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Source: https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/13202
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

<p>What are your chances of getting struck by lightning in a canoe? I've done a lot of canoeing on stormy lakes before, but when the thunder comes what is the real risk of getting struck by lighting? </p>

<p>My thinking is, if you're on a mountain lake surrounded by mountains, the lighting is much more likely to strike the mountainside than it is to strike the water; the size of the lake, and the elevation of the storm clouds would of course have to be factored into your risk assessment, but even if the lake was wide enough, and the storm low enough and out over the middle of the lake so the lightning would strike the water, is there a chance that the lightning will strike a person sitting in a kevlar canoe? Does the construction of the canoe make you more or less likely to be struck by lightning? Will striking the water be the path of least resistance? </p>

<p>How likely are you to be struck in a canoe and what should you do if caught in a thunderstorm?</p>