Hi Colin and Crew, sorry about all the Damage. On another note you talked about the mould and getting bleach to clean it. Bleach is is not good on mould as it actually feeds it, it will take away the colour but the mould will come back even worse. A solution of 80% Vera’s vinegar to 20% water is the way to go, the mould will see the water as food and suck in the vinegar with it, this in tern will kill the mould spores from inside. Also use microfibre cloths when cleaning mould and keep changing out the solution. Finally use a solution of 70% mentholated spirits and 20% water in a spray bottle and spray everything down ( with plenty of ventilation) and allow to dry. It is the alcohol in the vinegar and metho that kills the mould. Cleaning with the vinegar and Spraying with the metho and water regularly will keep the mould at bay. This is what we used in North West Australia when I was working for a mould remediation company. For a reference look up sick home syndrome. Good luck with everything. Regards Steve.
For all the laughter, fun and games, to see you methodically work through these issues step by step is just as awesome. No wonder you were sought after on superyachts.
Troubleshooting those kind of issues requires a calm methodical approach and some steady logical thinking. There aren't many people who would know where to start, they would either hand it over to a marine workshop or possibly just given up and just sold the boat at a loss rather than deal with that ! You are they guy for the job Colin !
I've been trying to get someone out to my boat for four months to fix my fluxgate compass and give me an estimate on updating my 20 years old electronics. Some don't answer their phone "Voice mail is full,' some just say 'call me in 12 weeks,' (every 12 weeks) and the 'main clowns' in Oxnard call you 2-3 days _after_ they said they'd come out, to offer another (it would be the 3rd or 4th) appointment two weeks out... So it's not like you can just throw money at the situation. And I'm in Southern California (local pop 20 million, has to be a lot of techs, and yet....where are they?) -- I can't imagine dealing with this in Costa Rica. The answer is of course you need to become like Colin. I reached out to Raymarine, paid for phone support. I know whatever they told me -- they don't even understand. If we sail we need to learn how to be like Colin, one system at a time.
You can make a Spark Gap with two stainless metal sheets 6" x 6", with 1/4" spacing between the plates. Attatch one wire from the Spark Gap to the mast, and the other end into the ocean. I just use a cable coiled on the deck, and when a storm is comming, i throw the cable into the ocean. When you hear the Spark Gap making a buzzing sound, hit the deck, your about to be struck by lightning. I havent had lighting damage in 40 years of sailing in South Florida.
@@alexforget In my first year of sailing in South Florida, I got struck 3 times in one summer. I was an Electrical Engineer for radio and TV stations with very high towers. So I used the same technology on my sailboat as we did on the radio and TV stations. Zero strike in the past 40 years with the Spark Gap. Even when sail boats arround me were getting destroyed by lightning, I was ok.
Do Lightning Arrestors work on a sailboat? Or is that old technology that people don’t use anymore and have better stuff now? My grandpa had them all over the farm due to lightning strikes all the time.
Hi Colin, the fastest and easiest way to deal with mold, fungi, yeast in an enclosed environment, especially blow decks, is to blast each cabin with Ozone. Get yourself an Ozone generator. Ozone is heavier than air and will reach every crack and crevice in a cabin. Half an hour in each cabin is sufficient. Please remove your 2 dogs and any plants (if you have any) before switching on the ozone generator. You can buy one Amazon. Its a no brainer to have one of these magic devices onboard. You can make ozonated water to drink, you can sterilize fruit and veg before cooking/eating, you can heal open or infected wounds and so much more.
There is a simple tool for dissipating lightning right from the top of your mast. It resembles a kitchen whisk with the loops cut so that they become fingers. This little DIY could save you a lot of headaches.
For mold issues, use 5 drops of clove oil mixed with a cup of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle to spray every surface. Leave for 10 minutes before wiping off with a microfibre cloth.
Bummer Colin. I really feel for you. Lightening is such an unruly thing it doesn't know how to conduct itself and a strike really Hertz the bank account. Loved you NZ family footage.
These are the best episodes, where Collin is repairing or fixing something and Jamie is the comic relief. Just like the bulkhead repair videos, so satisfying seeing Collin figure shit out
I think you may need a Shaman to come and cleanse your boat. Didn't think lightning could strike twice. Kudos to you not giving up!!! Sending good vibes your way!
Hi Guys, just watched sailing Dauntless’s latest video about setting up their new mast… they are installing a new Tesla patent lightning protection system on their new leopard 50.. evidently it has a 100% no strike rate.. might be worth speaking to Tai and Kim about what it entails.. might save you thousands if it works and is feasible..just a thought..keep up the good work 😀
And btw...watching tou fix and troubleshoot is sometimes as interesting as the fun and care free times. Hope u don't take that the wrong way, I know it's horrible when that stuff happens
Life is so funny. You had a beautiful vacation with your family and you were so blessed. And the next thing you know, your beautiful boat was hit by lightning and everything turns to poop. How does that work? It just seems sometimes things are going so well everyone’s happy and then the next thing you know you’re in the poop hole. It’s just called life. Wishing you all the best you’re a great guy Colin and you’re calm and you will get through this. Too blessed to be stressed.
Just watched Sailing Dautless, they have a lighting strike apparatus they are installing that seems to have stood the test of time. Maybe worth a watch.
Yes, I just saw that too. I know nothing of them, but did a little research and the Evo-Dis Lightening Protection System has protected everything it has been installed on, 100% success they say. I would definitely look into something that will stop this damage. Of course a direct hit will be disastrous, but a Tesla lightening system keeps you from being hit in the first place (from what I read).
I read a blog from Patrick on Brickhouse that if one grounds the mast to a major part of the hull that is underwater, such as the rudder or drive shaft support or sail drive, then lightning tends to find another place to strike. The ground wire would have to be at least #10 or #8 to keep the resistance down. For composite masts, the ground would have to go up to the top and then terminate on a lightning rod. The idea is that the ground will drain any charge on the yacht and that will lessen the attraction of the lightning bolt. It will, instead, seek other targets that can build up a charge. Just to be safe, in case of a strike, I would use #3 or #4 and hope the ground is enough so that the voltage spike will not fry the electronics.
It's boat life and that's why ya Carrie a little extra insurance hopefully ya got it Collin but we all know parley will go on!!! And that's what's important
Wowzers,sorry mate! Sux but you still have a vessel.. You guys are truly amazing. Colin your a wizard... Captain Rick from sailing sophisticated lady ,he's the man when it comes to the stuff. Victron an that whole lot...! ✌🏼💗😊⛵
When it comes to replacing the ground wires on the shrouds and other things, you should try using flat braid or solid copper straps. You need something with a lot of surface area. Having worked for Motorola Communications on mountain top radio sites we would get hit by lightning on a regular basis. We used heavy copper braid about 2 inches wide for our grounding with good results. If an antenna got hit, it would blow up the antenna and about a foot of the feed line would melt but would not hurt any of the radios or controllers inside the building. Also you pointed out that the ground wire from the shroud plate ran across the top and then down on the other side. This is a big problem. Always use the shortest route, you may need to add additional ground plates on the other side of the boat to keep the path as short as possible. Chances are the strike did not follow your ground and found its own path to ground. That is where you get holes in the hull and blown up electronics. Just a few thoughts from an old radio fart. Keep up the good work and don't get too depressed. If it was easy everyone would be out there!
Three things: 1) Provide a robust path for lightening to reach the water, from the mast(s) as well as major corners of the boat. 2) Avoid areas and communication/power paths. 3) Employ strong surge protection at both the panel as well as several points between areas.
FYI your not supposed to dry fire bows it can damage them sorry about all the electrical damage I love the positivity you have hope you and your crew have a speedy turnaround 👊
This is why I bought a CMCE device for on top of the mast. Not because I think anything will stop lightning 100% of the time, but because it came with a 100k 10 year warranty against a direct hit.
Remember to put phones, tabs in your stove, ie. A Faraday cage. Now try to do the same for your instrumentation. You are smart guy so I will watch what you come up with. From one engineer to another eng. Good luck.
Boats should be designed so that a central plug or breaker thrown or could be unplugged and disconnect all the equipment during a storm. Boats are a hole in the water that you throw money into. Expensive fun.
You are a boat mechanic God. I would have let it all hit my wallet because I could not do what you just did. I agree with you on the grounding wire. If your lightening protection had been working the wires would have been charred black. Ones I've seen in the past had a large bare copper wire twice the diameter of a pencil lead running straight up the mast. You really gave me an education. Thanks!
Craziness! I'd be so lost trying to trouble shoot all that. I'd need someone like you to figure it out. And no way I'm going in that croc water haha. That guy is crazy.
Never a dull moment there’s always something to do I can’t believe how calm you are you’re a pro switch was absolutely brilliant good luck with the rest of the boat
That really sucks guys. That's like twice in one year. Maybe the crew at Victron will be kind to the bank account. Love the attitude Colin. I know on the inside you are pissed. Cool that you can find the positives in situations like this. Stay safe guys!!!
So sorry for you Colin, lightning doesn't strike twice they say, ha! you proved them wrong sadly. I really hope it's all a quick and easy and not to pricey fix. x
Never a dull moment..a riveting troubleshoot Captain. Here's hoping for a better than ever Revival of the Parley Revival! Best of luck Captain and Crew.
One thing you could do in the future if you plan on leaving the boat is to attach a 2/0 cable to chain plate and leave bitter end hanging in the water.
I hate to say so but I must admit you dealing with adversity is more entertaining for me than your day to day "vacation" Sorry . Ill keep watching either way though : you are tops!
Sucks to hear another strike happened, but I have to say your electrical could have been completely fried and to see a lot of it still working is great news! Heres hoping the full list isn't to bad, and you can get everything functional to the same state if not better.
I'm so glad you are an engineer and understand all the systems on your boat, as you should. I feel bad that you got a lightning strike while you were away. My own experience with lightning strikes is limited but was so glad we had no electronics on our old wood boat. We had not found enough money to rebuild the Atomic 4 and had been sailing her for a couple years without auxiliary power. One night the BIG 48 foot sail boat in the next slip got hit by lightning , sunk and turned half over on top of us.. What a mess, it took them months to sort out all the damage. I can only imagine the cost for their electronic array . YIKES. Hope you get it all sorted and back underway soon.
Keep your chin up crew this is life on the water its worth the pain years ago dad would take heavy duty jumper cable's cut them apart and clip them on the forestay and backstay dropping them in the water during storms or on the mooring ball never had an issue but others did :))
Very sorry for your troubles! I wish I was there and could also lend a hand. As an engineer, I do like to root cause problems and fix. Wish you all a speedy recovery and sailing again. Always look forward to the videos, thank you!
Our hearts go out to you. Being struck by lightening on our sailboat is one of our biggest fears! Thank you for such an information video of your thought process on how to trouble shoot! Love your mentality of this sucks but we have to figure it out and keep moving forward! Best of luck and speedy recovery on getting her ready to sail again!!
I'm so sorry this happened to you! I'm sure there was a good deal of off camera cussing, but your attitude of tackling challenges and taking the bad with the good is inspiring.
Just a thought. We live in Florida so lightening is something we deal with constantly. Recently we installed a couple of whole house surge protectors after loosing multiple electronic devices during multiple storms. You’ve probable thought of this approach but just in case I decided to send it out there. Be well.
Wow, what a bummer! You certainly have had your share of bad luck with lightning. I give you a lot of credit for remaining calm and troubleshoot everything. I hope the damage is minimal.
What a bummer you're surely taking it better than I am. Hey Colin ever thought of ground wire from the top of the mast, who knows that might work. Keep the faith brother.
Maybe you like Costa Rica...but we were on a archeological expedition there in the 90s...it was ungodly hot, all of our equipment was damaged from the humidity not to mention jungle rot. The insects were unrelenting, after 4 weeks we had a mutiny on our hands. I would never return to that place.
I also have been struck by lightning. Everything DC was fried except GPS and Autopilot controller. BOTH were disconnected from DC power. I got lucky with the windlass. I had a main breaker connected and thankfully did its job.. When we leave the boat for any extended period of time, we disconnect everything DC that's possible.. Funny thing.. My stainless VHF antenna on top or the mast was like a piece of rope.. The tail on the wind vane had blown the tail off.. Gotta laugh at what's possible when you get a lightening strike. .. Good luck
Good for you Colin, you are doing the right things. I have examined a few boats after lightning strike, never fun. The suggestion offered by Ken Scicologist here is the best I have seen, kudos to him. I too have seen these Spark Gap plates on broadcast station masts.
Great episode I am so sorry for your troubles that sucks. As an electrician of 30 years I can appreciate what you are doing. you defiantly have trouble shooting skills not many people can. good luck
*Awwww Colin... mate, that is unbelievable & such bad luck, to be struck by lightening a second time.... I hope parts won't be costing you too much & also won't take too long to get all the parts to you as well. Glad some parts were abled to be salvaged. I really feel for you, going thru it all again. Keep calm & get up & running again. Once again things will hold you up on the sailing schedule... but it is what it is.*
Sorry to hear this has happened again to a fellow Kiwi. Your work effort is inspiring. A lightening strike is one of my major fears on our Leopard 48. Your are like the terminator you just keep on going, Epic!!!
Hoping your trip to New Zealand was wonderful and you had quality time with family and friends! Sad to see you having to come back home to your Lightning distraction! Hopefully it won't be too trying for you, It appears that you have been fortunate with your discoveries and mist importantly your boat didn't have hoke blown in it. That's a very wonderful gift in the midst of a potential disaster. Be Thankful for that one Surely! Do you have a grounding plate? And in observing the chain plate wire, you may want to change those from what appears to be 10;guage wire to perhaps #6 wire, wouldn't hurt to step them up again if you are in lightning frequent areas. Enjoy the Days, Be Blessed and Smile at the trials Life challenges us with. Fare winds Always
Whew! How about an idea I heard from an old man decades ago. Get some heavy gauge jumper cables. In a lightning storm screw one end to the mast. Connect a sheet of copper to the other end. Place the sheet of copper in the sea. In theory the aluminum mast is more conductive than the shrouds and given more readily to grounding. Disconnect all wires going to your electronics if possible. It worked well for me in the 80's, although my vessel was not nearly as sophisticated as yours. At least it should help with shroud damage. Best wishes. Jon
You mentioned how the lightning looks for a way off the yacht. I was wondering if you could maybe “invent” something like a static strap to earth the boat out so the electricity ⚡️ from the lightning strike finds a way off the boat to reduce the damage $$$ That’s while she’s on the dock. “You Know what I mean Colin”? Valvoline. 😂
There must be a lesson in this for all boat owners. Some lightning protection to avoid smashing the electronics? It must be easier than replacing all the electronics - again?
A good way to deal with mold and mildew on a boat is by burning sulphur pellets in a sulphur warmer. You could seal the boat up and run a sulpher warmer on a timer.
Damn man, what a shame. Hate to hear it, but it's just one of those risks that comes with boat life...or life near lightning zones in general. My house in Miami got hit by lightning too. Hope you guys find a quick way back from this. Thanks for walking us through the troubleshooting throught process, very valuable. Keep it up, cheers!
Sad news on any vessel lightning 🌩 sucks. Ground cable extremely too small need a welding cable and are all chainplates routed to the ground plate. An ion diffuser at the top of the mast is also great. Some old timers used to use chain on the chainplates submerged in the water for extra precautions. Good luck 🤞
![LIGHTNING Hits Boats. Here's How to Deal With It [Capable Cruising Guides]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PurMG7KHdW4/mqdefault.jpg)
Hi Colin and Crew, sorry about all the Damage. On another note you talked about the mould and getting bleach to clean it. Bleach is is not good on mould as it actually feeds it, it will take away the colour but the mould will come back even worse. A solution of 80% Vera’s vinegar to 20% water is the way to go, the mould will see the water as food and suck in the vinegar with it, this in tern will kill the mould spores from inside. Also use microfibre cloths when cleaning mould and keep changing out the solution. Finally use a solution of 70% mentholated spirits and 20% water in a spray bottle and spray everything down ( with plenty of ventilation) and allow to dry. It is the alcohol in the vinegar and metho that kills the mould. Cleaning with the vinegar and Spraying with the metho and water regularly will keep the mould at bay.
This is what we used in North West Australia when I was working for a mould remediation company.
For a reference look up sick home syndrome.
Good luck with everything.
Regards Steve.
Unfornatunalty the best videos are when something breaks and you have to fix it
How often can one boat be fucked up? Yes... Weather should respect your efforts and leave you alone!
For all the laughter, fun and games, to see you methodically work through these issues step by step is just as awesome. No wonder you were sought after on superyachts.
Troubleshooting those kind of issues requires a calm methodical approach and some steady logical thinking.
There aren't many people who would know where to start, they would either hand it over to a marine workshop or possibly just given up and just sold the boat at a loss rather than deal with that !
You are they guy for the job Colin !
I've been trying to get someone out to my boat for four months to fix my fluxgate compass and give me an estimate on updating my 20 years old electronics. Some don't answer their phone "Voice mail is full,' some just say 'call me in 12 weeks,' (every 12 weeks) and the 'main clowns' in Oxnard call you 2-3 days _after_ they said they'd come out, to offer another (it would be the 3rd or 4th) appointment two weeks out... So it's not like you can just throw money at the situation. And I'm in Southern California (local pop 20 million, has to be a lot of techs, and yet....where are they?) -- I can't imagine dealing with this in Costa Rica.
The answer is of course you need to become like Colin. I reached out to Raymarine, paid for phone support. I know whatever they told me -- they don't even understand. If we sail we need to learn how to be like Colin, one system at a time.
Colin did a good job.
You can make a Spark Gap with two stainless metal sheets 6" x 6", with 1/4" spacing between the plates. Attatch one wire from the Spark Gap to the mast, and the other end into the ocean. I just use a cable coiled on the deck, and when a storm is comming, i throw the cable into the ocean. When you hear the Spark Gap making a buzzing sound, hit the deck, your about to be struck by lightning. I havent had lighting damage in 40 years of sailing in South Florida.
Do you get less lightning strikes with that?
@@alexforget In my first year of sailing in South Florida, I got struck 3 times in one summer. I was an Electrical Engineer for radio and TV stations with very high towers. So I used the same technology on my sailboat as we did on the radio and TV stations. Zero strike in the past 40 years with the Spark Gap. Even when sail boats arround me were getting destroyed by lightning, I was ok.
I’m an electrician and couldn’t fathom having such sensitive electrical equipment, without some form of lightning arrest system in place.
very clever
Do Lightning Arrestors work on a sailboat? Or is that old technology that people don’t use anymore and have better stuff now? My grandpa had them all over the farm due to lightning strikes all the time.
What a nightmare for Colin...thank god he remains calm and approaches the problem head on.
Hi Colin, the fastest and easiest way to deal with mold, fungi, yeast in an enclosed environment, especially blow decks, is to blast each cabin with Ozone. Get yourself an Ozone generator. Ozone is heavier than air and will reach every crack and crevice in a cabin. Half an hour in each cabin is sufficient. Please remove your 2 dogs and any plants (if you have any) before switching on the ozone generator. You can buy one Amazon. Its a no brainer to have one of these magic devices onboard. You can make ozonated water to drink, you can sterilize fruit and veg before cooking/eating, you can heal open or infected wounds and so much more.
Spark gap system sounds like a great plan. Remember elect. Flows on the outside of a wire. NASA used aluminum foil from the local stores.
There is a simple tool for dissipating lightning right from the top of your mast. It resembles a kitchen whisk with the loops cut so that they become fingers. This little DIY could save you a lot of headaches.
Every one’s say lightning never strikes 🪧 same place again 😂😂😂😂, I know you’ll fix it no matter what.., all the very best
For mold issues, use 5 drops of clove oil mixed with a cup of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle to spray every surface. Leave for 10 minutes before wiping off with a microfibre cloth.
Bummer Colin. I really feel for you. Lightening is such an unruly thing it doesn't know how to conduct itself and a strike really Hertz the bank account. Loved you NZ family footage.
These are the best episodes, where Collin is repairing or fixing something and Jamie is the comic relief. Just like the bulkhead repair videos, so satisfying seeing Collin figure shit out
Colin you are the man bro!! GBI and GBA 1988 - 2000 Thanks for only showing mdlnds break last post. Mechanics son who hated dirty hands lol
man what a bad luck, so sorry for all your efforts, ... keep it up! fingers crossed for your circumnavigation the planet!
I think you may need a Shaman to come and cleanse your boat. Didn't think lightning could strike twice. Kudos to you not giving up!!! Sending good vibes your way!
Hi Guys, just watched sailing Dauntless’s latest video about setting up their new mast… they are installing a new Tesla patent lightning protection system on their new leopard 50.. evidently it has a 100% no strike rate.. might be worth speaking to Tai and Kim about what it entails.. might save you thousands if it works and is feasible..just a thought..keep up the good work 😀
Last week Jamie and this week Tom is back!! The crew is getting back! I hate that this happened AGAIN but is makes for great content. Hang in there.
And btw...watching tou fix and troubleshoot is sometimes as interesting as the fun and care free times. Hope u don't take that the wrong way, I know it's horrible when that stuff happens
Life is so funny. You had a beautiful vacation with your family and you were so blessed. And the next thing you know, your beautiful boat was hit by lightning and everything turns to poop. How does that work? It just seems sometimes things are going so well everyone’s happy and then the next thing you know you’re in the poop hole. It’s just called life.
Wishing you all the best you’re a great guy Colin and you’re calm and you will get through this. Too blessed to be stressed.
Just watched Sailing Dautless, they have a lighting strike apparatus they are installing that seems to have stood the test of time. Maybe worth a watch.
Yes, I just saw that too. I know nothing of them, but did a little research and the Evo-Dis Lightening Protection System has protected everything it has been installed on, 100% success they say. I would definitely look into something that will stop this damage. Of course a direct hit will be disastrous, but a Tesla lightening system keeps you from being hit in the first place (from what I read).
I read a blog from Patrick on Brickhouse that if one grounds the mast to a major part of the hull that is underwater, such as the rudder or drive shaft support or sail drive, then lightning tends to find another place to strike. The ground wire would have to be at least #10 or #8 to keep the resistance down. For composite masts, the ground would have to go up to the top and then terminate on a lightning rod. The idea is that the ground will drain any charge on the yacht and that will lessen the attraction of the lightning bolt. It will, instead, seek other targets that can build up a charge. Just to be safe, in case of a strike, I would use #3 or #4 and hope the ground is enough so that the voltage spike will not fry the electronics.
Oh no….that sucks but you all are ok! And no way would I swim with Crocs, you should do an episode on that crazy guy… 😂😂😂
It's boat life and that's why ya Carrie a little extra insurance hopefully ya got it Collin but we all know parley will go on!!! And that's what's important
Wowzers,sorry mate! Sux but you still have a vessel.. You guys are truly amazing. Colin your a wizard... Captain Rick from sailing sophisticated lady ,he's the man when it comes to the stuff. Victron an that whole lot...! ✌🏼💗😊⛵
Good call to have a spare multiplus inverter / charger on board ! A little bit more money upfront but at least you can switch if/when needed
When it comes to replacing the ground wires on the shrouds and other things, you should try using flat braid or solid copper straps. You need something with a lot of surface area.
Having worked for Motorola Communications on mountain top radio sites we would get hit by lightning on a regular basis. We used heavy copper braid about 2 inches wide for our grounding with good results. If an antenna got hit, it would blow up the antenna and about a foot of the feed line would melt but would not hurt any of the radios or controllers inside the building.
Also you pointed out that the ground wire from the shroud plate ran across the top and then down on the other side. This is a big problem. Always use the shortest route, you may need to add additional ground plates on the other side of the boat to keep the path as short as possible. Chances are the strike did not follow your ground and found its own path to ground. That is where you get holes in the hull and blown up electronics.
Just a few thoughts from an old radio fart. Keep up the good work and don't get too depressed. If it was easy everyone would be out there!
Wow , great attitude , with working to repair replace lightning damage
Three things:
1) Provide a robust path for lightening to reach the water, from the mast(s) as well as major corners of the boat.
2) Avoid areas and communication/power paths.
3) Employ strong surge protection at both the panel as well as several points between areas.
Hello Tom good to see you back. Hello to Jamie and all of you. Its Tamara from Shelter Bay Marina
Disaster - man you are taking that well but I feel for you. What an absolute bummer.
FYI your not supposed to dry fire bows it can damage them sorry about all the electrical damage I love the positivity you have hope you and your crew have a speedy turnaround 👊
This is why I bought a CMCE device for on top of the mast. Not because I think anything will stop lightning 100% of the time, but because it came with a 100k 10 year warranty against a direct hit.
My soul ached when he dryfired that bow. That string stop exploded.
Remember to put phones, tabs in your stove, ie. A Faraday cage. Now try to do the same for your instrumentation. You are smart guy so I will watch what you come up with. From one engineer to another eng. Good luck.
Boats should be designed so that a central plug or breaker thrown or could be unplugged and disconnect all the equipment during a storm. Boats are a hole in the water that you throw money into. Expensive fun.
Ok…you are that far back, more episodes for us to come 😊
You are a boat mechanic God. I would have let it all hit my wallet because I could not do what you just did. I agree with you on the grounding wire. If your lightening protection had been working the wires would have been charred black. Ones I've seen in the past had a large bare copper wire twice the diameter of a pencil lead running straight up the mast. You really gave me an education. Thanks!
Colin... you need to get one or two...because you have two hulls...Grounding Dynaplates to disperse the electricity from the lighting strikes.....
Boat Bucks!!! OMG... you are so cool. Best wishes going forward.
Craziness! I'd be so lost trying to trouble shoot all that. I'd need someone like you to figure it out. And no way I'm going in that croc water haha. That guy is crazy.
Wow. That sucks when your electrical equipment gets fried. Thankfully, the boat itself seems fine and no one got hurt. Be safe!
Gawwwd damn that's unlucky, handled it like a champ as usual, nice work tram
Boats like this are wonderful when it all works but also a nightmare when it does not
Never a dull moment there’s always something to do I can’t believe how calm you are you’re a pro switch was absolutely brilliant good luck with the rest of the boat
Wow ,stress level to the max. At least you got cold beer again.
That really sucks guys. That's like twice in one year. Maybe the crew at Victron will be kind to the bank account. Love the attitude Colin. I know on the inside you are pissed. Cool that you can find the positives in situations like this. Stay safe guys!!!
So sorry for you Colin, lightning doesn't strike twice they say, ha! you proved them wrong sadly. I really hope it's all a quick and easy and not to pricey fix. x
Jamie is always smiling. He is the best!!!
As we have just completely wired our boat from scratch I am paranoid about lightning strike.Great work diagnosing mate.Cheers Ross
Never a dull moment..a riveting troubleshoot Captain. Here's hoping for a better than ever Revival of the Parley Revival! Best of luck Captain and Crew.
One thing you could do in the future if you plan on leaving the boat is to attach a 2/0 cable to chain plate and leave bitter end hanging in the water.
Damn the bad luck! Hope everything works out ok!
I hate to say so but I must admit you dealing with adversity is more entertaining for me than your day to day "vacation" Sorry . Ill keep watching either way though : you are tops!
Jesus. It must feel like performing multiple surgeries on a family member.
You're taking it like champs though. Fall down, clean up, stand up, win.
Sucks to hear another strike happened, but I have to say your electrical could have been completely fried and to see a lot of it still working is great news!
Heres hoping the full list isn't to bad, and you can get everything functional to the same state if not better.
I'm so glad you are an engineer and understand all the systems on your boat, as you should. I feel bad that you got a lightning strike while you were away. My own experience with lightning strikes is limited but was so glad we had no electronics on our old wood boat. We had not found enough money to rebuild the Atomic 4 and had been sailing her for a couple years without auxiliary power. One night the BIG 48 foot sail boat in the next slip got hit by lightning , sunk and turned half over on top of us.. What a mess, it took them months to sort out all the damage. I can only imagine the cost for their electronic array . YIKES.
Hope you get it all sorted and back underway soon.
Keep your chin up crew this is life on the water its worth the pain years ago dad would take heavy duty jumper cable's cut them apart and clip them on the forestay and backstay dropping them in the water during storms or on the mooring ball never had an issue but others did :))
Very sorry for your troubles! I wish I was there and could also lend a hand. As an engineer, I do like to root cause problems and fix. Wish you all a speedy recovery and sailing again. Always look forward to the videos, thank you!
Our hearts go out to you. Being struck by lightening on our sailboat is one of our biggest fears! Thank you for such an information video of your thought process on how to trouble shoot! Love your mentality of this sucks but we have to figure it out and keep moving forward! Best of luck and speedy recovery on getting her ready to sail again!!
I'm so sorry this happened to you! I'm sure there was a good deal of off camera cussing, but your attitude of tackling challenges and taking the bad with the good is inspiring.
Just a thought. We live in Florida so lightening is something we deal with constantly. Recently we installed a couple of whole house surge protectors after loosing multiple electronic devices during multiple storms. You’ve probable thought of this approach but just in case I decided to send it out there. Be well.
Wow, what a bummer! You certainly have had your share of bad luck with lightning. I give you a lot of credit for remaining calm and troubleshoot everything. I hope the damage is minimal.
You could also install a lighting rod with it Grounded good.
I was waiting for this episode after hearing about it a while ago. Wishing you the best man! Crossing this year!!!
Oh man yikes! What a job to track down all the routes that lightening took through Parley. Good hunting.
God bless you all. I hope everything comes out great.
Sorry to hear of this mess.
What a bummer you're surely taking it better than I am. Hey Colin ever thought of ground wire from the top of the mast, who knows that might work. Keep the faith brother.
Maybe you like Costa Rica...but we were on a archeological expedition there in the 90s...it was ungodly hot, all of our equipment was damaged from the humidity not to mention jungle rot. The insects were unrelenting, after 4 weeks we had a mutiny on our hands. I would never return to that place.
Wow, that really sucks. Though you sound like you have it all under control. Wish you all the best.
And that my friends is how you UNCOOK your boat after Mother Nature let’s you know who is running the show …. 🤓🤭🥴. Nice problem solving, Coliin! 👍
I also have been struck by lightning. Everything DC was fried except GPS and Autopilot controller. BOTH were disconnected from DC power. I got lucky with the windlass. I had a main breaker connected and thankfully did its job.. When we leave the boat for any extended period of time, we disconnect everything DC that's possible.. Funny thing.. My stainless VHF antenna on top or the mast was like a piece of rope.. The tail on the wind vane had blown the tail off.. Gotta laugh at what's possible when you get a lightening strike. .. Good luck
Thank you so much for sharing the ups and downs of your journey.
Grate to see the gang back together
Good for you Colin, you are doing the right things. I have examined a few boats after lightning strike, never fun. The suggestion offered by Ken Scicologist here is the best I have seen, kudos to him. I too have seen these Spark Gap plates on broadcast station masts.
Pleasantly surprised you have a spare Victron Inverter onboard.
Great episode I am so sorry for your troubles that sucks. As an electrician of 30 years I can appreciate what you are doing. you defiantly have trouble shooting skills not many people can. good luck
I think we definitely could say that Colin is not a guy that see a half-empty glass
Bad luck Colin. All the best to you and your team. 🐟
*Awwww Colin... mate, that is unbelievable & such bad luck, to be struck by lightening a second time.... I hope parts won't be costing you too much & also won't take too long to get all the parts to you as well. Glad some parts were abled to be salvaged. I really feel for you, going thru it all again. Keep calm & get up & running again. Once again things will hold you up on the sailing schedule... but it is what it is.*
Ugg! Such-a-pain getting struck by lightning and now the tedious process to test troubleshoot and cycle all electrical one by one.
Best wishes mate!
Best wishes with the repairs, Colin.
You got this! 👍
Sorry to hear this has happened again to a fellow Kiwi. Your work effort is inspiring. A lightening strike is one of my major fears on our Leopard 48. Your are like the terminator you just keep on going, Epic!!!
Gutted for ya,great you've got the brains and skills to remedy it..
Never dry fire a bow or crossbow
X
Bad luck , Youll remember this one , Leave the boat next to a boat with a higher mast LOL Youll get there mate , hang in .
Colin you have no luck! Your positivity is inspiring though! I wish I could keep that calm and positive.
Great content seeing you fix it all though 🙂
What a compact electronics lesson. Making something usefull from this misfortune. Steady forward.
Heart sank when i saw "We have lost everything".
oooff... mad props on not driving that car into the ocean screaming bloody murder after hearing the news of parlay being hit again.
Hoping your trip to New Zealand was wonderful and you had quality time with family and friends! Sad to see you having to come back home to your Lightning distraction! Hopefully it won't be too trying for you, It appears that you have been fortunate with your discoveries and mist importantly your boat didn't have hoke blown in it. That's a very wonderful gift in the midst of a potential disaster. Be Thankful for that one Surely! Do you have a grounding plate? And in observing the chain plate wire, you may want to change those from what appears to be 10;guage wire to perhaps #6 wire, wouldn't hurt to step them up again if you are in lightning frequent areas. Enjoy the Days, Be Blessed and Smile at the trials Life challenges us with. Fare winds Always
Whew! How about an idea I heard from an old man decades ago. Get some heavy gauge jumper cables. In a lightning storm screw one end to the mast. Connect a sheet of copper to the other end. Place the sheet of copper in the sea. In theory the aluminum mast is more conductive than the shrouds and given more readily to grounding. Disconnect all wires going to your electronics if possible. It worked well for me in the 80's, although my vessel was not nearly as sophisticated as yours. At least it should help with shroud damage. Best wishes. Jon
I was thinking the same on your ground wire when you showed the first shot
You mentioned how the lightning looks for a way off the yacht. I was wondering if you could maybe “invent” something like a static strap to earth the boat out so the electricity ⚡️ from the lightning strike finds a way off the boat to reduce the damage $$$
That’s while she’s on the dock. “You Know what I mean Colin”? Valvoline. 😂
There must be a lesson in this for all boat owners. Some lightning protection to avoid smashing the electronics? It must be easier than replacing all the electronics - again?
OMFG struck again. Well, amazing episode, one of the best. Thank you.
Keep your head up buddy, best if luck!
A good way to deal with mold and mildew on a boat is by burning sulphur pellets in a sulphur warmer. You could seal the boat up and run a sulpher warmer on a timer.
Damn man, what a shame. Hate to hear it, but it's just one of those risks that comes with boat life...or life near lightning zones in general. My house in Miami got hit by lightning too. Hope you guys find a quick way back from this. Thanks for walking us through the troubleshooting throught process, very valuable. Keep it up, cheers!
Sad news on any vessel lightning 🌩 sucks. Ground cable extremely too small need a welding cable and are all chainplates routed to the ground plate. An ion diffuser at the top of the mast is also great. Some old timers used to use chain on the chainplates submerged in the water for extra precautions. Good luck 🤞
Darn…. So sorry for the damage. You will get it all working again, y’all rock