kayaking in a lightning Storm

Are we protected from electrocution siting on are plastic kayak if caught in a lightning storm?

Just wondering since the poor guy who died when hit by lightning while surfing in Venice Beach,CA.

Not a good idea to be on any body of water in any type of watercraft during a thunderstorm.  I was on Indian Creek Reservoir by Markleeville in my Pro Angler a few years ago when a fast moving thunderstorm moved through, I actually passed an aluminum boat with a electric trolling motor to get to the shore, I have never pedaled so hard in my life!  As soon as I got to the shore I dragged the PA out of the water and ran to my pickup and as soon as I got to my truck there was lightening on the lake.  Anymore if there are threatening storms I get the hell off the water, better to be safe than sorry.  I don't need to catch fish that bad! 

I don't think the plastic will isolate you to that degree of current.  Generally you have scupper holes so your isolation is pretty much gone.

also since the majority of fishing rods are graphite, they are likely to act as a lightning rod, except its not grounded.

here's an older article that shows what happens to fishing rods when hit by lightning:
http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/lightning-and-graphite-rods-make-a-deadly-combo

Short answer:
Heck no!  I don't fish in lightning storms.  Not worth the risk.

Long answer:
I was fishing with Guide Neil Taylor in Tampa and while we were paddling he told me a story.  In Tampa they are well known for their fast moving lightning storms.  One day he was out fishing solo on the other side of the bay.  He saw a quick moving storm come in and with all of his experience he knew what was coming.  So he hightailed it to the closest bank and dug himself in under an overhang.  His kayak stayed at the water's edge.  He waited out the storm but heard a loud "crack!".  After the storm was over, he went back to his kayak and saw that one of his St Croix's had been hit by lightning and was just shredded.  Luckily his kayak was OK but he decided to go home after that.

Definitely a NO NO, remember you have pointy metals in your arsonals, Ben Franklin uses a needle like rod to trap lightning current in a jar. 

Tahoe, summer, beautiful morning.
All of the sudden I could hear cracking in the distance.
Saw the clouds rolling in and got off the water ASAP.
By the time I was loading my kayak there was a huge down pour and lightening show.
Lightening can hit from ten miles away. Clear sky over you with a T-storm in the distance and you are a target.
Get off the water ASAP. If you have to, lay the rods on the beach next to your kayak.
Then make it a point not to be the tallest thing around and not to be next to the tallest thing around.

  
  lets just say if you see and hear lightning and thunder close by and your hair starts to raise up?  You need to get low real fast!  The charge is building up, causing your hair to "Stand Up" that taint a good thing!

I remember a long time ago flyfishing in the high Sierra's when a fast moving thunder shower came through and here I was clueless for about ten seconds with a graphite flyrod over my head. Needless to say the first bolt hit and I beat feet into my vehicle to watch the spectacle from a safe haven.

Lake Mendocino, Sept 2005.

After the Oregon Rockfish classic, I went with a couple of guys up to Pacific City. My hair felt like it was blowing in the wind but there was no wind. My paddle (carbon fiber) started buzzing like power lines. Thought I was just going crazy. As I was jigging, my rod would buzz as I lifted it up. Lower it would stop. Lift it would buzz. I think my kayak was skipping across the water coming back in. I was in my kevlar boat and the buzzing was just me, the plastic yaks were not conducting as nicely as mine.

Needed new shorts after that one.

 
  lets just say if you see and hear lightning and thunder close by and your hair starts to raise up?  You need to get low real fast!  The charge is building up, causing your hair to "Stand Up" that taint a good thing!

This happened to me on lake almanor spring 2013... Had a full mile of open water before I could make shore landing. Absolute terrifying. My two rods also began loading up with charge and then discharging (I guess) with an audible "snap!"... I buried the rod tips in the water as I peddled in my hobie, not too sure that made much of a difference, feel like I got lucky that day.

100% of the people struck and killed by lightning were outside in a thunderstorm. Most if not all the fishermen killed were not in boats but standing on a bank or on a dock next to the water. They got it half right in getting off the water but the other half killed them. Fishermen and boaters are often standing under a tree or a metal roof near a body of water when they are struck. More people are killed while outside playing soccer than outside playing golf. More soccer players and more reluctance to call a game on account of the predicted weather and a lot more people are going to be out on the open and presenting a potential target. More than one fifth of the water related deaths were while people were laying out by the water.

It may seem harsh but you have to be doing something stupid to get killed by lightning. Stupid in this case is knowing that there is an active thunderstorm with of course lightning present and still going or staying outdoors. The higher above the ground the person is at the time of a strike the greater the chances of the bolt moving across the ground and finding them. Examples include people riding bicycles, motorbikes, and ATV's, and even people on horseback.

Of the people killed so far in 2014 this becomes obvious. This is what these people were doing when they took a hit and died.

standing in backyard by tree
closing car windows
fishing at edge of lake
riding motorcycle on the highway
doing roofing at car dealership
picking blueberries
in park under a tree
on roadway fixing windshield wiper
under a tree while walking home
hiking on exposed trail
horseback riding on family property
sightseeing at parking area of overlook

See the common denominator? They were all outside. People have been struck while walking up to higher ground to get better cell reception. The recommended behavior with lightning is to go inside of a building or a vehicle or to find a place that is below surface level like in a ditch or culvert.

If someone is out on the water or at a beach or dock area they should get to their vehicle and stay inside it with the windows up until the storm cell has passed by completely. Otherwise they can easily become a statistic.

In Northern CA there are few days during the year when there is intense thunderstorm activity and wiser to cancel any boating plans or any activity that entails being outside.