Blue Hulls

[RichH]

Dark colored hulls need more matting layer than white/light hulls. A dark surface will ''show'' the ''print-through'' of the deep structural glass layers after a few years of sun exposure/thermal stress of the under-layment ... unless the boat has an extra thick matting layer under the original gelcoat.

The foremost reason against dark is TOO DAMN HOT. Usually you''ll only have ONE dark colored hull in your lifetime. .... only one!

[KenD]

On a more practical note and over turned blue hull is more difficult to see in the ocean even with People with orange lifevests on whereas a white hull could only be mistaken for Moby Dick!

[doubleplay]

Quality of the gelcoat plays a big role how it stands the test of time.
Some manufacturers use a gelcoat with a higher content of pigment which lasts a lot longer than the run off the mill gelcoats.
Nothing is prettier than a dark blue hull with a perfect shiny gelcoat.
Check the quality of the colors from different manufacturers while you are at the boat shows and you will see....

[sailingfool]

Doubleplay,

Next time you''re admiring a shiny dark blue hull at the boat show, better check to see if its not painted. If the boat is a Hatteras, Hinckley, Ocean, or Tartan, its Awlgripped right from the factory. I''m not sure who else!

I''m sure some gelcoats are better than others, but I still believe with any colored boat its only a question of the time before the gelcoat won''t hold its color. I painted my "77 red C&C after only six years, and I see her occasionally nowadays, and that 20 year old red paint still looks pretty good.

As food for thought, consider this warning posted on the Sabre Yachts hull color web page, certainly a top builder: "Dark colors available with the understanding that
they require extra maintenance, show tiny mold imperfections, scratches, and will fade much more rapidly than lighter colors. It is not within our ability to have our limited warranty cover these conditions."

[doubleplay]

Sailingfool,
I know the difference between an awlgrip and a gelcoat boat.I had boats which had both.
My current boat is a 2001 Dehler 36 with a beautiful dark blue gelcoat and still looks like new.
As I said before it has a lot to do with the application and the quality of the gelcoat and how and where you keep your boat during on and off the sailing season.
Respectfully,
Al

[sailingfool]

Doubleplay,

I guess it could be true that a special quality might make the difference - my question would be how can a potential purchaser recognize a builder who has found that quality for their gelcoat colors? Sabre is an expensive builder, yet they warn buyers about their colored hulls in a warrantee disclaimer. So it can''t be based on the comfort of spending a premium dollar. So how does one know - I would appreciate undestanding that.

It isn''t hard to find a painted Dehler on Yachtworld, the question might be can one find a ten year old blue Dehler that hasn''t been painted?