Best Spinnaker Colour?

A

AdamH

New Member
Joined
14 Feb 2005
Messages
12
Location
Portsmouth, UK
Visit site
I'm about to buy a new spinnaker for my E-Boat and want to have a subtle blend of 'sporty' (For round the cans racing) and 'longevity' (obvious reasons). My boat has red/white topsides.

What should be the best (single) colour for me to order the new spinnaker? White? Light grey? What do all the 'fast boys' use these days?

Your comments please?

Many thanks
 
I thought it was white, because in a melée at the downwind mark it makes the transgressor harder to identify from the committee boat.
 
Spinnaker

White was trendy but by now probably passe, and it does turn biege in time. Black used to be chosen years ago because in light airs on sunny days the convection currents kept it full, utter tosh! (Though dark spinnakers are easier to see at night and to look at on very bright days.)
If you are using just one colour, pick any one you like looking at or let you girlfriend choose. On many boats this is one of the few decisions females are allowed to make so it is a shame to miss the opportunity and the brownie points.
 
Quandary said:
White was trendy but by now probably passe, and it does turn biege in time.
Click to expand...

Passe...?

http://www.pwpictures.com/image/20831?page=6 This year's winter series. White still very much the in vogue colour. Though I have to admit liking starspray's kite, (guess which one that is.....) and a distinctive kite will definitely get more photos taken of your boat.


Oh, and if you race at all, you really shouldn't keep a kite long enough for it to turn beige!
 
Colours

Flaming
Mine is white but now two years old, surely it must be out of date? I am too far from the South Coast to predict next years trend, but someone must be able to. If you are good enough you want a nice colour because all the boats following will be looking at it all season, if not so good perhaps something more reticent, white is good for that!
 
Adam,
Our E boat kite is kind of tired as well, where are you getting yours from and can i be cheeky and ask how much?

Our boat is White hull with red topside.
 
I've always had all yellow kites. Eye catching, the opposition can see you from miles away. Plus the sail looks bigger than it really is. Easy to trim at night and not too hard in bright sunshine either.

Don't go for 100 and 1 colours as they look awful.
 
Quandary said:
Flaming
Mine is white but now two years old, surely it must be out of date?
Click to expand...

Obviously you're cooler that you think! I haven't seen anything but white on a big race boat for a while. Except that one or two of them obviously have rather "simple" bowmen and have white for their "main" kite but different colours for their light and heavy kites. You can just imagine the conversation....

"Set up the heavy kite"
"grunt?"
"The heavy kite"
"grunt?"
"THE BLUE ONE!"
"Ah! Grunt..."
 
Quandary said:
White was trendy but by now probably passe, and it does turn biege in time. Black used to be chosen years ago because in light airs on sunny days the convection currents kept it full, utter tosh! (Though dark spinnakers are easier to see at night and to look at on very bright days.)
If you are using just one colour, pick any one you like looking at or let you girlfriend choose. On many boats this is one of the few decisions females are allowed to make so it is a shame to miss the opportunity and the brownie points.
Click to expand...

I have a feeling male taste in spinny colours is rather like that for female undies! Men go for far more dramatic colour combinations than women would be seen dead in;-) - or even sail in!
When we went for a new gennaker recently I handed the colour sample card to my wife - to eliminate the "undesirable" possibilities. I'd rather my "crew" were happy with the sail's colour as well as performance.
We ended up with a single purple- which was ironically the same colour as the assymmetric on my RS dinghy as well. A glorious colour in sunshine.
Multi colour can get OTT - and it takes the manufacturer longer to put together....
Graeme
 
Spinnaker colours

Sigma 33s used to have two standard colour schemes which Sobstadt made up in job lots through the winter, one crafty skipper paid more and got his made in reverse, caused a lot of confusion at the back of the fleet on windy days when those at the back tried to imitate him.
 
So which one is it then white or black?[/QUOTE]

Up north it does not get dark in the summer, away from land there is usually some light so I find that a darker shade shows up against the grey sky. To be really pedantic, if the outside panels are darkish, with the rest of the kite light, the trimmer can read the shape best. We once had a light blue one with the perimeter in dark blue which we liked because in those days most of the longer offshore races started near dusk on Friday night.
There is no chance of me ever flying a kite at night again, though!
 
Quandary said:
So which one is it then white or black?
Click to expand...

Up north it does not get dark in the summer, away from land there is usually some light so I find that a darker shade shows up against the grey sky. To be really pedantic, if the outside panels are darkish, with the rest of the kite light, the trimmer can read the shape best. We once had a light blue one with the perimeter in dark blue which we liked because in those days most of the longer offshore races started near dusk on Friday night.
There is no chance of me ever flying a kite at night again, though![/QUOTE]

What some sailmakers have started doing is putting dark lines on the edges of white kites - V shaped pointing at the luff. That's supposed to be best for trimming in low light.
 
AdamH said:
What should be the best (single) colour for me to order the new spinnaker?
Click to expand...
What colour do you like? Just get that. Unless you're racing a lot, in which case your sponsor decides.
My sponsor has final say over all aspects of boat expenditure. But then we've been married for over 10 years, so final say over expenditure isn't limited to boaty matters.
 
pagoda said:
I have a feeling male taste in spinny colours is rather like that for female undies! Men go for far more dramatic colour combinations than women would be seen dead in;-) - or even sail in!
Click to expand...

Ah, if you are comparing the spinnaker with her undies, well, I'll end up with a grey spinnaker that is one size too large and proportioned like those of Bridget Jones. (At least it'll keep Egret's 'waist' and bulges nice and warm...)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top