that a lightning strike is actually two-way "handshake" between the cloud and the ground. If the upward streamer can be suppressed, then downward strike has nowhere to go (or goes somewhere else, such as the next boat in the marina).

Here is a data sheet:
centralian.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Data-sheet-CMCE-2021-ENG.pdf

I'm trying to get some data from the reseller.

Does anyone have any experience with lightning protection devices, such as Sertec, based on CMCE (Controlled Mechanical Compensator for Electric fields)? The claim is that it creates a "shield" that makes it nearly impossible for a lightning bolt to form over a boat. With 8,000 installations and zero reported strikes, the stats look good, but of course, correlation isn't causation.

Anyone using one?

Personally, I'd much rather than prevent a lightning strike than attempt to channel one, as traditional lightning protectors do.