Bottom paint colors?

Is there a color of bottom paint better then another.....dark verses light? The boat is docked in the Baltimore Harbor.

Thanks for your suggestions & comments!

The only reason I would say to use light colours is when cleaning and pressure washing the light colours show up where you have missed better than dark colours

I have also read on other forums that dark colors are more prone to amorous advances from large seagoing mammals. It seems whales are less aroused by bright colors. No idea how true that is.... But I read it on the Internet, so it must be true.

While I'm by no means good at matching colors, there are some combinations of bottom paint, boot stripe, and hull color that are just god awful together. I've gone to having several inches of bottom paint showing above the water. Much easier to keep the hull and boot stripe clean while at the dock if you're only scrubbing on the bottom paint.

Ted

Sherpa's previous bottom color was black and her bottom will never be painted that color again under my ownership--it seemed to fade considerably and turned into a greenish/grey color. I settled for red, which seemed to go nicely with the "whisper" grey color of my hull. Light blue (like OC Diver's) is my personal favorite.

I have found darker colors to work better in tropical waters. Also if your using an ablative make the first coat a different color to the final coats and it will allow you to see when it is starting to be worn off.

Jetstream said:

I have found darker colors to work better in tropical waters. Also if your using an ablative make the first coat a different color to the final coats and it will allow you to see when it is starting to be worn off.

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+1. Having the yard alternate colors lets you see that subsequent coats are complete when applied and lets you track wear visually. (Yes you have to get wet to do this)

In Craig Alaska I encountered several longtime locals that were convinced that black AF paint fouled more slowly. I think it's bullroar and take no stock in it. To me the very traditional red looks right and nothing else does. But painting one's boat bottom like their living room or a color to be different does no harm and perhaps adds interest to boating but what kind of radar, head or anchor you use seems much more meaningful.

But a long time ago I bought tin AF paint because of the beautiful light green color not availible in traditional AF paints. Was a 17' OB boat.

We use Pettit Horizon ablative paint in green, lasts a least three years and does a great job in the PNW. We think it looks great with the colour scheme of our boat.

Fore Blue water voyagers , many believe white attracts whales the least.

Years ago before Internet (so it can't be true) I heard that dark bottom paint scares away the Salmon as they think it is an Orca.

Wasnt too long ago that people would paint little fishys on their hull bottoms to try and attract big fishys. The fad passed, but just in case you feel left out.

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Everyone is wrong, even if they agree with me they're wrong by default anyway. The only bottom paint color that makes any sense at all is black. It's the color I use so screw logic as it's the only right color.

rochepoint said:

We use Pettit Horizon ablative paint in green, lasts a least three years and does a great job in the PNW. We think it looks great with the colour scheme of our boat.

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I use Petit Sea Mate and don't think it'll last that long. It's kind of an Alaskan thing. Put the boat on the grid and put on another coat and do it every year.
I too like your colors. The cream goes very well w the green .. and what little varnish you have.

Really like green on our Bottom.

JohnP

manyboats said:

I use Petit Sea Mate and don't think it'll last that long. It's kind of an Alaskan thing. Put the boat on the grid and put on another coat and do it every year.
I too like your colors. The cream goes very well w the green .. and what little varnish you have.

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Varnish......thats a swear word around our boat.
We use Cetol and love it..........

JohnP said:

Really like green on our Bottom.

JohnP

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This paired with a nice flag blue hull is probably my favorite.

After scraping the bottom paint I found our boat bottom has at one time been painted pretty much every color available. We found an old pic with the bottom painted green and we liked the look - so that's what we're going with (at least till further notice).

Ken

I had a surveyor in Long Beach tell my wife (at the time) that red bottom paint attracts whales, right after I had the bottom painted red. No amount of convincing was going to work, she wouldn't get on the boat till I painted the bottom blue. I still don't understand why she would believe someone she met a day ago instead of the person she married and sailed from San Francisco with on a boat with a RED BOTTOM!

Red is right.

markpierce said:

Red is right.

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But only when returning from sea in IALA B!

I asked this question at the marina a few moments ago one chap who is with local helicopter rescue said all boats bums should be painted bright yellow