What shade of White

[PamlicoTraveler]

I am getting a new Genoa and have decided to change to a neutral color sunbrella cover. I have seen a lot of traditional boats that have hat appear to be white sailcovers and they look good.

Does anyone know if they are normal "white," or are they more often "natural," or "oyster," or some other shade?

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by PamlicoTraveler

I am getting a new Genoa and have decided to change to a neutral color sunbrella cover. I have seen a lot of traditional boats that have hat appear to be white sailcovers and they look good.

Does anyone know if they are normal "white," or are they more often "natural," or "oyster," or some other shade?

I have white and regret it...gets dirty easily..and eventually the sun "bakes" the dirty in and its pretty hard to keep it clean.

[thinwater]

White does NOT block the UV as well. Maybe the the difference does not seem huge, but over 10 years it is, like a year naked.

[RGN]

My 135% has a white sail cover that is almost the exact same color as the sail. Unless you look hard from a few feet away it appears the sail has no UV strips.

An observation, that you did not ask for😊, is that I have come to prefer the more "Normal" dark blue stripe. Why? One for the above mentioned getting dirty, but more for being able to see that the fuel is tight and does indeed cover the white sail cloth completely. I also suspect, wrongly perhaps, the darker color is a better UV block.

There are other fabrics than Sunbrella that seem to work well.

[JPA Cate]

No, RGN, you're correct, the darker colors are better UV absorbers. Take a close look at thinwater's chart, above.

Ann

[Scrimshaw4]

The lighter the color, the cooler the material resulting in increased mold growth! Nasty black mold is hard to remove without damaging the thread and diminishing the water repelancy also. JMHO

[wrwakefield]

Another thought: a much easier to install and lighter sun cover is stick on UV treated stick-on Dacron material. [The same used for Dacron sail repair...]

Many sailmakers are going this route. Stick it on, then sew. Much lighter than Sunbrella for light air sailing.

This is discussed in detail by a formaer sailmaker and current cruiser on Attainable Adventure Cruising. [The modest membership fee is well worth it to me...]

In case this is also of interest.

Cheers! Bill