Blue Hulled Yachts !

[Budgieboy]

Hi

After a bit of knowledge ... In my search for a live aboard / blue water yacht , I have come across a possible candidate with a blue hull , I have always believed they absorb heat , is this true ? We are heading for the tropics / tradewind belts so would be important that they don't absorb too much , anyone with any experience out there ? comments will be appreciated :encouragement:

 

[Wansworth]

Simple testvwill show that dark colours are heat absorbing..... best white hull and deck ,if not a light green deck and light blue hull,maybe

 

[mainsail1]

Schoolboy science tells us that blue will absorb more heat than white but whether it is a big problem with boats in the tropics I leave others to tell you. However my experience of blue hulls is that they are hard work as you spend a lot of time cleaning off white oxidisation. Unless you don't care what your hull looks like and are happy with whitish faded blue.

 

[macd]

Simple testvwill show that dark colours are heat absorbing.....

Another simple test (not to mention looking it up) will show that dark colours are also better at radiating heat...so where does that leave you?
In sunshine, dark will absorb heat more than white; at night it will do the opposite. And when the tropical sun is strongest, of course, the topsides are almost completely in shadow.
I've had a dark blue boat in the tropics and, whilst it wouldn't be my first choice for the maintenance reasons stated, can't say it made life unbearable, particularly since I spent much of the daytime on deck or ashore.

 

[Budgieboy]

Another simple test (not to mention looking it up) will show that dark colours are also better at radiating heat...so where does that leave you?
In sunshine, dark will absorb heat more than white; at night it will do the opposite. And when the tropical sun is strongest, of course, the topsides are almost completely in shadow.
I've had a dark blue boat in the tropics and, whilst it wouldn't be my first choice for the maintenance reasons stated, can't say it made life unbearable, particularly since I spent much of the daytime on deck or ashore.
Read more at http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?447703-Blue-Hulled-Yachts-!#4LtGxRXm48037prl.99

That's an interesting bit of information , how much maintenance are they ? never thought of the cleaning side of them

 

[macd]

That's an interesting bit of information , how much maintenance are they ? never thought of the cleaning side of them

As mainsail wrote in post #3, darker hulls (they don't have to be blue) tend to develop a chalky bloom after long periods of exposure to strong UV. This can be hindered by waxing, but it can still mean periodic cutting/polishing if you want to keep the boat looking at its best. Incidentally, white gelcoat also suffers from the same chalkiness: it's just that the effect is far less obvious.

 

[Tranona]

That's an interesting bit of information , how much maintenance are they ? never thought of the cleaning side of them

Dark colours and particularly blue are well know for being poor when used in gel coats and tend to both show every little mark and go chalky over time. Does not affect durability particularly but looks cosmetically poor. Painted (such as Awlgrip) blue is much better in this respect as it seems to keep its colour and gloss much better than gel coat. The great advantage of white apart from not fading is that it can still look good even if not polished and pampered.

 

[mikeinkwazi]

When I sailed my K36 Tri to the Med in 2005 I painted the (large!) deck area white. I forgot to do the blue floor under the cockpit boards. I the Med a disbelieving crew burned their bare feet on the hot cockpit! NB logically Red should be a good hot-sun-colour, but it fades to girly pink very fast.

 

[Rivers & creeks]

In the baking hot sun of southern England the blue hull heated up so much that the cupboards behind it became like ovens, it meant that in summer the boat never really cooled down in the evenings. Last summer it was painted off white and the difference was huge. OK we have very large topside areas but still. Golly blue looks good though.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Composite gliders are nowadays all white to avoid overheating and consequent material degradation. Even the identifying letters (G-WHIZ) are done in light grey. I doubt whether it matters on older yachts, but I would be a little wary about overheating the structure of modern and more carefully engineered ones.

 

[pmagowan]

Has nobody ever heard of insulation? It will keep heat out or in!

 

[bbg]

One option is to get the boat wrapped in plastic or vinyl (not sure which) with the graphics / colour of your choice.

If you get it professionally done it will look amazing, no-one will know that it is not a lovely paint job. I had a quote for a 6.5 m boat with graphics a few years ago. I think it was around 1500 EUR.

That will kill a few birds with one stone - change the colour to something lighter
- you can get the boat's name put on in larger / smaller letters or a different font
- add some graphics if you want to
- protect the gelcoat from UV

When you want to sell the boat, the new owner has an option to peel off the vinyl and find a lovely blue gelcoat.

It is not for everyone, but could be an option for the OP.

 

[prv]

One option is to get the boat wrapped in plastic or vinyl (not sure which) with the graphics / colour of your choice.

That's definitely worth a look IMO.

My only concern would be what happens when (not if) it gets scratched. Blue gelcoat showing through a tear in a light-coloured wrap will be very obvious! (We have the opposite problem, blue Awlgrip over white gelcoat, the tiniest scratch is emphasised.)

I believe that wrapping can be patch-repaired, but I'm not sure what's involved.

Pete

 

[Budgieboy]

One option is to get the boat wrapped in plastic or vinyl (not sure which) with the graphics / colour of your choice.

If you get it professionally done it will look amazing, no-one will know that it is not a lovely paint job. I had a quote for a 6.5 m boat with graphics a few years ago. I think it was around 1500 EUR.

That will kill a few birds with one stone - change the colour to something lighter
- you can get the boat's name put on in larger / smaller letters or a different font
- add some graphics if you want to
- protect the gelcoat from UV

When you want to sell the boat, the new owner has an option to peel off the vinyl and find a lovely blue gelcoat.

It is not for everyone, but could be an option for the OP.
Read more at http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?447703-Blue-Hulled-Yachts-!/page2#XC8BUZERegjhGm0h.99

This does not suit needs I don't think , she is a 47 footer and we are intending to travel quite a distance , may even go all the way around , she will inevitably get a few bumps and think she would look quite tatty after a while ....

 

[bbg]

You might be surprised at the quality. I think after X years the vinyl would look better than plain gelcoat, the only qualification being scratches / tears. That might be patchable.

Up to you but it is, IMHO, worth looking into.

 

[explores]

Friends boat,vinyl wrapped. Still the same colour after 3 years.Cant be polished so just had a wash down.

 

[NormanS]

I would have thought that in the Tropics, where the sun, when powerful, is much higher, the colour of the deck / coach roof would be much more important than the colour of the hull.

 

[dom]

One option is to get the boat wrapped in plastic or vinyl (not sure which) with the graphics / colour of your choice.

- change the colour to something lighter
- you can get the boat's name put on in larger / smaller letters or a different font
- add some graphics if you want to
- protect the gelcoat from UV

Ah I can see it now; all those Centuars and Konsorts vinyl wrapped in the finest and brightest IMOCA designs :ambivalence:

...and Dylan's boat will look simply fantastic with all of those flowerpots and candles artistically depicted on the dazzling side of his newly-wrapped boat

 

[pmagowan]

I would have thought that in the Tropics, where the sun, when powerful, is much higher, the colour of the deck / coach roof would be much more important than the colour of the hull.

Yes, I would have thought so. People always talk about hot decks. Can teak be whitewashed? The whitewash could be washed off when necessary but would make the deck pretty much white and avoid the burnt feet people complain about. Also, why do people not insulate boats properly? This would prevent being too hot or too cold in equal measures irrespective of the lattitude.

 

[jwilson]

Friends boat,vinyl wrapped. Still the same colour after 3 years.Cant be polished so just had a wash down.

If you are going seriously long-distance hull gloss and colour is not that important. It's difficult to keep gelcoat or paint immaculate if you end up moored alongside rusty trawlers or enterprising fishermen bump up to you in their pirogues or bancas trying to sell you a dolphin they've just caught. I don't fancy vinyl wrap standing up to much abrasion.

I had a dark blue GRP hull in the tropics, and it did not seem much worse than other people's white boats. After damage whilst moored in a typhoon it got Awlgripped blue, which improved the finish considerably, and suffered less from sampans bumping us.