Sun awning - dark or light colour?

[beluga]

We can't make our mind up. What colour should we use in hot climes? Will a dark colour keep out more light and therefore heat, or will it absorb more heat. Would a light colour let in more light (and more heat) or would it reflect the sun and therefore heat? Does anybody have experience or advice in this matter please? The material we are considering is UV resistant, but it is much thinner and lighter than canvas.

Thanks!

 

[snowleopard]

a light awning will keep the heat off but may be dazzling. as long as the fabric is not too close and there is free passage of air under it the absorbed heat is a non-issue.

if anchoring in the tradewinds, be sure to have roll-down curtains on the sunward side (that's the starboard side in the caribbean for example) and at the stern as the low evening sun can still be pretty fierce.

 

[MedMan]

A light colour will reflect more radiant energy of whatever type, both heat and light. We have a dark green awning and side panels which look very nice and match our other canvas work, but they get very hot. Sitting behind a side panel in the fierce mid-day sun is like sitting next to a radiant electric fire - you feel the heat on your skin as it is re-radiated by the hot fabric.

 

[Kangaloosh]

Hi, learn from our suffering . . . A dark (navy blue) bimini cuts down on the glare - it can still be very bright under a white bimini. But it can get exceedingly hot - We ended up fitting a white cover over our navy bimini and got the best of both - white reflecting the heat away and navy keeping the glare out. Before we fitted the white cover we used to erect our cockpit tent hood beneath the bimini in extremis!

 

[tcm]

yep but...the darker colour will look better for longer. Difficult innit?

 

[kesey]

beluga, the charter companies tend to use dark blue as the colour of their biminis. They certainly want to get 5 years+ out of them, and seem to be successful.

I've not had any trouble getting overheated under the dark blue, and I've not got any natural sun protection onboard me head.

 

[scarlett]

I have had both and swear by a light colour , [with side panels.] A natural cream colour does not give glare under Med. sun. I had red once but it was hot as the thing seemed to absorb heat and then radiate downwards.

 

[jerryat]

Hi!

We use a dark blue acylic awning in the Med/Caribbean and it's excellent. Much cooler than we'd expected when we made it and definitely no glare. Friends have a light, but not white, coloured one and actually prefer ours. Either will induce a cooling 'tunnel effect' of air flowing fore and aft, assuming you're at anchor as we usually are.

The idea of having something in between e.g. fawn/cream may well give the best of both worlds, though I suspect it'll look pretty dirty pretty soon!!

Cheers Jerry

 

[chrisc]

Light colours ,reflects the heat ,make sure that it is waterproof to.

 

[ccscott49]

Light colour, mine is fawn, which is fine, no/very little glare, cool. Make sure it's waterproof aswell, which also cuts the glare, when its the one side treated stuff.

 

[Vulcan]

Wonder why all the old ladies around the Med wear black?

 

[scarlett]

The young ones wear next to nothing. But I will continue to erect my bimini.

 

[Porthandbuoy]

Split the difference. Try a blue (or green) and white striped awning.

All the old ladies dressed in black around the Med sit in the shade.

 

[bbilly]

Black makes you look slimmer/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[JeanneP]

I believe, lighter the better

see my Cruising Dictionary entry for Sun Canopy at
http://www.cruiser.co.za/faq7.asp

 

[beluga]

Thanks everybody for your replies. Well, the concensus seems to be to go light. We're going for a silver/grey oddysey material. I expect it'll get very dirty quickly, but hopefully it'll keep us cool. Happy sailing!