Canvas Color - How Important is it?

[Belizean]

I am need to change the canvas (Sunbrella) on my bimini top and will also change the sacrificial cover on the genoa and possibly the main sail bag. They are all presently dark blue and I wanted to go with a tan (Toast color). My concern is that I recently read that darker colors are better for sail protection. Am I shortening the life of my sails by going to a light color sacrificial cover?

Thanks for the info provided.

[chucklesR]

We opted for gray on our boat for the simple expedient reason that it all becomes gray anyway (mainsail cover is standard issue black as is the sacrifical part of the furled jib). Sunbrella has UV protection numbers available if that is a concern.

[TrueBlue]

Not sure about UV protection - but that may not matter with Sunbrella, regardless of color. I would think however, there may be some lengevity issues with the fact that darker colors absorb heat more than lighter colors.

[JohnRPollard]

We are in the process of GRADUALLY converting our canvas over from forest green to Toast sunbrella (our budget didn't permit doing it all at once). We started with the dodger two years ago, then when we got our new genoa last year it got a toast uv cover. With a new mainsail on order, we also have a new toast cover coming. Next year will be the miscellaneous and sundry winch, handrail, binnacle, and bimini boot covers. (The green bimini is in such good condition it will have to wait because I'm a cheap yankee and I don't like to replace things that still have lots of life in them. But most of the time it will be covered by the Toast boot.)

I was told there is no difference vis-a-vis UV inhibition between the sunbrella colors. I hope that's true, or that if there is a difference it's minimal. I have often wondered about TrueBlue's point concerning heat/longevity with darker colors.

One comment about Toast: The shade is lighter than you might think when looking at swatches -- almost a bit "washed out" in my view. In retrospect, I do sort of wish we had gone one shade darker. I think there's a Mocha or ? that is a slightly darker shade of khaki.

[Faster]

Having had all black dodger and canvas, I think it's true that dark colours make things hotter - they absorb more heat, and sitting under them seems warmer.

We now have a lighter blue and it seems better. I would think that as far as the actual UV protection re: sail protection goes, colour would not be a huge factor.

Friends in the Caribbean have a lightish grey cockpit sunshade cover, worked great and kept things brighter in the cockpit than a real dark bimini.

[TrueBlue]

Originally Posted by JohnRPollard

One comment about Toast: The shade is lighter than you might think when looking at swatches. In retrospect, I do sort of wish we had gone one shade darker. I think there's a Mocha or ? that is a slightly darker shade of khaki.

A bit off-topic, but this is a current dilemma with me, regarding my wife's living room (actually multi-rooms) wall color selection. I did all the painting after she selected the swatch - but she now wants it a shade darker . . .

[daturley]

Hmmmm, is "Toast" color becoming the new Marine Standard Blue? We decided to go with Toast to replace our sail covers and Bimini covers this year, now seems that everyone we talk to is going that direction.
Question: considered going to a hard fibreglass top to our bimini (on a 44 foot Robertson/Shannon ketch). Anyone with experience going from fabric to a solid FG top on the same frame? Thinking of putting two solar panels on top of it eventually........

[sailingdog]

IIRC, the darker colors, while heating up more, will resist UV better than the lighter colors. Darker colors also may block more UV than lighter colors, so this would be important for a sail cover or headsail sun strip. However, darker colors also heat up more, so a bimini, dodger or cockpit enclosure made of a darker color may be less comfortable.

[CaptKermie]

Doesn't sound like anyone suffers from Malspectraphobia here (the fear of being un-color coordinated). I suffer severely, my hull is just a tad darker than pacific blue so I have all canvas and other accessories done in pacific blue. It is amazing how much stuff in the marine world is pacific blue, even fenders and Davis Sticky Bags are. She looks real purdy all decked out in blue & white. I guess I sound like a nut but I wouldn't have several different colors over my boat. The inside is done well too thanks to the missus, looks very tastefully done. And if you think that is bad just have a look at how clean my boat is both inside and out. I'm so anal about it that I painted my bilges with white gelcoat, now they are easy to wipe clean.

[djodenda]

I'm changing my worn-out dodger and sail cover from tan/toast to navy blue. To me, the tan just looked dirty all the time, especially after it had faded a bit.