In a message dated 11/17/02 8:26:50 PM, winarski@cox.net writes: << Has anyone installed a lightning arrestor ? There appears to be nothing on this in the archives. Stan Winarski M-15, #177, Carol II >> Stan, I have one of the Forespar lightning dissipaters installed at the masthead of my M15. It is a stainless rod about 12" long with thousands of thin stainless 'hairs' emanating from the tip. It is supposed to bleed off electrical potential. I also have a lightning ground system consisting of two very large gauge welding cables with lugs/copper pipe sections on one end (that trail in the water--one on each side of the boat) and lugs on the other end. These lugs are attached to bolts via wing nuts to tangs on either side of the mast tabernacle (they share the bolt that secures the mast). The cables are only deployed when the threat of lightning is immanent. Lightning is infrequent in the San Francisco bay area. I put this system together for sailing in Sierra lakes where afternoon thunderstorms are more common. I can't attest to the effectiveness of the Forespar unit, but then again I have never been hit! Scott Grometer, M15#478 'bebe'