A well-designed lightning protection process for boats on average includes a several key parts: an air terminal (often a lightning pole at the the top of mast), a down conductor (a low-resistance course for the energy to follow), and a grounding process that properly disperses the charge to the water. On sailboats, the mast frequently works as the key conductor, while steel keels or grounding plates are used to speak to the sea. Some methods also contain bonding, which attaches different metallic elements onboard (like railings, motors, and tanks) to lessen the chance of side sensations and assure the current runs properly overboard. boat lightning protection