Boat colors and temperatures

Last year we had a discussion about Coot's possible colors, and it was mentioned that dark colors create more heat.* Well, today I "shot" the temperatures on various sunny locations of the Coot.* They were taken (today) at 1 p.m. PDT (high noon)*under clear skies with an ambient temperature of 69 degress fahrenheit:

Dark green hull -- 80 degress

White cabin side -- 70 degrees

White saloon roof*-- 87 degrees

Yellow pilothouse roof -- 90 degrees

Light tan forward cabin roof -- 88 degrees

Medium gray deck -- 115 degrees

Except for the gray deck, there was very little difference between white, yellow,*and tan horizontal surfaces.* On the vertical surfaces, the dark hull was somewhat warmer than the white.* So, doesn't look like a significant heat issue here, particularly since the boat is well insulated.



*

Mark: I think the Coot is painted perfectly for the PNW. Sure, it needs to be good looking too, but up there you guys don't have to worry so much about the sun. Against advice from the Krogenites, I risked removing the conventional dark colored stripe from Bucky's hull and went back with white, hoping the canvas would be enough color to break-up its bulbous bulk. Here in Miami, the sun is so intense that the difference in skin temp of a dark hull vs. white hull can be 70-80 degrees or more. The painters I inteviewed said that heat damage was not all that unusual behind dark hulls or stripes. One of them shot my deck and stripe area while I was there. That day was fairly cool, but the deck was 80 while the stripe was 167!!Ouch. Anyway, I went with white and haven't regretted it in appearance or otherwise. Inside temp also is cooler to the touch, especially in the stateroom. I love the colored hulls, and if I were in the PNW, I'd have one.

I've got a light grey non-skid on my decks and they are too hot to stand on in our delta summers. During the summer, I wish I had white decks. I often spray down my decks to cool them down or cover them.

I suspect the dark hull would warm up more with the late afternoon sun hitting at an angle rather than vertically. But I'd accept that in trade for a good looking boat any day!! In the winter, fall and spring, it's a benefit.

Dark green hull -- 80 degress

White cabin side -- 70 degrees

White saloon roof -- 87 degrees

Yellow pilothouse roof -- 90 degrees

Light tan forward cabin roof -- 88 degrees

Medium gray deck -- 115 degrees

You would get really different readings in FL, esp in the summer when the sun is almost straight up!

Mark, love the new "Master and Commander" title!!* :worship::worship::worship::worship::worship:

If the sun in FL really hotter than the sun in CA?*** Maybe, with all the humidity, it just feels that way.*

FlyWright wrote:
I've got a light grey non-skid on my decks and they are too hot to stand on in our delta summers. During the summer, I wish I had white decks. I often spray down my decks to cool them down or cover them.

Click to expand...

*Al, you*are walking the decks barefooted?* The Coot has steel ribs that continue inside the gunwales.* Since that offers the unfortunate opportunity of stubbing one's toes, shoes (having insulative properties)*are required on Coot's deck.

markpierce wrote:
:

Dark green hull -- 80 degress

White cabin side -- 70 degrees

White saloon roof*-- 87 degrees

Yellow pilothouse roof -- 90 degrees

Light tan forward cabin roof -- 88 degrees

Medium gray deck -- 115 degrees

Except for the gray deck, there was very little difference between white, yellow,*and tan horizontal surfaces.* On the vertical surfaces, the dark hull was somewhat warmer than the white.* So, doesn't look like a significant heat issue here, particularly since the boat is well insulated.

*

*

Click to expand...

*48,000 BTUs of air conditioning and a 12KW Northernlights Generator takes care of all that.

*
The roof and pilot house of the Eagle is painted a gloss white which keeps the salon and pilot house cool in the summer.* However the seal teak deck is quite dark and does get hot to the point is almost to hot to walk bar foot of it, so I have a white tarp over it which does help.* In the winter with the dark blue carps and canvas the Eagle is 80% covered, which is warm even on cold cloudy days which held help keep the Eagle warm in the winter. Spring, summer and fall I am usually bare foot in/on the boat and dock.
*
In the summer when the grand children were small I make a slip and slid*on the front deck as it is slanted and it kept the boat cool.**

*


-- Edited by Phil Fill on Monday 13th of June 2011 09:04:03 PM

markpierce wrote:*Al, you*are walking the decks barefooted?* The Coot has steel ribs that continue inside the gunwales.* Since that offers the unfortunate opportunity of stubbing one's toes, shoes (having insulative properties)*are required on Coot's deck.

Click to expand...

*I find myself barefoot more often in the summer months when we're gunkholing. There's something about the river, warm summer days, and living on the water that makes me want to kick off my shoes, raise my beer and kick back!!* I can't help it.* In fact, the attached picture caught me in the act of keeping my feet cool!

I keep sandals and boat shoes handy for the extended periods on the bow.* But now that I have a real* windlass, those periods will be much shorter!!


-- Edited by FlyWright on Monday 13th of June 2011 09:59:39 PM

FlyWright wrote:*There's something about the river, warm summer days, and living on the water that makes me want to kick off my shoes, raise my beer and kick back!!* I can't help it.*

Click to expand...

*Who soever thinks otherwise, must be in a minority position.


-- Edited by markpierce on Monday 13th of June 2011 10:17:55 PM

FF wrote:

You would get really different readings in FL, esp in the summer when the sun is almost straight up!

Click to expand...

*

agreed! *Let's hope it's less than*propotionate*as temp goes up too. *Right now decks are on the magnitude of about 1.65 greater than the ambient temp. *Shoot that 69 degrees up to 90 degrees ambient and you are around 148 degrees! *Ouchy!!!! *Perfect PNW boat though!!!


-- Edited by Woodsong on Monday 13th of June 2011 11:22:37 PM

Took new temperature readings, all in full sun.* Today the ambient temperature was 92 degrees Fahrenheit, 23 degrees warmer than before:

White roof: 100 degrees

Green hull: 101 degrees

Yellow pilothouse roof: 107 degrees

Gray deck: 140 degrees

Cement dock: 142 degrees



*Good thing the boat has four fans (five if one includes the engine room).* It was HOT today.* (I had the heater on earlier this week.)


-- Edited by markpierce on Friday 1st of July 2011 10:22:15 PM

*With all this talk about renewable energy.

*I have given some thought to using the Suns rays to heat water on a boat.*

*I do have one of those plastic bag containers with a shower head attachment which works quite well for 3 gallons of *warm to hot water, get two one for the admiral, *now to invent a device *to improve on that theory. Its engine cooling in reverse.

**I have figured out how to heat a home *using a large wooden box *A bunch of one gallon paint cans and some black paint and a small exhaust fan.

*Of course mark has the heat advantage working in reverse for the cooler months .

*I can understand and agree completely *Marks excelent color choices for is new boat.

I am always looking to nature to figure out how to make *life more enjoyable.

*For the time being for all of you that have hot boats .

*What is so wrong with a wind scoop hook up to cool your boats and an awning like the one i have over our black *SUV just now.

*Gentlemen you know that it has all been done before nothing is new except taxes*

*just *New york ; New Haven; New Brighton; *New Bern *and a new hat.

Here's a Breeze Booster I bought last fall. I intend to break it out and test drive it this week on the delta!




-- Edited by FlyWright on Saturday 2nd of July 2011 03:04:58 PM