Copper strip earthing and EWOF

[CarpeDiem 570]

I have a Bronze sintered grounding plate on the hull for the SSB. 

Very similar, if not identical, to the smallest of these:

The SSB has a wide/thin copper tie, 2" +/- wide x 1mm that connects to this. 

Why does it use a copper strip instead of just a wire?

Can I use this as my EWOF marina AC earth? 

Thanks 

[Island Time 1,345]

Not for commercial survey. Most private vessels don't have ground plates. You don't have to have a ground plate for an ewof. Your ac ground should be connected to your DC ground (bus bar, engine, whatever it is) at ONE location only. IMO you should have a galvanic  isolator in the AC ground, near the shorepower connection.  This is only strongly advised in the regs.

The SSB uses flat copper strap as it works better than a cable for RF grounds.  Round cable is not great for a ground plane connection. This is NOT an electrical ground, but an RF ground, they are very different!

[Neil 35]

On 7/11/2021 at 11:41 AM, Island Time said:

"You don't have to have a ground plate for an ewof. Your ac ground should be connected to your DC ground (bus bar, engine, whatever it is) at ONE location only. IMO you should have a galvanic  isolator in the AC ground, near the shorepower connection.  This is only strongly advised in the regs."

@IslandTime Do you know if this is still true? My eWOF is about to expire and I'm being told I'll now need to have grounding plate. Is that a new thing? 

 

[CarpeDiem 570]

Bottom line... It depends on the inspector...

The 2014 standard which seems to be the one most look to, states that a plate is required. It must be 0.1m2, min 5mm thick and min 20mm wide. 

However the 2008 standard is the one that's legally required to be adhered to. I don't have that standard and don't know what it says about equipotential bonding.

I just did a mates in Westhaven in November, I used the saildrive for the bond, (with a galvanic isolator), and the inspector ewof'd it...

 

[Psyche 902]

On 6/11/2021 at 9:06 PM, CarpeDiem said:

The SSB has a wide/thin copper tie, 2" +/- wide x 1mm that connects to this. 

I'd just like to compliment you on your bilingual abilities, I too am reasonably fluent in imperial and own several whitworth spanners

[aardvarkash10 1,160]

3 hours ago, Psyche said:

I'd just like to compliment you on your bilingual abilities, I too am reasonably fluent in imperial and own several whitworth spanners

Bi-numeral, surely?

A measurement worthy of Mr Bernard St Francis Whitworth-Socket (BSF to his friends), a famed (if apocryphal) bicycle mechanic of Sheffield.  Later a Design Asst. for Norton motorcycles where his flexible approach to units of measurement led to the inclusion of minor but infuriating oil leaks as a standard feature in all crankcases and a wide range of gearboxes.

[LBD 212]

13 minutes ago, aardvarkash10 said:

Bi-numeral, surely?

 

And your pronouns are?

[aardvarkash10 1,160]

2 hours ago, LBD said:

And your pronouns are?

UNC/UNF

[Island Time 1,345]

On 12/01/2026 at 3:59 PM, Neil said:

@IslandTime Do you know if this is still true? My eWOF is about to expire and I'm being told I'll now need to have grounding plate. Is that a new thing? 

 

As CD said. Like all of it, up to the inspector. I don't have a plate, but my keel is connected to the bonding system, and is used as both a SSB ground plane, and ships ground. Bigger by a fair bit than a plate...