I saw the latest BoatU.S. Magazine and the article on the electric fish fence in the canal leading into Lake Michigan. At first glance I was startled, and at second glance I was aghast!
I noticed in the article that the system actually drew a one-foot arc between two boats! At the voltage being supplied (3,000v) and with a system capable of supplying 2,000a, the potential for disaster is tremendous in two areas
First, the Coast Guard states that the system is potentially dangerous and requires Type 1 life jackets for transiting the area. I would like to review the technical report which claims that the current is not strong enough to electrocute someone. If it can produce an arc in freshwater, it can also cause electrocution. So, admitting that paralysis would occur, it's still okay if you're wearing a life jacket because you would float face up?
The second concern is pleasure boats, which are traveling in increased numbers on these waterways. All it would take is a plastic or wood vessel with an incomplete bonding system to establish the conditions to draw an arc like the one described in the article. If the arc is in the interior of a pleasure vessel, consider someone in the engine room of a pleasure boat who could become part of the conductive path by touching the wrong things down there
A shocking topic
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Scruffy the janitor
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A shocking topic
Now hold on, Iron Joe...
