The old boat had copper screening glassed into the hull and that grounded to the keel bolts. None of it exited to the water. Worked fine.

This boat has a heavy copper braid connecting all the keel bolts together and since there are two keels that's my ground plane. Again nothing exiting to the water. Also works fine.

For lightning just used jumper cables clipped to the shrouds and hung over the side. But all the electronic items coming down the mast end up at a junction box exceptthe radome cable to the display/control unit which has to be disconnected at the bottom end. If it looks real bad I can open up that junction box and un do everything (LOPO light, deck lights, VHF antenna. Assuming I have time. The real purpose is when the cathedral mast is taken down for maintenane,repair or going under bridges.

M.