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Helping A Lightning Struck Catamaran
November 16, 2023 · 23 min · 3K views · St. Martin
What this video covers
The owners of *Moonlight Lady*, a 45-foot Leopard catamaran, suffered a direct lightning strike that destroyed the vessel's electronics, including the solar array, MPPT controller, navigation equipment, and refrigeration.4:28 The strike entered the mast, exited through the anchor chain, and caused approximately $28,000 in damage.1:02 While insurance covered the incident, the owners remained unable to complete repairs due to budget constraints.5:50 Through the Sailor Samaritan Fund, the crew sourced two new 1000 CCA sealed AGM starter batteries from Island Waterworld in Grenada to replace the boat's aging units.7:59 The installation involved disconnecting all DC power sources, including solar and house banks, before swapping the batteries and applying dielectric grease to the terminals to ensure long-term connection integrity.15:14 The vessel features twin 50-horsepower Yanmar engines with direct-drive transmissions.14:41 Despite the battery replacement, the owners still require approximately $3,500 to finish repairing the radar and chart plotters, with a future goal of upgrading the house bank to lithium batteries.20:45
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