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Lightning Parts

West Coast Sailing is your source for Lightning sailboat parts and accessories. The Lightning has 60 years of tradition behind it. This competitive 19-foot trailerable centerboarder is one of the most competitive one-design classes today. But whether you're interested in serious racing or just want to go for a ride, the Lightning gives you what you're looking for. Some great sailors have been 'struck by Lightning': Ted Turner, Dennis Conner, Ken Read, Bill Shore, and Greg Fisher to name a few.

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Lightning Jib Sheet 2:1 Continuous

Lightning Jib Sheet 2:1 Continuous

Lightning Jib Sheet 2:1

Lightning Jib Sheet 2:1

Lightning Jib Sheet 1:1

Lightning Jib Sheet 1:1

Lightning Mainsheet

Lightning Mainsheet (Fusion)

Lightning Mainsheet (SSR)

Lightning Mainsheet (SSR)

Lightning Spin Halyard

Lightning Spin Halyard

Lightning Spinsheet (SSR)

Lightning Spinsheet (SSR)

Lightning Spinsheet Tapered

Lightning Spinsheet Tapered

Lightning Spinsheet (Ultra-Lite)

Lightning Spinsheet (Ultra-Lite)

Harken 13 mm Traveler Car w/ Shackle

Harken 13 mm Traveler Car w/ Shackle

Harken Cam Cleat Swivel Base w/ 150 Aluminum Cam

Harken Cam Cleat Swivel Base w/ 150 Aluminum Cam

Harken 22 mm Double Upright Bullet Block

Harken 22 mm Double Upright Bullet Block

Harken 40 mm Carbo Block Traveler w/ 29 mm Block

Harken 40 mm Carbo Block Traveler w/ 29 mm Block

Harken 29 mm Carbo Clew Blocks w/ Ring

Harken 29 mm Carbo Clew Blocks w/ Ring

Harken Thru-Deck 44 mm Dinghy Block

Harken Thru-Deck 44 mm Dinghy Block

Ronstan Cam Cleat Fairlead Medium Grey

Ronstan Cam Cleat Fairlead Medium Grey

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Rigging - halyards, sheets, and wires.

West Coast Sailing has a full range of designs for all Lightning running and standing rigging which can be built to order in our rig shop. Email our team at [email protected] to learn more . Products coming to our online store Spring 2022.

Rigging Diagram

Use the diagram below to reference Harken part numbers to appropriate application on your Lightning sailboat. Parts recommendations are offered as a guide for common applications.

Adjustable Ball bearing Lead Car

Upgrading to an adjustable lead car system allows you to change your lead under sail without having to tack to unload the car. The Micro CB traveler cars are very small and lightweight, but strong—perfect for the Lightning.

Belowdeck Vang System

This split boom vang lets you easily adjust the vang from both sides while hiking. The 24:1 purchase uses lightweight Carbo blocks for the power needed to control sail shape without adding weight to the boat. The cascading system uses small high-tech line to help keep everything clean above deck.

Diagram provided by Harken. West Coast Sailing is an approved seller of Harken sailboat hardware.

Looking for other sailboat parts? We can help!

General Parts & Hardware - We offer a huge selection of  General Parts  including hardware, blocks, cleats, shackles, accessories and more here .

Product Suggestions - If you're looking for a specific part for Lightning sailboat that you cannot find, let us know. We are actively working to expand our one design parts offering and welcome your input for parts you think we should be stocking to make it easier for you to get back out on the water. Submit you idea via our Product Suggestion Form   (opens in new tab).

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Lightning Tuning Guide

Proper boat speed depends mostly on constant and consistent adjustments to your rig and sails. The following measurements are those we have found to be the fastest settings for your new North Sails. We have included information on both the tuning of the M-5 and the Fisher design sails. The M-5 is a more backstay sensitive sail, which sails fastest when the blocks and the lower shrouds are adjusted corresponding to the change in conditions. The Fisher mainsail responds best to mainsheet tension with less emphasis on adjustment to the backstay, the blocks and the lower shrouds. Both tuning techniques have proven to be very fast and we’re confident that through following the basic numbers we offer in this tuning guide you’ll find top speed in all conditions. However, as always, your North Lightning team is anxious to help you any way we can. Feel free to call or e-mail us anytime! Good luck and good sailing! In our new tuning guide we have divided the Fisher and the M-5 tuning procedures. You will notice after we describe marking your headstay, placing the butt of your mast and setting the length of your headstay, that the M-5 Tuning System is listed step by step followed by the Fisher Tuning System . Note that the techniques used in setting both systems are quite different. Please check it over carefully! All of your North Lightning representatives are comfortable with the tuning for both techniques. Should you have any questions about either style, we urge you to call us. We are always happy to help you.

THE STEPS IN TUNING

The tools necessary for properly tuning your boat are a 50 foot tape measure, a small Loos tension gauge (the Model A pictured right or the newer PT-1) and a permanent marker.

lightning sailboat rigging

While the newer PT-1 black spring- loaded Loos gauge is very consistent and works great for checking the shroud tension on your uppers and lowers, we have not yet been able to use it successfully for the tuning process for the tuning for the

M-5 Tuning System

It is important to be able to “zero” the forestay in order to set the proper lower tensions for the various conditions. However, with the Fisher Tuning System either gauge will work fine.

MARK YOUR HEADSTAY

Lay the forestay along the front of the mast and mark where it is even with the top of the mast band at the gooseneck. This can be accomplished with the mast on the ground or stepped with the uppers attached.

lightning sailboat rigging

MAST STEP POSITION

For the M-5 Tuning System we suggest placing the butt of the mast at maximum forward ( the aft edge of the butt of the mast should be 21 5/8” forward of the center of the centerboard pin). For the Fisher Tuning System and for Allen boats we suggest placing the butt at maximum forward. For the Nickels Boats (both the newer (after 15200) and older) we suggest moving the butt aft one hole in the channel. For any boat having difficulty developing the proper prebend (or with the upper shrouds further aft (such as the Carson or Lippincott) we suggest moving the butt of the mast aft as much as 3/8” to 5/8”. For the Carson and Lippincott hulls the butt measurement should be only 20 1/4” forward of the pin.

ADJUST THE HEAD-STAY LENGTH

Hook up your headstay and measure from your mark that was determined in Step 1 of the tuning guide to the intersection of the stem and the deck.

lightning sailboat rigging

Measure from the top of the mark on your forestay to the joint of the bow and your deck to set your forestay length.

THE M-5 TUNING SYSTEM

Initial set-up.

“0” datum point

  • Attach the lower shrouds to the aft chainplates and tighten them until they are just barely hand tight. Check that the mast is still straight laterally by sighting up the back of the mast. This adjustment to the lower shrouds is just initial tuning and will be adjusted later once the blocks are placed at the partners.

M-5 LIGHT AIR SET UP (0 - 6 MPH)

  • Place your mast blocks behind your mast until the forward edge of the mast is 1 1/4” forward of your “0” datum point for the Nickels and 1 1/2” for the Allen.
  • Pull your backstay until the forestay just registers “0” (using the Model A Loos tension gauge).
  • Adjust your lower shrouds equally until they are “0” on the Model A Loos gauge. (If you are sailing in wavy conditions where there is more chop than the wind should warrant, we suggest tensioning your lowers up to 5 or 6 for increased power.)
  • With the backstay set as in step B, mark your backstay where it exits the deck at the transom. Ease the backstay tension off until this mark is 5” above the deck on the Nickels or 7” on the Allen. Mark this position. Use this mark (5” for the Nickels, 7” for the Allen) for your very light wind backstay setting when the mast is pre- blocked forward as in Step 1.

Without the proper backstay tension in light winds the mast will lean much too far forward and there will be too much headstay sag. An overabundance of jib luff sag will result in the jib leech hitting the spreader and the shroud no matter how it is trimmed. The backstay is just tensioned to remove enough sag to keep the jib leech off the spreader and the shroud when the upper batten is angling just at the end of the spreader.

M-5 MEDIUM WIND SET UP (7-15 MPH)

  • Block your mast forward of the “0” datum point 1” for the Nickels and 1” for the Allen.
  • Tension your backstay until the forestay just barely registers “0” with the Model A tension gauge.
  • Set your lower shrouds equally at 10 for the Nickels and 18 for the Allen.

M-5 HEAVY WIND SET UP (16 + MPH)

  • Block the mast 3/4” forward of the “0” datum point.
  • Pull your backstay until the forestay just registers “0”.
  • Set your lower shrouds equally at “14”.
  • Use lots of backstay when you’re sailing to keep the boat flat!

lightning sailboat rigging

Mark your deck for your 0 datum point, light, medium and heavy wind mast block settings with the M-5 tuning system.

THE FISHER TUNING SYSTEM

Important!!

lightning sailboat rigging

Usually a 1/2” block will be in place in front of the mast with the Fisher tuning with the New Allen and New Nickels boats.

  • Without applying tension on the tape measure ( as described above) record the measurement at the transom. Now grab the backstay and pull until the slop in the forestay is just barely eliminated (not when the Loos gauge reads “O”). The change in your rake from the backstay pulled on to the backstay relaxed should be 3” to 4”. If this measurement is more than 4”, pull a small block from behind the mast and retention the lowers to 250-300 pounds (as described above). If the “rake change number” is less than 3”, place another small block behind the mast and ease the lowers off until they read the proper tension. This will allow the entire mast to tilt (rake) slightly farther forward.
  • Re-check your lower shroud tension side to side by sighting up the back of the mast to be sure the mast is perfectly straight laterally. Loosen and tighten the opposing sides until the mast is straight from the deck to the hounds, always maintaining the proper lower tension and prebend.

Once on the water double check your lateral straightness once again when sailing upwind in an 8 - 0 m.p.h. breeze.

In breeze above 10-12mph the upper sections of the mast above the spreader will fall off slightly sag to leeward. This is normal.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have completed all the tuning with the Fisher setup. You will never need to adjust your lower shrouds or blocks until you take your mast down. When re stepping simply place everything back where you had it last!

JIB HALYARD TENSION

Generally set your jib halyard tension so that the jib luff wire ( in the front of the jib) is just equal tension wise with the forestay when sailing upwind (There should be no sag in between the snaps.).

Fisher Tuning System

In all conditions set the jib halyard tension so that the luff wire is just slightly tighter than the forestay in all conditions. The forestay will actually show a slight “snake” between the snaps. From light to heavy winds this will mean an adjustment of nearly 2 1/2”. In very heavy winds jib halyard stretch will make it difficult to set the halyard tighter than the forestay. More tension on the halyard will be necessary.

JIB CLOTH TENSION

For both ( jf-2 and 5-a+).

In light winds the cloth tension will be set loose enough that there may be slight wrinkles along the luff. As the breeze increases, increase the cloth tension until all the wrinkles are barely removed in heavy wind. In very heavy winds pull the jib cloth tension a little tighter than just barely removing the wrinkles in order to flatten the sail and help open up the upper batten.

lightning sailboat rigging

In breeze, set your jib cloth tensionso the luff is smooth.

Lashing at the Head of the Jib

Each North jib has the luff wire attached to the head of the jib with a light line lashing which allows the height of the jib to be adjusted on the luff wire. Depending on the type of tack fitting on your boat, you may want to adjust this lashing to raise or lower the jib to sit on the deck properly. If the skirt of the jib is not laying on the deck approximately 1 1/2” to 2” (or the jib tack is higher than 3 1/2” off the deck) you may want to loosen the lashing and allow the jib to slide down closer to the deck. Be sure to tie well, or even tape, the lashing when done to prevent the lashing from coming untied.

lightning sailboat rigging

Don’t be afraid to adjust your jib head lashing so there is nearly 2” of jib skirt laying on the deck when sailing upwind.

JIB LEAD POSITION

Your North jibs are marked with a trim line near the clew drawn from the clew grommet toward the body of the sail. Your lead should be positioned so that the sheet is a direct extension of this trim line. This is more effective than a measurement from the stem to the lead position because of the variances in jib lead fittings and placement, rake, and jib wire height off the deck. Generally you should set the lead in this direct extension position unless the boat is overpowered when the lead may be moved aft as much as 2”.

lightning sailboat rigging

Set your jib lead in most conditions so the sheet is an extension of the trim line drawn on the clew

JIB SHEET TENSION

Normal jib sheet trim for 8 - 12 m.p.h. and flat water for the 5-A+ and the Fisher jibs would be 2” - 3” inside the spreader tip. In winds below 8 m.p.h. or when trying to accelerate, leaving a tack, etc., the sheet will be progressively eased out until the top batten is angled even out past the end of the spreader for both jibs. In extremely light winds it is advantageous to actually hold the clew of the jib up so the upper batten angles 1” outboard of the tip of spreader. In heavy winds above 15, it may be necessary to ease the jib sheet to the point where the batten might be angled 1” or more past the end of the spreader. Some sailors, and especially those sailing the 5A+ jib, have had success trimming the sheet much harder. However, with any jib, in any condition, the best final check on jib sheet trim is that the jib leech telltale is flowing all the time. To aid in setting up the trim for your North jibs, we suggest placing rings of tape on your spreaders 1” and 2 1/2 “ in from the tips of the spreaders.

lightning sailboat rigging

Mark your spreader for easier jib trim, BUT check that the telltale on the leech at the top batten is always streaming.

MAINSAIL TRIM

Mainsail outhaul.

Your North mainsail is constructed with a shelf foot. Judge the outhaul tension at the center of the boom . The seam which attaches the shelf foot to the sail, the bottom seam in the sail) gets closer to the boom when the outhaul is tensioned or further away from the boom when the outhaul is eased. At maximum outhaul tension this seam will lay next to the boom and the shelf foot is closed up. This is proper trim for heavy winds when the boat is overpowered. In light winds the center of this seam should be 1” to 2” from the boom. We do not feel it is advantageous to loosen the outhaul more than this when sailing upwind. Downwind loosen the outhaul to allow the shelf foot to open completely. This should place the clew of the main nearly 3” in from band at the end of the boom.

Use the shelf foot seam as a guide for outhaul tension.

CUNNINGHAM TENSION

In light winds the Fisher mainsail performs best with the Cunningham completely slack. There should be nearly 8” wrinkles perpendicular to the luff from head to tack. On the M-5, the cunningham will be tensioned so that wrinkles are only evident below the spreader window.

In medium winds the Cunningham should be tensioned on both mains so that wrinkles should be evident just in the bottom of the mainsail below the spreader window. In heavy winds, it is beneficial to pull in the Cunningham fairly aggressively. At the same time that the backstay is applied to de-power the main, the Cunningham should be pulled on to maintain the proper draft position.

lightning sailboat rigging

Too much backstay tension will create over bend wrinkles above the spreader window. Ease the backstay until they just disappear.

The backstay controls mast bend and headstay sag. Pulling it harder flattens both the main and the jib. It also changes the main leech tension and the angle of upper batten of the main. In very light winds when the mast is blocked forward and pre-bent (see mast blocking) tension the backstay slightly to keep the headstay from sagging ( and bouncing) too much. In heavy air more backstay is necessary to flatten the main. If you pull the backstay too hard, the main will invert as evidenced by large diagonal wrinkles running from the upper area of the main above the spreaders down towards the clew.

In medium to heavy winds, some inversion wrinkles below the spreader window are normal and actually desirable as they indicate that maximum mast bend has been achieved.

lightning sailboat rigging

Ideally, over bend wrinkles will fall just below the spreader window and halfway back on the boom when proper prebend and mast bend is achieved.

As a basic guide, for the mainsail to take shape and the upper batten to be trimmed parallel to the boom (see mainsheet trim), the backstay should be applied to just barely remove the slop. Once all three crew are on the high side and beginning to hike, the backstay should be tensioned much more tightly. As the boat hits waves or sails into lulls, be sure to ease the backstay to power the rig back up. It is also important to remember that as you pull on more backstay you must also pull on a proportion-ate amount of both jib cloth and main Cunningham. These three controls working in harmony are the best way to keep your sails performing at their designed best shape.

THE MAIN BRIDLE TRAVELER

The bridle is considered a “rough” adjustment for setting the balance of your helm. The bridle is normally centered for light to medium winds, but as the boat starts to heel and becomes overpowered, and therefore develops more helm, the bridle should be eased to leeward. Do not ease the bridle to leeward until the outhaul is fully tensioned and moderate tension has been applied to the backstay. If you have a bridle that is adjustable in height, it is advantageous to raise the bridle for light winds so when the main is sheeted properly (upper batten parallel to the boom), the top of the bridle block should be fairly close to the block on the end of the boom. In medium winds above 6-8 mph, the bridle should be approximately 11” to 12” above the deck; in heavy winds, the bridle should only be 9” above the deck. If your bridle is not adjustable, set it at 11” off the deck. The goal in setting the bridle is to position the boom within 2-3” of center line in light winds while still maintaining the proper upper batten parallel to the boom position described below. Often, it pays to moderately depower with the backstay, outhaul and Cunningham before easing the bridle.

lightning sailboat rigging

MAINSHEET TENSION

The general rule is to trim the mainsheet to maintain the top batten parallel to the boom. This is viewed by sighting directly underneath the boom up towards the upper batten. When power is necessary in light or choppy conditions or just after a tack it is important that the mainsheet is eased so that the upper batten is angled outboard (10 - 15°) from parallel to the boom.

Once up to speed, re-trim the main to upper batten parallel. In heavy winds, when maximum backstay tension is applied and the main is fairly flat, the upper batten will angle slightly outboard in relation to the boom. In drifting conditions where the weight of the boom will hook the upper batten, ease the mainsheet until the upper batten is parallel to the center line of the boat. The boom will be positioned well to leeward of center line, as much as 18”. Be sure to recheck the top batten position whenever the backstay and Cunningham are adjusted. Consider the mainsheet your throttle. It definitely helps to keep the mainsheet in hand and play it to keep the boat moving. When it starts to feel slow ease the sheet and when it feels fast try trimming in tighter to increase pointing ability. In other words, as long as it feels good, pull! When it feels ugly, ease it out. Upwind in heavy air or very puffy conditions with Fisher Main, the boom vang is tensioned so the mainsheet can be played like a traveler. Tension the vang in these conditions so the upper batten is angled outboard 10°. With this proper necessary tension the boom may actually show a bit of bend. Play your mainsheet to keep the boat flat and the helm balanced! Be sure to ease your vang as you round the weather mark! With the M-5 Main, most of the main control is accomplished with careful balance between the mainsheet and traveler. However some sailors have had success tensioning the vang just to point where the boom will not raise up when the main sheet is eased. With any “style” of mainsheet trimming you choose to sail with upwind it is imperative that in puffs the boat remain flat, stable and the helm balanced. Quick and deliberate adjustments to the mainsheet, vang, backstay and traveler are important. Adjust quickly but re-trim just as quickly after sailing through the puff and the boat is back under control and balanced.

lightning sailboat rigging

Ease the main so the upper batten is angled out slightly past parallel to the boom when power or acceleration is needed.

BOOM VANG TENSION DOWNWIND

The boom vang is used downwind to maintain the upper batten nearly parallel to the boom. Be conscious of not over- tensioning the vang, especially in light winds, as it can greatly slow the Lightning when sailing downwind. In puffs while reaching, when the boat becomes overpowered, try dumping the vang (completely eased) to keep the end of the boom from hitting the water and also allow the top of the main to luff, dumping extra power.

THE SPINNAKER

lightning sailboat rigging

Trimming your North spinnaker is fairly easy as long as you follow a few guidelines. Always attempt to fly your spinnaker so there is nearly 6” of curl in luff. This is important so the spinnaker is not over trimmed and does not choke the slot between the spinnaker and the main. We suggest flying your spinnaker with the halyard eased approximately 6” off the mast to open the slot up high. Keep your clews even at all times through adjustment to your pole topping lift. When your leeward clew is hidden behind the main and you cannot see it, keep the center seam of the spinnaker parallel to the mast. In puffy conditions, especially in lighter winds, constant adjustment of the pole height along with the sheet and guy is important. Keep the pole nearly perpendicular to the wind.

The sun is one of your sail’s greatest enemies. Care should be taken to not leave an uncovered sail directly in UV light for long periods. Spinnakers are most susceptible to UV damage. However, your sail’s greatest enemy is prolonged luffing. Putting your sails up before you are ready to leave the dock and allowing them to flog unnecessarily, literally wastes valuable hours and days of the competitive life of your sails. Even before the start on a breezy day, try to spend as little time as possible with the jib up and luffing to save wear and tear. The jib especially takes a beating when luffing as it slams back and forth against the mast. This breaks down the resin in the weave of the cloth. When finished using your sails, even after just a couple races or in-between races, we strongly suggest talking the time to roll up your sail parallel to the battens (it is never necessary to remove the battens). Be careful not to set anything heavy that can crush a sail or to lash the main too tight on to the boom. Be sure to roll the sail parallel to the battens to avoid putting a permanent twist in your special tapered fiberglass battens. Fold your spinnaker to keep it smooth before storing. When sailing in saltwater, be sure to wash all your sails off completely with fresh water and dry completely before storing them. Check all your sails, especially at the front and back of batten pockets and around grommets for signs of wear. Check your spinnaker for tears, so they don’t get bigger and create big problems in the future. If Dacron sail tape is not available, duct tape will work just fine!

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Getting the Charge Out of Lightning

No matter how well protected the boat may be, few manage to escape unscathed..

Miraculously, relatively few people are injured in lightning strikes. Frequently, of course, no one is aboard the boat when it is struck, and it is only by after-the-fact detective work that the extent of damage is discovered.

There are, however, two attendant bits of unpleasantness water, and contaminates like dirt, dust, rust, scale, bugs, and bones.

Most boat owners have only the vaguest idea of what is involved in protecting their boats from lightning damage. Many believe that their boats are already protected by the boat’s grounding system. Most are wrong.

Just because your boat may be bonded with heavy cop-per conductors connecting the masses of metal in the boat doesn’t mean that it is protected against lightning. A bon-ding system may be a part of a lightning protection system, but bonding itself offers no protection to the boat unless a good, direct path to ground is part of the system.

The purpose of bonding is to tie underwater metal masses in the boat together to reduce the possibility of galvanic corrosion caused by dissimilar metals immersed in an electrolyte. The purpose of lightning grounding is to get the massive electrical charge of a lightning strikethrough the boat to ground with the least possible amount of resistance.

Most lightning never reaches the earth: it is dispersed between clouds of different electrical potential. The lightning that concerns sailors is the discharge of electricity between a cloud and the surface of the earth, or an object on the surface of the earth, namely, your boat. The amount of electricity involved in lightning can be, well, astronomical. We’re talking about millions of volts.

Granted, the duration of a lightning strike is extremely short. But in the fraction of a second it takes for lightning to pass through your boat to ground, a great deal of damage can be done. And here’s the kicker. No matter how elaborate your lightning protection system, there is no guarantee that a lightning strike will not damage your boat.

Certainly you can reduce the potential damage from a lightning strike. That’s what protection is all about. But to think you can eliminate the possibility of damage is folly. There are too many recorded instances of so-called properly lightning-protected boats suffering damage to believe in the infallibility of lightning protection systems.

The goal of lightning protection is to offer a low resistance path to ground, in this case, the water. On a sailboat equipped with an aluminum mast and stainless steel standing rigging, the basic components of the lightning protection system are in place.

While neither aluminum nor stainless steel is an outstanding electrical conductor, the large cross-sectional area of both the mast and the rigging provide adequate conductivity for lightning protection. The trick, however, is get-ting the electricity from the mast and rigging to the water.

The straighter the path is from conductor (mast and rigging) to ground, the less likely are potentially dangerous side flashes. Put simply, side flashes are miniature lightning bolts which leap from the surface of the conductor to adjacent metal masses due to the difference in electrical potential between the charged conductor and the near by mass of metal. 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. First, the connection between the bottom of the mast and rigging to the keelbolt must be highly conductive. ABYC (American Boat and Yacht Council) standards say that each primary conductor for lightning protection systems should have a resistance equal to or less than a #4 AWG copper conductor. (Secondary conductors should have resistance not greater than a #6 AWG copper conductor.)There is no drawback to using an even larger conductor.

Connecting the short conductor to the mast and keelbolt presents some problems. A crimp eye can be used on the end that is to be attached to the mast, but you may have to fabricate a larger eye for attachment to the keelbolt. This can be made from sheet copper. Soldering the connections is not recommended, since the heat generated in a lightning strike could melt the solder.

Then you have to face up to a basic problem. Your mast is aluminum, yet you’re connecting it to ground with a copper cable. Everyone knows that aluminum and copper are not galvanically compatible, so what’s the solution? While it will not eliminate corrosion, a stainless steel washer placed between the copper cable’s end fitting and the aluminum mast will at least retard it. But this connection is going to require yearly examination to make sure that a hole isn’t being eaten through the mast. In addition, of course, the process of corrosion creates wonderful aluminum oxide byproducts, which have very low conductivity. The aluminum oxide may reduce conductivity to the point where your theoretical attachment to ground is in fact non-existent. Once again, disassembling the connection and cleaning it yearly are essential to maintain conductivity. Constant attention to all the conductor connections is essential in any grounding system, whether it’s for lightning protection or grounding of the electrical system.

Even if all the connections in the system are flawless, you’re faced with getting the electrical charge out of the boat and into the water. Keels are always coated with bottom paint. Depending on the type of bottom paint used, the keel itself may be a fairly poor ground. An iron keel properly primed with epoxy mastic before bottom paint is applied is fairly well isolated from the water. If it weren’t, it would rust. The same goes for lead keels prepared in the same way. In practice, the electrical charge will probably be powerful enough to get to ground through the protection system on the keel. The same problem exists, of course, on painted metal boats with their systems of barrier coats. The barrier coats reduce conductivity, but do not eliminate it.

Do not under any circumstances ground the rigging or mast to ballast located inside a fiberglass hull shell. The electrical charge tends to travel on the surface of the conductor. Finding no path to ground from the isolated inside ballast, you may literally blow a line of holes through the hull along the top of the ballast line. Surveyors have reported occurrences of this type of damage to us, as strange as it may sound.

For boats with inside ballasting, or for powerboats, some type of external grounding plate is required. These are usually made from sintered bronze: tiny particles of bronze fused into a porous block. The effect is to give a much larger surface area than defined by the dimensions of the block itself. It is very important to use as large aground plate as necessary, and to position it as close to vertically in line with the primary lightning conductor (the mast) as possible.

Racing boats are not going to be willing to do this, since a ground plate creates a fair amount of drag in light air. Cruisers would be advised to trade off the drag for the protection offered.

A grounding plate installation is not a nail-it-in-place-and-forget-it installation. As with any bare metal underwater, oxides build up in the grounding plate, reducing its efficiency. The manufacturer of the plate can tell you the proper remedies, which may include removing the plate yearly and treating it in an acid bath to restore proper conductivity.

It is probably a poor practice to use the same grounding plate for lightning grounding and grounding of electronics such as Loran. If the lightning charge is too great for the plate to instantaneously transmit to ground, the charge may travel back through the ground wire to your electronics, with disastrous results.

For this article in its entirety please click the below link…

Getting the Charge Out of Lightning   

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VIDEO: Expert insight for Lightning rigging

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2013 Lightning World Champion David Starck provides a tour of the rigging on his new Lightning. Published on Aug 15, 2014.

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Lightning Tuning Guide

Vsp lightning tuning guide.

There are many proven methods for tuning a Lightning.  The measurements and the settings included in this guide are ones that I have found to be the fastest for VSP Lightning sails. Since crew, wind and sailing conditions and boats vary, you may find that slightly different settings are best for you.

I try to keep the tuning as simple as possible and try to use our “medium air” setting as much as possible.  This tuning guide is being constantly updated so please check back frequently!  Recent changes are made in red.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any tuning or trim questions –

–  Bill Fastiggi

Before stepping the mast 1) Make sure all shrouds are securely attached to the mast, and the screws are tight. 2) Make sure the spreader tips are secure to the spreader.  If they are loose, put tape over the ends to secure the tips. 3) Put “trim tapes” on the spreader 2″ in from the tip.

Setting the Mast Butt

The determining factor to finding the proper mast butt position for your boat is the location of the upper shroud chainplates.   Modern Allen and Nickels Lightnings will have the chainplates at or near the maximum forward position.  You should also locate the mast butt at the maximum allowable forward position.  The aft edge of the mast should be 21 7/16″ from the forward edge of the centerboard pin.

Headstay Length  To measure headstay length with the mast up, we measure a short segment of the headstay at the bow. Simply unhook the headstay from the stemplate and run it down the front edge of the mast. Mark the point where the top of mast band intersects with the headstay with a piece of tape. Be sure to align the top of the tape with the top of the mast band. Reattach the headstay. Remove all slack from the headstay by pushing aft just above the mark. Now measure from the top of the headstay mark to the forward most edge of the deck at the bow. This measurement should be 44.5″ for a Nickels boat, and 45″ for an Allen boat.  When you are sailing, you can “fine tune” this dimension for your own boat by making sure the boom is parallel to the deck.

Shroud Tension Uppers should be tensioned to 250 lbs. Lowers should be tensioned to 120 lbs. on a Nickels boat and 170 lbs on an Allen.  This should be done with the backstay disconnected and with the mast blocks removed. Using a Loos model A tension gauge, the uppers should measure 29 and the lowers should measure 15 on the Nickels and 21 on the Allen.   This is your baseline measuring position.  If you are sailing a new Nickels boat (15300 and newer) you should use the “Allen” lower tension.  The difference in lower tension is due to the different locations of the lower chain plates.

Check that the mast is straight and centered in the boat.  Pull your tape measure up the jib halyard and measure to each upper chainplate to make sure the mast is centered.  Once this dimension reads the same on each side, sight up the back of the mast and adjust each lower as needed to get the mast as straight as possible.  Recheck that the shroud tensions are still 250 and 120/170 lbs.

Fine Tuning the Rig Mark this baseline position, fore and aft, of the mast in the mast gate. To do this, mark the side of the mast, approximately in the center, we suggest using a white piece of tape with a conspicuous dark line drawn vertically. Place a mark on the deck that corresponds with the mark on the mast. This mark on your deck is your baseline. Measure 7/8″, 1 1/4″ and 1 1/2″ forward of the neutral mark and place a mark at each. These marks will be used to measure pre-bend in your mast.

Once the mast is straight and centered, tape off the uppers, you won’t need to adjust them again.

Dry Run In order to achieve proper lower shroud tension on the water, we suggest that you conduct a dry run of the following pre-bend settings in the parking lot. This will allow you to get to a desired lower tension by simply counting the number turns that have been taken off from the heavy air setting. This should be done with the backstay disconnected.

First, block the mast to 7/8″ and measure the shroud tensions. The tension of the uppers should have dropped slightly and the tension of the lowers should have increased to about 250 lbs on the Nickels and 300 lbs on the Allen. This is your heavy air sailing position.   At this point the mast should have about 1 1/2″ pre-bend.

To go from the heavy air setting to the medium air setting, block the mast forward to the 1 1/4″ mark. The tension of the lowers should have increased substantially. Count the number of turns that it takes to get the tension of the lowers back to 250 lbs (300 on the Allen).  On my boat this is two full turns. Record this number in the chart below so that you can duplicate it out on the water.   You should still have about 1 1/2″ of pre-bend in the mast, and the “extra” forestay length should be about 2″.

Finally, block the mast forward to 1 1/2″.  The tension of the lowers will again increase substantially. Count the number of turns it takes to get the tension of the lowers back to 200 lbs (250 on the Allen). On my boat this is three full turns off of each lower.  Record this number below.   You should have about 3 1/2″ extra forestay length.

Mast Pre-Bend and Lower Shroud Tension

I draw this chart on my deck next to the mast partner for reference.

Jib Trim Your VSP Jib is equipped with a jib leech telltale located at the top batten. It acts as an extension of the leech to gauge jib trim off the spreader. When the telltale stalls it indicates the degree that your jib is over-trimmed.   This is the number one indicator that we use to trim the jib.  Our goal is to have the leech tell-tale streaming all the time.

In light air, the jib leech is normally trimmed right on the spreader tip.  If it is light and choppy, you will probably find that trimming 1″ or 2″ outside the spreader tip is best.  If the leech tell-tale isn’t streaming, ease the jib, and if it is streaming, try trimming it until it stalls, and then ease back out just a touch.

The jib is generally easy to trim but in light and spotty conditions, as with all jibs, it requires constant trimming to keep the leech telltale streaming. In this condition, the top batten should be anywhere between the tip of the spreader and 4″ outboard. You’ll find the lighter it gets the further outboard you will need to go to keep the leech telltale streaming. This will keep you powered up and going fast!

In medium air, the leech telltale should be streaming and the top batten should be trimmed to the 2″ mark inside of the spreader tip.  If it gets a little lumpy or you find you need a little power, ease the jib sheet about 1″.  If it is flat water, or you need a little extra height off the starting line you can trim a little tighter, but never more than 3-4″ inboard of the spreader tip.

In heavy air, the top batten should be outside the spreader tip except for the lulls. As the wind increases over 20 mph, the top batten should get further and further from the spreader-up to 4″-and the leech telltale should be streaming 90-100% of the time.

Jib Lead Position The placement of the jib lead is found by measuring the distance from the forward edge of the bow, straight over the splash rail to the jib track.

Jib Wire/Halyard Your jib wire adjustment is best described by comparing the tension on the wire to the tension of the headstay . In all conditions, the jib wire should be tensioned so that it is tighter than the headstay.  We’ve found that the VSP jib works best with a lot of wire tension.  When we are sailing upwind, if the luff of the jib seems at all unstable or “bounces” we add more tension to the jib wire to remove this “bounce.”  In lighter conditions, this can mean pulling the wire on as much as 3 or 4″ tighter than the forestay.  If you feel like you aren’t pointing well, pull the jib wire on harder.

Jib Cloth/Jib Cunningham This control is relatively easy to adjust and is effective in moving the draft placement in the jib. In light to moderate winds, 90% of the wrinkles around the snaps should be removed. When the wind is consistently 15 mph and above, all the wrinkles should be removed.

Mainsail Trim Mainsheet In most conditions, the mainsheet should be pulled tight enough so the top batten is parallel to the boom on a vertical plane (this can be checked by sighting directly up the sail from under the boom). The exception to this rule is in high winds when the upper leech needs to twist off to depower the sail plan.

Bridle  The boom should be on centerline up to 10 mph and then dropped to leeward in 1-2″ intervals as the breeze builds until the bridle is all the way to leeward. In smooth water the bridle does not have to be dropped as soon as it does in choppy conditions.

Bridle height (from the deck) should be set for the desired main leech tension. The objective is to get the mainsheet between 1″ and 1/2″ from being two blocked, at a desired sail trim. This extra sheeting capability will allow the main to be over trimmed at critical times.

Another sail trim indicator is the top telltale located at the end of the top batten. In light air the top telltale should stall about 40% of the time, and in medium air it should stall a maximum of 60%. In breeze above 16 mph, the top telltale should be streaming most of the time because the backstay has most likely been pulled on to depower the main.

Backstay In light and medium winds, the backstay should be pulled on slightly to stabilize the rig and to prevent The rig from bouncing around.  When the wind picks up, the backstay should be the first control used to depower and relieve weather helm. In smooth water, you will pull the backstay more than you will ease the bridle to leeward. When it is choppy, the bridle will be dropped to leeward earlier to keep the boat driving through the waves.

The backstay tensions the headstay/jibwire when it is pulled on. In heavy winds, a tight headstay is desirable because it will flatten the jib making a faster heavy air shape.

Main Cunningham This control is relatively easy to adjust and is effective in moving the draft placement in the main. In all conditions, remove about 90% of the luff wrinkles.

Outhaul  The VSP Mainsail is designed very flat in the lower section so the outhaul has more effect over the shape of the entire sail. In most conditions, the outhaul is adjusted so that the shelf foot is just taken out while going upwind. In light air, the bottom half of the sail should be flat (which is why we put in so much pre-bend). This keeps the jib slot open and reduces backwind. In medium breeze, ease the outhaul slightly if you are looking for more power. As the wind increases, pull the outhaul towards the end of the boom but be aware. Because of the design of the sail, it is possible to over-tighten the outhaul.

Boom Vang Upwind in windy conditions, the vang should be tight so that when a puff hits, the main can be eased without losing leech tension. If you don’t apply the vang in higher winds, the boat will become very unstable.  Otherwise, just remove the slack from the vang while sailing upwind.   In higher winds, be sure to ease the vang before turning downwind or you might break the boom.

Leech Line The leech line should be completely slack until the leech starts to flutter. Tension the leech line until the fluttering stops. Remember to ease it off as the breeze drops or your leech will hook.

How to reach us Via mail: Vermont Sailing Partners 150 West Canal Street Winooski, VT 05404

Via phone: (802) 655-7245 (802) 655-SAIL

Via email: [email protected]

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Lightning sailboat rigging

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I recently purchased a lightning sailboat. I live in Missouri and there are no fleets that I know of. The boat is in pretty good shape except for the rigging, mainly the ropes. I have been sailing for several years and understand the basics of rigging, but I guess because this is a racing boat, it has lots of ropes and rigging I have never seen. Lot of the lines are rotten and not hooked to anything which makes it harder to replace them. I have looked online for some diagrams but never found any to help. Are there any lightning owners that I could maybe email some photos and ask a couple questions? Or does anybody have a source for a good rigging guide.  

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  • Sailboat Guide

Lightning is a 18 ′ 11 ″ / 5.8 m monohull sailboat designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built by Nickels Boat Works, Inc., Skaneateles Boat & Canoe Co., Helms - Jack A. Helms Co., Siddons & Sindle, Lippincott Boat Works, J.J. Taylor and Sons Ltd., Lockley Newport Boats, Eichenlaub Boat Co., Mobjack Manufacturing Corp., Clark Boat Company, Allen Boat Co., and Loftland Sail-craft Inc. starting in 1938.

Drawing of Lightning

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

  • SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
  • D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

  • D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
  • LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

  • D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
  • LOA: Length overall in feet
  • Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

One of the most popular one-design classes in the US since the 1940’s. But fleets also exist in other parts of the world. Although originally designed for wood planked construction, nearly all boats since the early 1960’s have been built of fiberglass. Ballast above is max weight of centerboard.

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Lightning Sailboat Parts & Equipment

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Lightning Travel / Deck Cover

Harken Canvas Lightning Mooring Cover

Lightning Mooring Cover

Harken Canvas Lightning Mast Bag

Lightning Mast Bag

Harken Canvas Lightning Rudder Cover

Lightning Rudder Cover

Harken Canvas Lightning Hiking Strap

Lightning Hiking Strap

MAURIPRO Sails Lightning Training Jib (Cross Cut)

MAURIPRO Sails

Lightning training jib (cross cut), mps-1260-ods-jt1.

MAURIPRO Sails Lightning Training Mainsail (Cross Cut)

Lightning Training Mainsail (Cross Cut)

Mps-1260-ods-mt1.

Offshore Spars Lightning Spinnaker Pole - Carbon (Uni-Directional Heavy Duty)

Offshore Spars

Lightning spinnaker pole - carbon (uni-directional heavy duty), ofs-cpole-lightning-s-n-d.

Offshore Spars Lightning Spinnaker Pole - Carbon (Woven Twill Light Weight)

Lightning Spinnaker Pole - Carbon (Woven Twill Light Weight)

Ofs-cpole-lightning-t-n-d.

Harken Block - Carbo 29mm Single - Fixed Head

Block - Carbo 29mm Single - Fixed Head

Harken Block - Carbo 29mm Single - Cheek

Block - Carbo 29mm Single - Cheek

Harken Block - Carbo 40mm Single - Fixed Head

Block - Carbo 40mm Single - Fixed Head

Harken Cam Cleat Standard - X-Treme Angle Fairlead

Cam Cleat Standard - X-Treme Angle Fairlead

Harken Block - Carbo 29mm Single - Swivel / Becket

Block - Carbo 29mm Single - Swivel / Becket

Harken Block - Carbo 29mm Double - Linked by Clew

Block - Carbo 29mm Double - Linked by Clew

Harken 13 mm Low-Beam Micro Track - 0.6 m

13 mm Low-Beam Micro Track - 0.6 m

Har2707600mm.

Harken Cam Cleat 150 - Cam-Matic

Cam Cleat 150 - Cam-Matic

Harken Block - Wire High Strength 25mm - Wire

Block - Wire High Strength 25mm - Wire

Harken Block - Carbo 40mm Double - Traveler

Block - Carbo 40mm Double - Traveler

Harken Block - Classic Bullet 29mm Double - Upright

Block - Classic Bullet 29mm Double - Upright

Harken Block - Carbo 29mm Double - Swivel

Block - Carbo 29mm Double - Swivel

Harken Block - Classic Bullet Dinghy 44mm Single - Through-Deck

Block - Classic Bullet Dinghy 44mm Single - Through-Deck

Harken 13mm Micro CB Tracks - Low Beam - 1.0 m

13mm Micro CB Tracks - Low Beam - 1.0 m

Harken Block - Carbo 29mm Triple - Swivel

Block - Carbo 29mm Triple - Swivel

Class description.

The Lightning, a 19-foot trailerable centerboard sloop, designed by Sparkman & Stephens as an affordable family day sailor and racing boat. She has evolved into one of the most popular and competitive one-design racing classes in the world. The Lightning's rig is simple, but offers sophisticated sail shape controls. The hull features a unique hard chine design that combines the stability that provides sail-carrying power, with flat bottom sections that promote planing. There's room in the cockpit for two couples or a family to daysail. The Lightning is easy to launch and light enough to trailer with ease. In the event of a capsize, she can be righted and sailed dry by her crew. Get "The Best of Both Worlds.

Class Specs

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Lightning Details

The International Lightning Class is a 1938 Sparkman and Stephens design. This active racing class has grown to nearly 15,000 boats. The quality, performance and speed of the Nickels Lightnings are proving themselves for hundreds of current owners including North American and World Championship skippers. Why not join them with the confidence that you are buying the best there is?

The Nickels Lighting features a new hull and deck. The hull design maximizes down wind speed while preserving upwind performance, while the new rolled deck affords greater comfort when hiking in addition to our optimization of control line location. The new deck also provides for increased interior room for crew and skipper. We have also included a new location for fine tuning of the backstay. This new deck is stiffer insuring durability and strength.

Fully rigged w/ stainless steel centerboard: $24,995

A new Nickels custom race equipped Lightning includes:

  • Lightning Class Number—royalty and measurement certificate (from the class)
  • One color hull—one color deck New style rubrail white or black
  • Harken Equipment— Carbo blocks now standard
  • Mainsheet swivel with hexaratchet Jib sheet—Custom NBW jib car
  • Spinnaker guy and sheet Ratchamatic Jib uphaul—6 to 1
  • Twing lines with guy hooks Jib cloth—2 to 1
  • All block Boomvang 22 to 1 Backstay—8 to 1
  • NBW mast all lines internal Cunningham—4 to 1
  • Mainsheet bridle—Winward sheeting type, pull down
  • Centerboard hoist—10 to 1
  • Dual side controls—for backstay, mainsheet bridle, boomvang & cunningham with color coded lines.
  • 360 degree swivel cleat—on centerboard hoist 2 Hinged transom bailers
  • 3 padded hiking straps (your choice of color)
  • Large storage compartments in both cross seats
  • Lifting bridle
  • Nickels aluminum mast, boom, spinnaker pole and tiller with extension

Color Options: White is standard but for modest charge we customize for your color and striping

Rigging Options: There are numerous options. Give us your specifications and we will customize a price proposal for you.

Sails: Sails by North, Quantum and Vermont Sailing Partners. Current prices less 10% with new boat purchase. Covers are available from all manufacturers on request.

Also Available: Trailer - $1895 Spare Tire - $90.00 Aft Kick Stand - $35.50 (installed) Spare Tire Bracket - $37.50 (installed) 4 Stanchions - $449.00

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Yacht lightning strikes: Why they cause so much damage and how to protect against them

Yachting World

  • August 27, 2020

A lightning strike may sound vanishingly unlikely, but their incidence is increasing, and a hit can cause severe damage costing thousands of pounds, as well as putting an end to a sailing season, writes Suzy Carmody

lightning-strikes-yacht-credit-Image-Reality-Alamy

Lightning strikes of boats are still fairly rare – but are on the increase. Photo: Image Reality / Alamy

Pantaenius handles more than 200 cases of lightning damage every year. “Over the past 15 years, the total number of such loss events has tripled in our statistics. The relative share of lightning damage in the total amount of losses recorded by us each year is already 10% or more in some cruising areas such as the Med, parts of the Pacific or the Caribbean,” added Pantaenius’s Jonas Ball.

Both UK and US-based insurers also report that multihulls are two to three times more likely to be struck by lightning than monohulls, due to the increased surface area and the lack of a keel causing difficulties with adequate grounding. Besides increased likelihood of being hit, the cost of a strike has also risen enormously as yachts carry more networked electronic devices and systems.

lightning-strikes-yacht-CAPE-index-forecast

The CAPE index measures atmospheric instability and can be overlaid on windy.com forecasts

Avoiding lightning strikes

The only really preventative measure to avoid lightning is to stay away from lightning prone areas. Global maps of lightning flash rates based on data provided by NASA are useful to indicate areas of more intense lightning activity. They show that lightning is much more common in the tropics and highlight hotspots such as Florida, Cuba and Colombia in the Caribbean, tropical West Africa, and Malaysia and Singapore in south-east Asia.

Unfortunately, many of the most popular cruising grounds are located in tropical waters. Carefully monitoring the weather and being flexible to changing plans is an essential part of daily passage planning during the lightning season in high-risk areas. CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) is a useful tool for indicating atmospheric instability: you can check the CAPE index on windy.com (see above) as part of your lightning protection plan.

Protection against lightning strikes

Yachts that had no protection when lightning struck often experience extensive damage. The skipper of S/V Sassafras , a 1964 carvel schooner, reports: “Most of the electronics were toast. Any shielded wiring or items capable of capacitance took the most damage: isolation transformer; SSB tuner; autopilot and N2K network Cat 5 cables.”

Article continues below…

A moored yacht gets zapped by a bolt of lightning Pic: APEX News and Pictures

What is a Spanish Plume? Thunderstorms, lightning and downdrafts explained

Earlier this summer we saw considerable thunderstorm activity over the UK and Europe, resulting in flooding and some serious injuries.…

sailing-in-lightning-strikes-credit-brian-carlin-team-vestas-wind-volvo-ocean-race

Expert sailing advice: How to handle a lightning strike on board

Lightning is the thing that scares me the most at sea. Having never experienced a lightning strike I think this…

The owner of Matador of Hamble , a Rival 41, recalls the effects of their strike: “The extent of the damage was not immediately obvious. For days afterwards anything with a semi-conductor went bang when we turned it on.”

The crew of Madeleine , a Catana 42S catamaran, had a similar experience. “We were struck in Tobago but only discovered the electrical damage to the port engine when we reached St Lucia and it was in the Azores that we found out the rudder post was broken and we had lost half our rudder.”

It therefore seems prudent that in lightning prone areas a protection system should be implemented where possible to protect the boat, equipment and crew. As a first step analysing the boat and the relative position of all the main metallic fittings can often reveal a few safe places to hide and places to avoid. Areas such as the base of the mast, below the steering pedestal and near the engine have the highest risk of injury.

lightning-strikes-yacht-steel-stays-credit-Wietze-van-der-Laan-Janneke-Kuysters

Stays on a steel boat are attached directly to the steel hull. Photo: Wietze van der Laan / Janneke Kuysters

In terms of minimising the effect of a strike, one temporary method to limit the damage is to direct the current outside the boat using heavy electrical cables attached to the stainless steel rigging. With the other end of the cable immersed in the ocean, this provides a conductive path from the masthead to the ground.

The main flaw in this plan is that an aluminium mast has much greater electrical conductivity than stainless steel and is a more likely pathway to the ground. This system also requires adequate copper to be in contact with the seawater to discharge the current.

Other temporary measures include disconnecting radar and radio aerial cables, putting portable electronic items in the oven or microwave as a Faraday cage, turning off all the batteries or nonessential electronic equipment if at sea, or in a marina unplugging the shore power cord. All these procedures rely on someone being on board with several minutes warning before a strike to drop the cables over the side and turn off/disconnect and unplug.

lightning-strikes-yacht-cable-conductor-credit-Wietze-van-der-Laan-Janneke-Kuysters

Cable used as a down conductor from the shrouds on a catamaran. Photo: Wietze van der Laan / Janneke Kuysters

Posting an ‘Emergency Lightning Procedures’ card in a central location of the boat showing where to stand and what quick preparations to take is a simple first step.

Permanent lightning strike protection

In a thunderstorm, molecular movement causes a massive build up of potential energy. Once the voltage difference overcomes the resistance of the airspace in between, invisible ‘channels’ form between the base of the clouds and tall objects like masts, providing a path for a lightning strike to discharge some of the accumulated electrical energy. There will be less damage to a vessel if the discharge is contained in a well-designed lightning-protection system.

Lightning rods or air terminals installed at the top of the mast connected to an external grounding plate on the hull, via an aluminium mast, provide a permanent low impedance path for the current to enter the water. On boats with timber or carbon masts a heavy electrical cable can be used as a down conductor.

If not installed during production, a grounding plate can be retrofitted during a haul out. On monohulls a single plate near the base of the mast is adequate. A ketch, yawl or schooner requires a vertical path for each mast and a long strip under the hull between the masts, whereas catamarans usually require two grounding plates to complete the path to the water.

The current from a lightning strike is dissipated primarily from the edges of the plate, so the longer the outline the better. Warwick Tompkins installed a lightning protection system designed by Malcolm Morgan Marine in California on his Wylie 38 Flashgirl :  “Two heavy copper cables run from the foot of the mast to the aluminium mast step, which was connected to a copper grounding plate on the outside of the hull via ½in diameter bronze bolts.”

The grounding plate was an eight pointed star shape. “Some liken it to a spider.” Warwick says, “And the very minimal electrical damage we experienced when struck was directly attributable to this spider setup.”

lightning-strikes-yacht-grounding-plate-credit-Malcolm-Morgan-Marine

A copper ‘X’ grounding plate, used on boats that have a fin keel some distance aft of the mast. Photo: Malcolm Morgan Marine

Morgan adds: “Any cables associated with lightning protection should be routed away from other ship’s wiring wherever possible. For example, if the navstation electronics and main switchboards are on one side of the vessel, the lightning protection cables should be routed on the opposite side.”

An internal bonding circuit connects the major metal objects on a boat to the grounding plate via bonding cables. This can help prevent internal side strikes where the current jumps between objects in order to reach ground.

Morgan explains: “As modern boats are becoming increasingly complex careful consideration is required to ensure the bonding system is designed correctly. There are five possible grounding systems on a vessel (lightning protection, SSB radio ground plate, bonding for corrosion, AC safety ground, and DC negative) and all need to be joined at one common point and connected to the external grounding plate.”

lightning-strikes-yacht-keel-damage-credit-GEICO-Boat-US-Marine-Insurance

This strike exited through the keel, blowing off the fairing and bottom paint. Photo: GEICO / BoatUS Marine Insurance

Surge protection

Yachts anchored close to shore or on shore power in a marina are susceptible to voltage surges during a thunderstorm. If lightning strikes a utility pole the current travels down the electricity cable looking for ground. It can enter a vessel through the shore power line or can pass through the water and flashover to a yacht at anchor.

Surge-protective devices (SPD) are self-sacrificial devices that ‘shunt’ the voltage to ground. They reduce the voltage spikes eg a 20,000V surge can be diminished to 6,000V but the additional current can still be enough to damage sensitive electronics. Therefore fitting ‘cascaded’ surge protection with several SPDs in line on critical equipment is a good idea.

High-tech solutions

Theoretically, if a lightning dissipator bleeds off an electrical charge on the rigging at the same rate as it builds up it can reduce or prevent a lightning strike. Lightning dissipators such as ‘bottle brushes’ are occasionally seen on cruising boats, though these are relatively old technology. Modern dissipators feature a 3⁄8in radius ball tip at the end of a tapered section of a copper or aluminium rod. The jury is out on their effectiveness.

A more high-tech solution is Sertec’s CMCE system, which claims to reduce the probability of a lightning strike by 99% within the protected area. The system has been widely installed on airports, stadiums, hospitals and similar, but has now been adapted for small marine use (and may reduce your insurance excess).

Arne Gründel of Sertec explains: “The CMCE system prevents a lightning strike by attracting and grounding excess negative charges from the atmosphere within the cover radius of the device. This prevents the formation of ‘streamers’, and without streamers there is no lightning strike.”

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A Sertec CMCE marine unit, designed to dissipate lightning

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Sailing in lightning: how to keep your yacht safe

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  • July 22, 2022

How much of a concern is a lightning strike to a yacht and what can we do about it? Nigel Calder looks at what makes a full ‘belt and braces’ lightning protection system

Yachts moored under dark skies

Storm clouds gather at Cowes, but what lightning protection system, if any, does your boat have for anchoring or sailing in lightning? Credit: Patrick Eden/Alamy Stock Photo

Most sailors worry about sailing in lightning to some extent, writes Nigel Calder .

After all, going around with a tall metal pole on a flat sea when storm clouds threaten doesn’t seem like the best idea to most of us.

In reality, thunder storms need plenty of energy, driven by the sun, and are much less frequent in northern Europe than in the tropics.

However, high currents passing through resistive conductors generate heat.

Small diameter conductors melt; wooden masts explode; and air gaps that are bridged by an arc start fires.

A boat Sailing in lightning: Lightning is 10 times more likely over land than sea, as the land heats up more than water, providing the stronger convection currents needed to create a charge. Credit: BAE Inc/Alamy Stock Photo

Sailing in lightning: Lightning is 10 times more likely over land than sea, as the land heats up more than water, providing the stronger convection currents needed to create a charge. Credit: BAE Inc/Alamy Stock Photo

On boats, radio antennas may be vaporised, and metal thru-hulls blown out of the hull, or the surrounding fiberglass melted, with areas of gelcoat blown off.

Wherever you sail, lightning needs to be taken seriously.

Understanding how lightning works, will help you evaluate the risks and make an informed decision about the level of protection you want on your boat and what precautions to take.

Most lightning is what’s called negative lightning, between the lower levels of clouds and the earth. Intermittent pre-discharges occur, ionising the air.

Whereas air is normally a poor electrical conductor, ionised air is an excellent conductor.

These pre-discharges (stepped leaders) are countered by a so-called attachment spark (streamer), which emanates from pointed objects (towers, masts, or lightning rods) that stand out from their surroundings due to their height.

A lightning strike touching a field

Summer is the season for lightning storms in the UK. Here, one finds early at Instow, Devon. Credit: Terry Matthews/Alamy Stock Photo

This process continues until an attachment spark connects with a stepped leader, creating a lightning channel of ionised air molecules from the cloud to ground.

The main discharge, typically a series of discharges, now takes place through the lightning channel.

Negative lightning bolts are 1 to 2km (0.6 to 1.2 miles) long and have an average current of 20,000A.

Positive lightning bolts are much rarer and they can have currents of up to 300,000A.

Preventing damage when sailing in lightning

A lightning protection system (LPS) is designed to divert lightning energy to ground (in this case the sea), in such a way that no damage occurs to the boat or to people.

Ideally, this also includes protecting a boat’s electrical and electronic systems, but marine electronics are sensitive and this level of protection is hard to achieve.

Lightning protection systems have two key components: First, a mechanism to provide a path with as little resistance as possible that conducts a lightning strike to the water.

This is established with a substantial conductor from an air-terminal to the water.

A diagram showing the Components of an external and internal lightning protection system

Components of an external and internal lightning protection system. Credit: Maxine Heath

This part of the LPS is sometimes called external lightning protection.

Second, a mechanism to prevent the development of high voltages on, and voltage differences between, conductive objects on the boat.

This is achieved by connecting all major metal objects on and below deck to the water by an equipotential bonding system.

Without this bonding system high enough voltage differences can arise on a boat to develop dangerous side flashes.

The bonding system can be thought of as internal lightning protection.

Rolling ball concept

Lightning standards, which apply ashore and afloat, define five lightning protection ‘classes’, ranging from Class V (no protection) to Class I.

There are two core parameters: the maximum current the system must be able to withstand, which determines the sizing of various components in the system, and the arrangement and number of the air terminals, aka lightning rods.

Let’s look at the arrangement of the air terminals first. It is best explained by the rolling ball concept.

A lightning strike is initiated by the stepped leaders and attachment sparks connecting to form the lightning channel.

The distance between the stepped leader and the attachment sparks is known as the breakdown distance or striking distance.

If we imagine a ball with a radius equal to the striking distance, and we roll this ball around an object to be protected, the upper points of contact define the possible lightning impact points that need to be protected by air terminals.

Lightning protection theories and classifications rely on a 'rolling ball' concept to define requirements, areas of risk and protected areas.

Lightning protection theories and classifications rely on a ‘rolling ball’ concept to define requirements, areas of risk and protected areas. Credit: Maxine Heath

The air terminal will theoretically provide a zone of protection from the point at which the terminal connects with the circumference of the rolling ball down to the point at which that circumference touches the water.

The shorter the striking distance, the less the radius of the rolling ball and the smaller the area within the protection zone defined by the circumference of the rolling ball.

The smaller the protection zone, the more air terminals we need. So, we use the shortest striking distance to determine the minimum number and location of air terminals.

Class I protection assumes a rolling ball radius of 20m; Class II assumes a rolling ball radius of 30m.

Continues below…

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Paul Tinley recounts a truly shocking lightning experience aboard his Beneteau 393 Blue Mistress and the subsequent insurance claim

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Expert advice: boating emergency

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Boat building standards are based on a striking distance/rolling ball radius of 30m (Class II).

For masts up to 30m above the waterline, the circumference of the ball from the point at which it contacts the top of the mast down to the water will define the zone of protection.

For masts higher than 30m above the waterline, the ball will contact the mast at 30m and this will define the limit of the zone of protection.

If Class I protection is wanted, the radius of the ball is reduced to 20m, which significantly reduces the zone of protection and, on many larger recreational boats, may theoretically necessitate more than one air terminal.

Protection classes

With most single-masted monohull yachts, an air terminal at the top of the mast is sufficient to protect the entire boat to Class I standards.

The circumference of the rolling ball from the tip of the mast down to the surface of the water does not intercept any part of the hull or rig.

However, someone standing on the fore or aft deck might have the upper part of their body contact the rolling ball, which tells us this is no place to be in a lightning storm.

Some boats have relatively high equipment or platforms over and behind the cockpit.

Protection classes to protect your boat while anchored or sailing in lightning

Protection classes to protect your boat while anchored or sailing in lightning

These fittings and structures may or may not be outside the circumference of the rolling ball.

Once again, this tells us to avoid contact with these structures during a lightning storm.

Ketch, yawl, and schooner rigged boats generally require air terminals on all masts, except when the mizzen is significantly shorter than the main mast.

The external LPS

The external LPS consists of the air terminal, a down conductor, and an earthing system – a lightning grounding terminal.

The down conductor is also known as a primary lightning protection conductor.

All components must be sized to carry the highest lightning peak current corresponding to the protection class chosen.

In particular, the material and cross-sectional area of the air terminal and down conductor must be such that the lightning current does not cause excessive heating.

The air terminal needs to extend a minimum of 150mm above the mast to which it is attached.

A graph depicting NASA's record of yearly global lightning events. The Congo once recorded more than 450 strikes per km2

A graph depicting NASA’s record of yearly global lightning events. The Congo once recorded more than 450 strikes per km2

It can be a minimum 10mm diameter copper rod, or 13mm diameter aluminum solid rod.

It should have a rounded, rather than a pointed, top end.

VHF antennas are commonly destroyed in a lightning strike.

If an antenna is hit and is not protected by a lightning arrestor at its base, the lightning may enter the boat via the antenna’s coax cable.

A lightning arrestor is inserted in the line between the coax cable and the base of the antenna.

It has a substantial connection to the boat’s grounding system, which, on an aluminum mast, is created by its connection to the mast.

In normal circumstances, the lightning arrestor is nonconductive to ground.

When hit by very high voltages it shorts to ground, in theory causing a lightning strike to bypass the coax – although the effectiveness of such devices is a matter of some dispute.

Down conductors

A down conductor is the electrically conductive connection between an air terminal and the grounding terminal.

For many years, this conductor was required to have a resistance no more than that of a 16mm² copper conductor, but following further research, the down conductor is now required to have a resistance not greater than that of a 20mm² copper conductor.

For Class I protection, 25mm² is needed. This is to minimise heating effects.

Let’s say instead we use a copper conductor with a cross-sectional area of 16mm² and it is hit by a lightning strike with a peak current corresponding to Protection Class IV.

A cable on the side of the yacht designed to ground the boat if sailing in lightning

Sailing in lightning: This catamaran relies upon cabling to ground from the shrouds but stainless steel wire is not a good enough conductor. Credit: Wietze van der Laan

The conductor will experience a temperature increase of 56°C. A 16mm² conductor made of stainless steel (for example, rigging ) will reach well over 1,000°C and melt or evaporate.

Shrouds and stays on sailboats should be connected into a LPS only to prevent side flashes.

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

Metal hulled boats can use the hull as the grounding terminal. All other boats need an adequate mass of underwater metal.

In salt water this needs a minimum area of 0.1m². In fresh water, European standards call for the grounding terminal to be up to 0.25m².

A grounding terminal must be submerged under all operating conditions.

An external lead or iron keel on monohull sailing boats can serve as a grounding terminal.

A yacht out of the water on metal stilts while work is being done on it

This owner of this Florida-based yacht decided to keep the keel out of the equation when is came to a grounding plate. High electrical currents don’t like sharp corners, so a grounding plate directly beneath the mast makes for an easier route to ground. Credit: Malcolm Morgan

In the absence of a keel , the cumulative surface area of various underwater components – propellers, metal thru-hulls, rudders – is often more than sufficient to meet the area requirements for a grounding terminal.

However, these can only be considered adequate if they are situated below the air terminal and down conductor and individually have the requisite surface area.

Metal through-hulls do not meet this requirement.

If underwater hardware, such as a keel, is adequate to be used as the grounding terminal, the interconnecting conductor is part of the primary down conductor system and needs to be sized accordingly at 25mm².

Propellers and radio ground plates

Regardless of its size, a propeller is not suitable as a grounding terminal for two reasons.

First, it is very difficult to make the necessary low-resistance electrical connection to the propeller shaft, and second, the primary conductor now runs horizontally through the boat.

The risk of side flashes within the boat, and through the hull to the water is increased.

A hull and keel on a yacht showing damage from a lightning strike while sailing in lightning

Sailing in lightning: GRP hull, fairing filler and iron keel will have carried different voltages during the strike – hence this damage

An engine should never be included in the main (primary) conducting path to a grounding terminal.

On modern engines, sensitive electronic controls will be destroyed in a lightning strike, and on all engines, oil in bearings and between gears will create resistance and therefore considerable heat which is likely to result in internal damage.

However, as it is a large conductive object, the engine should be connected to the internal lightning protection system.

Internal lightning protection

On its way to ground, lightning causes considerable voltage differences in adjacent objects – up to hundreds of thousands of volts.

This applies to boats with a functioning external lightning protection system but without internal protection.

Although the lightning has been given a path to ground along which it will cause as little damage as possible, dangerous voltages can be generated elsewhere, resulting in arcing and side flashes, threatening the boat and crew, and destroying electronic equipment.

We prevent these damaging voltage differences from arising by connecting all substantial metal objects on the boat to a common grounding point.

A lightning strike hitting a yacht' mast while the boat is sailing in lightning

One of the holy grails of marine photography – a direct lightning strike on a yacht’s mast. Credit: Apex

The grounding terminal is also wired to the common grounding point.

By tying all these circuits and objects together we hold them at a common voltage, preventing the build-up of voltage differences between them.

All conductive surfaces that might be touched at the same time, such as a backstay and a steering wheel, need to be held to the same voltage.

If the voltages are the same, there will be no arcing and no side flashes.

The bonding conductors in this internal LPS need to be stranded copper with a minimum size of 16mm².

Note that there can be bonding of the same object for corrosion prevention, lightning protection, and sometimes DC grounding.

We do not need three separate conductors.

Electronic Device Protection

With lightning protection systems, we need to distinguish electric circuit and people protection from device protection.

Even with an internal LPS, high induced voltages may occur on ungrounded conductors (such as DC positive) which will destroy any attached electronics.

A mechanism is needed to short high transient voltages to ground.

This is done with surge protection devices (SPD), also known as transient voltage surge suppressors (TVSS) or lightning arrestors.

Marine-specific surge protection devices with a blue and black case. They are few in number and domestic models are not suitable for boats

Marine-specific SPDs are few in number and domestic models are not suitable for boats

In normal circumstances these devices are non-conductive, but if a specified voltage – the clamping voltage – is exceeded they divert the spike to ground.

There are levels of protection defined in various standards depending on the voltages and currents that can be handled, the speed with which this occurs, and other factors.

This is a highly technical subject for which it is advisable to seek professional support.

Most SPDs are designed for AC circuits.

When it comes to DC circuits there are far fewer choices available to boat owners although there are an increasing number for solar installations that may be appropriate.

There is no such thing as a lightning-proof boat, only a lightning-protected boat, and for this there needs to be a properly installed LPS.

Nigel Calder is a lifelong sailor and author of Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual. He is involved in setting standards for leisure boats in the USA

Nigel Calder is a lifelong sailor and author of Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual. He is involved in setting standards for leisure boats in the USA

Even so, in a major strike the forces involved are so colossal that no practical measures can be guaranteed to protect sensitive electronic equipment.

For this, protection can be provided with specialised surge protection devices (SPDs).

The chances of a direct lightning strike on a yacht are very small, and the further we are north or south of the equator, the smaller this chance becomes.

It’s likely your chances of receiving a direct lightning strike are very much higher on a golf course than at sea.

‘Bottle brush’-type lightning dissipators are claimed by sellers to make a boat invisible to lightning by bleeding off static electrical charge as it builds up.

The theory rests upon the concept that charged electrons from the surface of the earth can be made to congregate on a metal point, where the physical constraints caused by the geometry of the point will result in electrons being pushed off into the surrounding atmosphere via a ‘lightning dissipator’ that has not just one point, but many points.

It is worth noting that the concept has met with a storm of derision from many leading academics who have argued that the magnitude of the charge that can be dissipated by such a device is insignificant compared to that of both a cloud and individual lightning strikes.

It seems that the viable choices for lightning protection remain the LPS detailed above, your boatbuilder’s chosen system (if any), or taking one’s chances with nothing and the (reasonable) confidence that it’s possible to sail many times round the world with no protection and suffer no direct strikes.

Whichever way you go, it pays to stay off the golf course!

Enjoyed reading Sailing in lightning: how to keep your yacht safe?

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This section will cover some of the many questions that I have received. My personal favorite, Invitation to Sailing by Alan Brown.

Check out this book: The Small-Boat Sailor's Bible by Hervey Garrett Smith over at Amazon. This book was originally published in 1964 and is an excellent resource for the new Sailor. I have read it several times and pick up something new each time. He even helps you pick a boat. While we know you have or will pick a Lightning he tells you what to look for and what to watch out for.

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  1. Rigging Examples

    1528 Big Bass Dr Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 Phone: 727-942-7969 Skype: ilcaoffice

  2. Home

    The Lightning, a 19-foot trailerable centerboard sloop, was originally designed by Sparkman & Stephens as an affordable family day-sailor and racing boat. She has evolved into one of the most popular ... Class Officers Manufacturers Equipment Manufacturers Rigging District Measurers Boat Registry Documents.

  3. Lightning Sailboat Parts

    Rigging - Halyards, Sheets, and Wires. West Coast Sailing has a full range of designs for all Lightning running and standing rigging which can be built to order in our rig shop. Email our team at [email protected] to learn more. Products coming to our online store Spring 2022.

  4. Lightning Sailboat Rigging and Racing Tips

    A quick racing seminar at the 2019 Lightning European Championship after races were postponed due to weather. One of the great things about the Lightning Cl...

  5. First-Time Buyers Guide

    Simply put, the rig is under powered below 8 knots, perfect from 8 to 15 knows, overpowered but controllable to 25 knots and requires considerable skill above 25 knots.. As will all sailboats, one should look at the prevailing wind velocities where they plan to sail before deciding the Lightning is the right boat for them.

  6. Lightning Tuning Guide

    Proper boat speed depends mostly on constant and consistent adjustments to your rig and sails. The following measurements are those we have found to be the fastest settings for your new North Sails. We have included information on both the tuning of the M-5 and the Fisher design sails. The M-5 is a more backstay sensit

  7. LIGHTNING

    Lightning Class (Int) Download Boat Record: Notes. One of the most popular one-design classes in the US since the 1940's. But fleets also exist in other parts of the world. ... Sailboat Rigging Diagram. ShipCanvas. KiwiGrip. Bruntons. Rudder Craft. Latell Evolution Sails BR. Seaworthy Goods. EWOL. SBD App BR. bottom ads1 row1. bottom ads2 row1.

  8. Getting the Charge Out of Lightning

    On a sailboat equipped with an aluminum mast and stainless steel standing rigging, the basic components of the lightning protection system are in place. While neither aluminum nor stainless steel is an outstanding electrical conductor, the large cross-sectional area of both the mast and the rigging provide adequate conductivity for lightning ...

  9. lightning class tuning guides

    This should be done with the backstay disconnected. First, block the mast to 7/8" and measure the shroud tensions. The tension of the uppers should have dropped slightly and the tension of the lowers should have increased to about 250 lbs. No adjustment is needed for this setting. Next, block the mast to 1 1/4".

  10. VIDEO: Expert insight for Lightning rigging >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News

    2013 Lightning World Champion David Starck provides a tour of the rigging on his new Lightning. Published on Aug 15, 2014.

  11. Lightning Tuning Guide

    Before stepping the mast. 1) Make sure all shrouds are securely attached to the mast, and the screws are tight. 2) Make sure the spreader tips are secure to the spreader. If they are loose, put tape over the ends to secure the tips. 3) Put "trim tapes" on the spreader 2″ in from the tip.

  12. Lightning sailboat rigging

    The Lightning, a 19-foot trailerable centerboard sloop, was originally designed by Sparkman & Stephens as an affordable family day-sailor and racing boat. She has evolved into one of the most popular. This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread.

  13. Resources

    This manual is an evolving site with articles of general interest to new Lightning sailors, learn about: stepping the mast, winterizing, tuning. The Clever Pig is a new website whose goal is to help young sailors plan more successful racing campaigns. The site is designed for any sailor who wants to take the next step in their sailing career ...

  14. Lightning

    Lightning is a 18 ′ 11 ″ / 5.8 m monohull sailboat designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built by Nickels Boat Works, Inc., Skaneateles Boat & Canoe Co., Helms - Jack A. Helms Co., Siddons & Sindle, Lippincott Boat Works, J.J. Taylor and Sons Ltd., Lockley Newport Boats, Eichenlaub Boat Co., Mobjack Manufacturing Corp., Clark Boat Company, Allen Boat Co., and Loftland Sail-craft Inc ...

  15. Lighting Sailboat Parts and Equipment

    The Lightning, a 19-foot trailerable centerboard sloop, designed by Sparkman & Stephens as an affordable family day sailor and racing boat. She has evolved into one of the most popular and competitive one-design racing classes in the world. The Lightning's rig is simple, but offers sophisticated sail shape controls.

  16. Lightning

    Lightning Details The International Lightning Class is a 1938 Sparkman and Stephens design. This active racing class has grown to nearly 15,000 boats. ... Rigging Options: ... Sails: Sails by North, Quantum and Vermont Sailing Partners. Current prices less 10% with new boat purchase. Covers are available from all manufacturers on request. Also ...

  17. Yacht lightning strikes: Why they cause so much damage and how to

    According to US insurance claims (from BoatUS Marine Insurance) the odds of a boat being struck by lightning in any year are about 1 per 1,000, increasing to 3.3 per 1,000 in lightning prone areas ...

  18. Rig-Rite Inc.

    Since 1961, RIG-RITE has engineered, manufactured and distributed Spars, Rigging and Hardware Systems for Sailboats. RIG-RITE stocks the largest variety of related Systems and Hardware available anywhere, Specializing in original replacement parts for Systems on yachts built the world over. Spars - Masts, Booms, Spreaders, Spinnaker Poles ...

  19. Jib Sag

    Jib sag may be the single most important gear we have on the Lightning to help power-up/depower the rig. Utilizing the tools available for power (backstay, main­sheet blocks, cloth, etc.) are essential to control the entry and fullness of the jib. Hence, jib sag may be that miss­ing ingredient to your tuning and racing success.

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

    In salt water this needs a minimum area of 0.1m². In fresh water, European standards call for the grounding terminal to be up to 0.25m². A grounding terminal must be submerged under all operating conditions. An external lead or iron keel on monohull sailing boats can serve as a grounding terminal.

  21. About Lightning

    Awarded ISAF International Class status, the Lightning is sailed in more than thirteen countries and in the Pan American Games, and the Class provides a professionally-managed association that is among the largest in all of one-design sailing. The Lightning's rig is simple but offers sophisticated sail shape controls.

  22. Helpful Diagram

    While we know you have or will pick a Lightning he tells you what to look for and what to watch out for. Here are some of the subjects he covers: Chapter 1. Choosing Your First Boat. Chapter 2. New or Used Boat. Chapter 6. The Racing Sailboat. Chapter 9.

  23. LIGHTNING 368

    Lightning 368 Class Association: Download Boat Record: Notes. John Claridge began building the boat in 2009. These became the Mk2. ... Sailboat Rigging Diagram. ShipCanvas. KiwiGrip. Bruntons. Rudder Craft. Latell Evolution Sails BR. Seaworthy Goods. EWOL. SBD App BR. bottom ads1 row1. bottom ads2 row1. bottom ads3 row2.