What is there to do after lightning hits your boat?

First, be thankful that only the boat was damaged, and not the crew. And, at least at first glance, there isn’t any major structural damage to Oso. In some cases, lightning energy can actually blow metal below-the-waterline fittings out of the boat, leading to sinking. In our case, the damage seems mostly limited to electrical components. At least the boat is not sinking!

Removing the damaged Empirbus nodes and membrane panels and installing the spares we thankfully already had onboard
Installing and updating the spare Empirbus parts
Lightning damaged Empirbus parts

Second, start working on digging out from under the pile of damaged gear. And before that digging can begin, the initial step is to make a list of what doesn’t work – for our list, see the bottom of the post.

Mike up the rig to do a thorough check of the standing rigging and evaluate the lights, antennas and wind speed/direction instrument at the masthead
What’s left of the VHF antenna after the lightning strike
Shattered tricolor navigation and anchor light

Luckily for us, Oso is insured against lightning damage. Aside from the hefty deductible that’s part of our policy, our experience with the insurance company has been quite positive. They have plenty of experience with this type of incident, and they’ve been quick to support us getting the repair process started as quickly as possible.

Our insurance company hired a boat surveyor to visit Oso and assess the damage and verify the lightning strike
Oso’s battery bank below the aft berth
Obvious bulging sides of the batteries

As part of our policy, the insurance company will pay for a marine repair company to return Oso to pre-strike condition. After thinking it over, though, we decided to take on as many of the repairs as possible ourselves. Hilton Head Island, while a mostly-pleasant vacation spot, is not really a destination for cruising boats, so it’s also not a good spot for finding experienced marine technicians. And in our experience, no one cares as much about Oso as we do, so we think that we’ll get higher quality work if we just take it on ourselves. The exception is the main engine – the computer-controlled Volvo Penta D4-180 aboard Oso really requires a factory-trained technician with special equipment to troubleshoot and repair it, so that’s something we’re happy to outsource.

Investigating the isolation transformers in the cockpit locker
In spite of the fact that Oso is unbelievably broken, we are stuck in the ridiculously hot and humid S Carolina summertime climate, and Mike continually needs to contort himself into some crazy position to either figure out what is broken or to fix what is broken, Mike still has a great attitude and finds things to smile and laugh about.  Attitude is everything.

So, it’s “just” a matter of ticking items off the list as they are removed and replaced. Of course, most of the damaged items on the list require plenty of twisting, stretching, and contorting to even reach the spot where the non-working device is located. But it’s likely to take weeks to get repair parts for the main engine, and then get them installed, so at least we have the time.

Oso Lightning Damage List

  • Volvo Penta D4-180 main engine
  • All eight digital switching nodes
  • All three digital switching control panels
  • Digital switching interface
  • Main salon stereo
  • Main salon amplifier
  • Aft cabin stereo
  • Masthead wind indicator
  • Masthead VHF antenna
  • Masthead tricolor/anchor light
  • 24V battery monitor
  • 110V inverter
  • Both refrigerators and freezer
  • Diesel tank level gauges
  • All sailing instrument displays
  • Chartplotter
  • Primary autopilot
  • Secondary autopilot
  • Electrical system monitor and display
  • 12V battery monitor
  • Sail furling remote control
  • AIS transceiver
  • Half of galley lights
  • Half of main salon lights
  • Forward cabin reading lights
  • Bow thruster
  • Steaming light
  • Remote engine start battery switch
  • 24/12V DC/DC charger
  • Forward diesel heater
  • Bulging cases on all batteries
  • Davit/swim platform remote control
  • 12V battery charger
  • Forward holding tank monitor
  • All binnacle control backlights
  • Mast-mounted radar
  • Port, starboard, and stern navigation lights
  • Carbon spinnaker pole shows heat damage around metal fittings
  • VHF antenna control box
  • Bilge pump switch
  • 24V alternator
  • Anchor light switch