When I bought my H-16 in 1985, I received a letter from Hobie offering to retrofit my mast with the Comptip mast. One thing that was said in the letter was that it would reduce the cone of protection from lightning by shortening the aluminum portion of the mast. I found information on a web site about sailboats and lightning where the author said the only thing more dangerous than being out on the water with a boat with a mast was to be on one without a mast. From all this I take it there is some protection from the mast but it is better not to be out there.

Howard