Where in the United States does a boat need lightning protection?
Thomson: Wherever there is any possibility that it could get struck by lightning. No one who has ever been there would dispute the threat posed by lightning to boaters in Florida, but the temptation is to think that in a place like California, with very low lightning incidence, lightning protection is not needed. But even there, lightning strikes do happen and the consequences can be serious. For example, just last year a 20-foot sailboat with four people aboard was reported sunk off Dana Point in California because of damage from a lightning strike.
