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13-06-2013, 11:08
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#16
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Sasafra river,MD
Boat: gulfstar ketch 41 Surya
Posts: 674
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
Quote:
Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey
Everyone knows they are white so they don't sink.
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And when they do they are much easier to find on the bottom.
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13-06-2013, 11:25
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#17
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cruiser
Join Date: May 2010
Location: SF Bay Area; Former Annapolis and MA Liveaboard.
Boat: Looking and saving for my next...mid-atlantic coast
Posts: 6,197
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
Quote:
Originally Posted by S/V_Surya
And when they do they are much easier to find on the bottom.
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+1 ROFL
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13-06-2013, 11:29
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#18
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Washington State
Boat: Colvin, Saugeen Witch (Aluminum), 34'
Posts: 2,272
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
When salt spray evaporates, it leaves behind salt. Salt on white is less visible than other colors.
Steve (A fool who painted his boat black )
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13-06-2013, 11:29
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#19
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: So Cal
Boat: Catalina 387
Posts: 967
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
Mine is a kinda nasty early 80's Catalina beige sorta color. I wish it was white, as I dunno how I'd ever match the color for repairs.
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13-06-2013, 12:43
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#20
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Potomac/Chesapeake
Boat: Hunter 36
Posts: 663
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt.Alex
White is most common because it is most practical. It absorbs less heat, and scratches and scuff marks are less visible.
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That makes sense, although if you live in the northern latitudes, it seems like one would prefer to conserve as much heat as possible. I wonder how much difference that really makes though. I once went from a black car with a dark interior to the very opposite, and didn't notice any difference in temperature when out in the sun.
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13-06-2013, 13:54
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#21
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 11,002
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
Stand on the deck on a hot summer day in bare feet and you can feel the difference.
Also, most boats that come in other colors are high end models. A glossy dark gelcoat really shows off any imperfections in the hull.
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13-06-2013, 14:20
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#22
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Texas
Boat: 1987 Morgan 43
Posts: 118
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
Ours is a light blue, not so different from what it seems 99% of bimini are. It's oxidized a lot so it looks kind of like a dirty blue now. I suppose we'll run a buffer over it sooner or later and get a better look. We eventually want to get it painted white to minimize the issue. Although, those boats with navy blue hulls look pretty sweet.
__________________
s/v Driftwood
In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance.
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13-06-2013, 14:21
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#23
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Lake Ont
Posts: 8,547
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rohan
That makes sense, although if you live in the northern latitudes, it seems like one would prefer to conserve as much heat as possible.
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If you live that far north/south for that to actually matter, your sailing season is only about 6 weeks anyways. But you do get that 24 hr sunlight...
But the real reason that boats are white is because it makes all us pasty Caucasians look tanned.
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14-06-2013, 13:28
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#24
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Resin Head
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Seattle WA
Boat: Nauticat
Posts: 7,205
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rohan
Question from someone with very little knowledge of boat construction.
If I understand correctly fiberglass is simply plastic with glass fibers for additional strength (or carbon fibers instead in some cases).
So why are boat hulls always white? Is there a reason other than aesthetics? I've seen some powerboats in other colors, but I don't recall ever seeing a sailboat with a fiberglass hull other than white, although I could certainly be wrong. Still, while there may be exceptions, white is still overwhelmingly the dominant color.
Is there any reason other than preference? I would love to buy a boat in a unique color, but that doesn't seem to be possible without painting it.
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Reasons are numerous. White pigmented gel covers faster and lasts longer than other colors, because gloss white reflects the most UV and therefore receives the least amount of UV damage. Dark colors chalk up much quicker for this reason, and because much more pigment must be used in the gel to obtain the color. Warm colors like red have very little pigment in a clear base, and therefore require careful application of much thicker than normal gel to achieve coverage. This can lead to problems due to excessively thick gel. Heat absorption is also a key issue, as it is a primary cause of print through. This happens because the resin in the glass /resin matrix shrinks faster than the glass, leaving the glass weave clearly visible at the surface. This process is dramatically accelerated by dark colors. Walk some docks and find stock white fiberglass boats with a dark stripe or stripes, of some vintage, and inspect them carefully from a low angle. You will soon see severe print through in dark stripes, but none in the surrounding white hull. You will also note some boats have a "sunny side" that is worse.
__________________
O you who turn the wheel and look to windward,
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you.
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14-06-2013, 13:37
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#25
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Nanny State
Boat: 22' Westerly Nomad
Posts: 594
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt Rottnest
Topsides dont get much direct sun light so they can be any colour you want. But I notice that most sailboat owners are stunningly conservative and only want what everyone else has. Ours is a red. So was Moitessier's. Black would be good too.
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Moitessier's Joshua was steel.
__________________
Dean - 22' Westerly Nomad - Travelnik
A 14-foot mini-cruiser is minimalist. A 19ft is comfortable, and anything much larger than a 25 borders on ostentatious.
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14-06-2013, 13:44
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#26
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CF Adviser
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: sausalito
Boat: 14 meter sloop
Posts: 7,260
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
I ordered my boat white so it would match the Marine Tex epoxy putty when I have to fix dings.
__________________
cruising is entirely about showing up--in boat shoes.
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14-06-2013, 13:52
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#27
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Texas
Boat: 1987 Morgan 43
Posts: 118
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
Is there a actual color that matches? Sounds brilliant.
__________________
s/v Driftwood
In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance.
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14-06-2013, 14:11
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#28
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CF Adviser
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: sausalito
Boat: 14 meter sloop
Posts: 7,260
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Driftwoods
Is there a actual color that matches? Sounds brilliant.
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Yes, but Marine Tex will yellow over time, so at some point it's good to apply gel coat.
__________________
cruising is entirely about showing up--in boat shoes.
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14-06-2013, 14:44
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#29
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2008
Location: hard aground in C.FL
Boat: Bombay PH 31
Posts: 319
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
I've almost got enough together to go in the yard for about a weeks worth of gellcoat patching and fiberglass work.
wondering if i use gloss white enamel, how much dark blue would make a ice blue/bluewhite? or would light blue mixed in work?
(i'll be lucky to afford rustolem so buying ice-blue allgrip's a tad bit out!)
__________________
https://sailingodat.blogspot.com/ Please click to follow
"If you cant think of anything to be grateful for, list that which you should be grateful for"
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14-06-2013, 14:46
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#30
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC
Boat: C&C Landfall 38
Posts: 821
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Re: Question: why are fiberglass sailboat hulls always white?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guy
UV damage and temp.
There is this old saying, there only 2 colors to paint a boat, black or white. Only a fool paints his boat black.
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Nat Herreshoff said that and of course he was right.
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