Blue or White Bimini

[landonshaw]

I am having a bimini made for my boat. The SS supports should be finished today. I will contact a sail maker and will start to have the canvas top made. A question I have is what color should I use. My choices are White or Blue. There will be air flow to help keep things cool. I am leaning toward the darker color believing that it will remain cooler than if I go with white. Comments?

[Vasco]

To my surprise the dark colours stand up much better in the tropical sun. I chose linen but if I had to do it over I'd get flag blue. Also doesn't show every little smudge.

[Wotname]

White will be cooler but normally the amount of air flow under the bimini will negate any such advantage.

Blue looks more nautical (IMO) and doesn't show the dirt any near as much as white. I have had equal wear from both colors; any differences might reflect the quality of the materials used.

[rtbates]

always use a dark color as they get hot enough to kill mold & bateria where as the lighter colors do not..That's why darker colors last longer than lighter colors...

[daddle]

I wish I had white. But I've dark blue. The top of my head burns from the radiated heat. I bet the dark blue cloth is around 150 degrees. It's uncomfortable to touch.

White if you are where it's hot and sunny.

[svHyLyte]

We have a "Pepsi Blue" and white striped bimini (see snap below) while our sistership, one slip away, has a Navy Blue bimini of the same design. The difference in the heat one feels under these is quite remarkable under the southwest Florida summer sun.



FWIW...

[barnakiel]

Yes, the dock wisdom has it the dark colors stand up better.

And yet, touch the dark canvas and the light one on a sunny day - which is hotter? Some of the heat will be transferred to the top of your head.

I say make dark canvas in less sunny climes and light ones if there is a lot of sun IF YOU WANTTO KEEP THE BOAT COOL.

b.

[capt_douglas]

I had a brown one (matched the dodger). It got a bit warm to the touch but did a fine job of lowering the temperature. After a few years in the Caribbean sun, it was more tan/bone colored but still did its job.

White, to me, is hard to keep clean and plaid a bit too much. Go with the color you like.

I'd not use a dark color for the boat awning though.

[Roy M]

I found that the darker colors provide, at least, a perception of deep shade which is lacking in the lighter colored factors. I suspect that the light energy penetrating the fabric still has the capacity to heat the substrate. Any physicists out there? Mine was a dark brown boom awning that also shaded the cabin top, and had enough air circulation beneath to possibly draft accumulated hot air away from one's head while seated in the cockpit.

[FrankZ]

I went light gray. Doesn't seem to show dirt as fast as white and stays cool.

[Kay Koudele]

Whether light or dark, we found that by adding zippers to the sides of the bimini, we could attach panels in all directions as needed for additional shade. That greatly helped the coolness factor for low angled sun in tropic climes. By tying them to the life lines, we kept the air circulating.
www.kaykoudele.blogspot.com

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Roy M

I found that the darker colors provide, at least, a perception of deep shade which is lacking in the lighter colored factors. I suspect that the light energy penetrating the fabric still has the capacity to heat the substrate.

I went with the Marine blue for the same reason. The lighter colors allow the light/heat to pass thru which only gets one out of the direct sun but not into the shade.

If you look around the marina you'll see the darker colors are the older ones. NEVER get red.

[nhschneider]

I have been told that blue doesn't absorb ultraviolet rays and therefore lasts longer. The same reason the sky appears blue - the atmosphere absorbs all spectrum of light except blue and reflects it back to earth.

Fair winds and clam seas.

[delmarrey]

Maybe this will help.

UV-Visible Spectroscopy

[rtbates]

IF you really want to keep the heat out line the underside of the awning with an aluminum foil product..