Llightning ground - to where?

 Because we were told that the engine was not the place the lightning ground from the mast I asked for some input from the Sailnet forums.


My question:


"We are installing an AC unit and there is a lightning ground cable going from the mast to the engine .

It needs to be moved over and so of course needs to be replaced because moving it makes it too short to reah the engine if we move it.
I was told that the engine is not the place to ground for lightning. That a lightning strike on the mast would go through the cable as designed and then possibly damage the engine.
On our old Perkins that is where the ligtning ground cable went is to the Perkins. Now that was in 1978 and things have changed, not the lightning but the way some things are done. We have since repowered and left the lightning ground attached to the new engine.
I however was thinking that if the lightning ground were to go to say a through hull it could blow the through hull out of the boat leaving a gaping hole. It would be preferable not to have the lightning and then to have a damaged engine rather than a gaping hole in the boat.
What is the thoughts on this please, there must be better ideas?"