Lightning and power surge

Short answer

Lightning is a named peril in every level of hull cover, and surge, over-current or short-circuit damage to electrical equipment can be lightning damage as well.

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The wording says it in two sentences. Lightning strike is the direct passage of lightning onto property. Surge, over-current or short-circuit damage to electrical installations and equipment can also be lightning damage. The second sentence is the more useful one, because that is how boats actually break.

A mast does not attract lightning as such, but it stands as the highest point for a long way around. The direct hit is the rarer case. Far more common is the surge from a strike nearby, travelling in through the rig, the bonding or the shore power lead. It leaves no hole, it leaves dead equipment: chart plotter, VHF, autopilot, charger, engine management.

So after a thunderstorm check everything, including what still works. Equipment that has been weakened often fails weeks later, and by then the connection is hard to evidence. Have the installation tested after a strike nearby and keep the test report.

Surge exists without a thunderstorm as well, coming out of the marina supply. In our electric and hybrid cover the charging point is expressly included, so surge and short-circuit damage while charging from shore power is covered.

One point specific to long-distance cover: in the blue-water wording the excess applies to lightning damage too, including the electronics. It falls away only where a functioning lightning protection system is fitted, and only in the Mediterranean. If you are going far, settle that before you leave rather than after.

What speeds up a settlement: a list of equipment with type, serial number and purchase receipt, in the boat file or photographed to the cloud. After a lightning claim that list is the difference between one week and three months.

Worth remembering

It is not the strike that kills the equipment but the surge from one nearby.

Is lightning damage covered?

Yes. Lightning is expressly named as a natural peril in our wording and is included in every level of hull cover.

Is the electronics included after a strike?

Surge, over-current or short-circuit damage to electrical installations and equipment can be lightning damage, as the wording puts it. What matters is the evidenced connection to the event.

Does the lightning have to hit my boat directly?

No, and that is the rarer case. More often it is the surge from a strike nearby, travelling in through the rig, the bonding or the shore power lead.

What about surge without a thunderstorm, from shore power?

In our electric and hybrid cover the charging point is expressly included, and with it surge and short-circuit damage while charging.

What should I do after a thunderstorm?

Check everything, including what still works, have the installation tested and keep the report. Weakened equipment often fails weeks later.

What is stray current corrosion in a marina? What must I do on an official storm warning? Who has to prove what in a claim?