New Dodger ... What Colour ?

[reiner]

It's really starting to hurt my head. We are ready to order a new dodger for the boat we just bought.39ft Challenger.
Right now it is all grey, very little green and white.
Somebody told me green is bad luck and my better half doesn't want green now. I keep looking at the other boats in our marina and 80% of them are some sort of blue. I would love to have a red and white boat but nobody else has red canvas......what do I do?
I really don't like grey and worry that dark blue gets a bit hot here in Brisbane /Australia.
Has anybody any ideas about colours?

[ovrmyhead]

Wouldnt worry about dark colors, its the shade that counts! I just got mine back yesterday, I went with black down here in Puerto Vallarta and
I think it looks great!

[Doodles]

There is a reason 80% are blue and that's what I'd go with. Personally there is a blue tweed that has a black thread in it that I like and it would probably look good with the grey.

Red and yellow fade quickly. White and beige get dirty quickly. After blue it would be green, but you've ruled that out so I vote for blue.

[svBeBe]

There is another reason to go with the blue or green -- darker colors last longer. The darker colors sustain less UV damage than white, beige or light gray. In 2005 I read a study that the manufacturer of Sunbrella fabric underwent in Florida. They used every color of Sunbrella that was manufactured at the time and constructed basically small tents which were placed side-by-side in full Florida sunlight. They measured temperatures beneath each and rated for longevity. Darker colors lasted longer. Temperatures beneath made no difference by color -- except for an interesting note. People felt they were cooler when standing beneath the darker colors. Strictly a psychological effect as there was no measured temp difference. They called it the "cave" effect....because someone was beneath a dark color they felt more protected from the sun than when beneath light colored fabric.

As others noted in this thread, reds, oranges and yellows faded quickly. Blues, greens, browns and blacks did not.

Judy

[Geoduck]

since when is green bad luck? What about the 4 leaf clover?

[four winds]

The most unlucky race car on the track is said to be a green Corvette. Not sure of the origin but first heard this decades ago.

I'm not a believer, and apparently the British aren't either. Considering the use of British Racing Green is widely lauded.

[mikereed100]

A buddy who makes his living on canvas work tells me the only 2 colors that don't fade are blue and black. I have a black dodger on my Catalina that is 20 years old and still going strong. The old one was brown which ended up a weird green after 10 years. A black dodger on a red boat might look very cool. A red dodger will be pink in short order I would think.

[Randyonr3]

There are dozzens of colors to chose from and dozzens of combinations to chose from ..
recently we did a complete cover from Dubonnet Tweed with a 4 foot center of Parchment ..
our new covers for our boat are a combination of Black and Blue with Pacific blue in the center of the bimini and Doger and a design layed out on the sail cover of a "Z" stripe in black and blue..

[speciald@ocens.]

Stay away from "brass" or is it "bronze", It has red in it and fades quickly. Same reason to avoid "red". I like "Toast", Its light enough, doesn't show dirt, and doesn't fade.

[ka4wja]

Reiner,
Perhaps I can help.....

Originally Posted by reiner

I would love to have a red and white boat but nobody else has red canvas......what do I do?

Has anybody any ideas about colours?

I have RED canvas, and I've had it now for about 4 years in southern Florida (27* lat), it is up 365 days a year, including 4 long hot summers in south Florida...
And, I LOVE it....

I do have lots of pictures, but I took them with an old $9 disposable camera, and as such my red canvas looks to have a bit of an orange tint....but in real life it IS red!!!
Hesitant to post 'em, since they don't look truly red....bit have a look...
(my hull is "Ted Hood Blue" Awlgrip, with red boot and cove stripes and my canvas is red sunbrella)
My original dodger and bimini were light grey, and I have some pictures of that as well....so you can see the difference....

Yes, colored canvas DOES fade over time, and red will fade just like all other colors....
Some say red fades quicker than other colors, but that has not been my experience, as I have a friend who got a new blue dodger at the same time I got my new red one, and they both still look pretty good!!! Just MY opinion, based on MY experiences, as I'm not a canvas guy!!!...
And, I've also heard some say that red fades to "pink" in a year or so....well, that has NOT been my personal experience.....(365 days / year exposure....4 long south Florida summers, and it is still RED!!!!)
{I am NOT trying to sway you to buy red canvas, nor any color at all....just trying to make sure you get your questions answered...
And, yes, I AM fully aware that it will eventually fade (like all colors)...and fade to pink....but, I wonder how many of those who advise to stay away from red canvas, actually have red canvas????
I don't know....
But, I do hope that you find my personal, real-world, hands-on, experience with my red canvas, to be helpful....}


So, as long as you understand colors will fade eventually, my advice is:
a) Make sure the design of your new dodger / bimini is optimal for your boat / your application, and that it is to your liking!!! (this is VERY important, as there are things that can make a dodger/bimini a real joy or a real pain.....
Getting it right isn't hard...but this is an area where "one size does NOT fit all.."
b) seek recommendations for a high-qualty, experienced, canvas maker in your area, and ask to see somee of their work...
c) buy the color that YOU want (or more precisely, that you and your better half want), and you will be happy....
d) don't let the detractors sway what YOU want...afterall, it is YOUR boat, not theirs...and YOU are paying the $$$$...


Here are links to the pictures, with article / detailed explanations...
Enjoy...
new red canvas...
Bimini

old grey canvas....
Solar Panels and
Annie Laurie Translant


I do hope this helps...

John
s/v Annie Laurie

[delmarrey]

Dark blues or a black will last the longest and provide the best shade. Light colors will allow the light to pass thru making it hotter under them. Ventilation is the key.

Also, make sure you get a good stitching thread that will take the UV's!!!

[barnakiel]

We went from deep blue to deep yellow and I like it, but it does get dirty early.

b.

[zeehag]

my formpoa has green covers--i cannot say is bad luck--that is in the mind of the individual who doesnt like the color green.

[Paul Elliott]

And then there are the aesthetic concerns...

On VALIS I ended up choosing a white dodger. Because of the bridge-deck, the dodger needed to be a big one (tall enough for me to crouch under as I go below). I felt that a dark color would look big, while the lighter dodger would perhaps be not so obvious.

Most of the time VALIS is in a slip, and I have a blue sunbrella cover, so I can't really comment on the longevity of the white fabric.

Photo of VALIS with dodger

[reiner]

Originally Posted by zeehag

my formpoa has green covers--i cannot say is bad luck--that is in the mind of the individual who doesnt like the color green.

I quiet like green, we have many covers ( windows and hatches) which are green and grey. I need to work on the woman and might do a green dodger after all. The sail bag and other bits are pretty new ( grey) so that would work with green and I can leave them for some years without making the boat look to mixed.