Thread: Bonding
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Old 05-20-2017, 03:54 PM   #12
DHeckrotte
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City: Philadelphia, PA
Vessel Name: Revel
Vessel Model: 1984 Fu Hwa 39
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,024
Lightning protection is an interesting, but dark subject. Don't think of ordinary bonding systems for lightning protection: too many variables, the small conductors are nowhere near the size required; getting the lightning to actually go where you intend is a science including conductor size, connections, radii of turns, size of grounding pad.

Bonding is another interesting but dark subject. Both our 1970 Dutch-built sailboat and our 1984 TT were thoroughly bonded and with generally similar materials: glassed-in or tabbed-in copper straps, brass screws, copper wires to the various metal items in the water. Where the copper straps and brass screws were in periodic contact with salty (bilge) water there's a fair bit of corrosion (much worse on the sailboat because of locations and heeling).

I will be restoring the continuity and completeness of the TT's bonding system, it's mostly there and only a few replacement throughhulls were left unconnected. I added bonding wires to the stainless steel swim platform brackets because they were corroded where they extended below the waterline. Too easy to do and I was already in pain from excessive time kneeling in the Lazarette.
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