To blue or not to blue, this is the question

[MapisM]

OK, we all know that struggling with a list of jobs/expenses which grows to twice the initial budget or even more is something we boaters have to live with.
But then, we also would like to see those hardly earned savings being spent "well".

Now, having decided that it was time for repainting, and having also promised my wife that she could decide on "aesthetic" issues, I am stuck between:
a) the wife who doesn't want to consider any colour but dark blue on the hull and white on the upper part (pls don't laugh; I do know how the "upper part" of the boat is called in my native language, but that's the best way I can explain it in english)
b) the painter recommending to stick to white, arguing that any dark colour can increase the temperature enough to make it both less confortable to live in and also "damage" to some extent the wood planks of the hull, which would "move" much more because of the higher differences in temperature between day and night.

Any experience on that?
I mean, on the colour and its effects - though any suggestion for handling these wife requirements would also be appreciated...

Besides, I read somewhere that paint producers found some pigments reflecting the light outside the visible range. In other words, if normally a black absorbs the whole light range, this new paint should absorb just the visible part of it, thus appearing still black to the human eye, but actually reflecting the remaining ranges, therefore cutting the heat absorbtion.
Anyone heard of such applications on boats?

 

[kgi]

stay with white, two reasons, the first as you have said is the heat absorption by blue paint i have heard that it can raise the temperature inside a boat by 5 or 10 degrees, the second reason is that blue paint goes "chalky" unless you wax or buff the hull on a regular basis..... hope this helps

 

[42_South]

Have seen an excellent two-pack paint job over glass go bad after about 2 years on several boats because of the heat build up. This resulted in separation between the layers of paint and base coats, particularly in cold-climate areas where the base material will have a significant temperature differential between itself and the blue outer coat.

Have you though about considering a colour other than white - I used a mustard/yellow colour during our recent paint job last year. The reason for that was our experience in several Syd Hobarts - the hardest thing to see at sea level (or from above) in a breaking sea is white, because of waves breaking and sea froth. You will also suffer less from discolouration of the white due to pollutants at the waterline........

 

[ccscott49]

Please do not paint a planked hull dark blue, I know it looks wonderful, for about two months, as soon as the sun gets on it, you will see every plank seam opening up, the heat differential between night and day is so high, the seams move a lot. You will not see planked hulls painted in dark colours in hot climates and mostly not in temperate climates either, stick to light colours, you could always have dark blue fender covers, to placate the wife, but there are some things, just not viable.

 

[oldsaltoz]

G’day Mario.
It would seem all responses to date say “don’t do it”, however have you considered meeting the wife half way and perhaps proving for yourself if the blue will be a real problem.
Consider putting a thick line of the required dark blue just below your rubbing strake. This should be a low angle to the sun so not heat up much, it will give you a good idea what the hull would look like if it was all dark blue. If the paint fails after a short time, you have a smaller area to restore.
One of the long chain Polyurethane 2 pack paints would be a good starting point IMHO.

Andavagoodweekend Old Salt Oz……

 

[Mirelle]

Hdere is a list, which I cribbed from the Wooden Boat website, of paint colours in order of heat absorbtion

Black
Dark blue
Dark green
Grey
Red
Light green
Light blue
Cream
White.

M wooden boat, kept in the UK, was black when I bought her, years ago, and has gradually gone from grey to light blue to creamy white.....

 

[MapisM]

Well done, folks !!!...

... and many thanks to you all.

With the help of a printout of all your posts, I just rediscussed the topic with my wife, who finally admitted that functionality comes first.
OK, she's somewhat annoyed by this unforeseen support which you gave me, but I am trusting that you'll help me also in this respect.
I'm planning to post a picture of the (white!) repainted baby in a few weeks, as soon as the job will be completed.
Pleeease, send me a lot of posts saying how beatiful it is, etc. etc.
And don't forget to mention how nice the blue fender covers look on the white hull !...