Hot Wood

[chinita]

Moving Chinita (all teak) to Portugal this summer. Bit worried about hull colour (International Squall Blue). Am I going to sink as soon as the temperatue rises above 18 degrees C!

Like the colour so a bit reluctant to change unless someone comes up with a first(ish) hand nightmare experience. I should add that once there there she will be suitably protected from direct sunlight.

All contributions gratefully received.

 

[Peterduck]

I live in Melbourne, which is as far south of the equator as Lisbon is north of it. The topsides of my old carvel ketch are white, but the underwater planking is coated it either red or black antifouling. Whenever the boat is slipped, I get an inflow on re-launching because the underwater planks have shrunk just a little. I have a portable 240v submersible pump which I keep for this occasion. You will find that the underwater planking will be fine, but when you go sailing and the boat heels, you may get water coming in through a locker near the waterline. Different timbers react to this at different rates, so that one boat may be badly affected, while the one next to it may be hardly affected at all. Hardwoods are generally more stable than softwoods. By keeping it out of the sun you may well avoid this problem, and it will do wonders for any varnish which you may have. You'll just have to 'suck it and see'.
Peter.

 

[redred]

I would hate to think of anything happening to Chinita, it is one of the finest - actually the finest Vertue I have been aboard. I used to own a Vertue, iroko planking, it was originally white and I changed the topsides to blue. During the following season - a hot summer the planking openen up so much with the heat I could see through the gaps when I came alongside in the dingy. Next summer it went back to white.

 

[Mirelle]

Just looked up "Squall blue".

Mirelle like Chinita is teak planked. When I bought her she was, and had always been, black (bad plan!)

I tried mid grey, then pale grey, then Blakes "Biscay" - a grey blue somewhat paler than "Squall Blue" and five years ago went to Epifanes 26 which is a pale cream.

The topsides seams show very significantly less at the end of the season with the pale cream than they did with the pale grey-blue. This is on a mooring (i.e., swinging to tide every six and a half hours) in Britain.

If I were moving the boat South I would change to the dreaded white. Indeed, I may do so anyway.

 

[absit_omen]

Thanks all. I have a pathological aversion to the dreaded white. I think I will try to get away with Epifanes 26 Cream. Fingers crossed.

 

[ccscott49]

Cream would maybe do, but I know I use white on my boat, she is Iroko planked and splined, no way I would go for any other colour in the meddy, just not worth it.