Should I Ground My Boat When It Is Out of the Water on the Hard?

Question:

Jeff, greetings from England.  My grp-hulled motorcruiser is connected to shorepower when on hardstanding and I wonder if the common bonding/DC -ve/AC ground point (through-hull anode) should be deliberately Earthed, or can I rely upon the conductor in the shorepower lead alone?  Perhaps with a wire clipped to the external anode post and down to a solid Earth?  I've noticed that aircraft are invariably Earthed, not just when refuelling.  Or is this a rabbit hole?  Thanks for all of your invaluable online education.   - Colin

Answer:

This is a great question and I am not sure of the answer. When the boat is out of the water, I too have thought of connecting my propeller shaft via a wire to a stake in the earth to properly ground my vessel. That said, don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone do it. At the very least, you should have your boat connected to shore power so that you get a grounding connection from shore power.  Let me know what you end up doing?  I would love to share your answer.