Thanks Neil,

The only thing I would add is that the Maltese Falcon is a 2008 yacht and there probably are more technically modern solutions available by now…

However, I agree, I too couldn’t find anyone who offered guarantees…so I feel it’s simply a case of damage limitation.

The mega yacht Maltese Falcon’s lightening dissipation solution made the most sense to me both technically and financially…

Plus if it’s good enough for a mega yacht it should be worth the investment for my boat too.

Wishing you all the very best of lightning protection.

Fair winds,



Sonia
SY Salacia

+x

 

Neil Davies - 22 Jun 2024

Greetings:
Has anyone had any experience with lightning protection systems for sailboats?  Having suffered a bad strike 18 months ago, I know first hand what the damage was.  We lost all electronics, some electrical components, engine ECMs, alternators, batteries, starter motors......and the list goes on.  I recently came across a device called the CMCE Lightning Supressor.  Heres a link to the product:
https://capitolelectronics.com/products/prevent-lightning-strikes/ 
I am interested to know if anyone has experience with this or other devices, or any direct knowledge as to whether such devives are beneficial

Thanks
Neil
SV Midnight Sun III

One more anecdote to confuse everyone. 
Several years ago I was visiting a pulp mill in the US South which was in a hot lightning area.  The engineer I was working had previously been responsible for installing a couple of million dollars worth of complex wire spools on the top of the mill's half dozen tall stacks (around 150-200 ft high)  I had noted similar installations in some mills in the area, while some mills had nothing. 
I asked him how the company justified the investment and he replied that despite considerable research he was unable to find a rational way of calculating the value of the protection, but the company management decided to install, to be conservative.

Neil M - thaks for the anecdote.  Yes, I am also an engineer and have done a lot of work in the SE USA on a variety of projects including power generation.  I have reached out to a couple of my past clients to see if they have an "expert" on protection and so far it seems that its very much "rule of thumb" and difficult (if not impossible) to quantify the benefits.
As I get more information, I will try to post a summary of my thoughts, findings, and path forward.  But please expect that to be a few weeks out.
Neil
SV Midnight Sun III