Best Boat cover COLOR

wingmastr23

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
211
In the market for a boat cover. I am in SoCal and it seems like I get a year out of a boat cover (Store boat outside) The sun just beats the crap out of them!

Soooo - any suggestions on which color will last longest in the sun?

And if anyone has a suggestion on a cover brand that works well in the sun - I would appreciate that too!

Thanks!
 

paultjohnson

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jul 29, 2010
Messages
1,560
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

White doesnt absorb heat or fade [may yellow a bit] as much as a dark color.
 

BTMCB

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
761
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

photoBC3.jpg

I am in So Cal too and my boat is left in the driveway as well. I bought the cover in this photo about a year and half ago from I-Boats and it has held up well. I haven't noticed any fading yet. As I recall it was an Endura semi custom fit on sale for 250 ish when I got it.
 

QC

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Messages
22,783
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

I'm in SoCal and my boat is stored outside at Havasu. I have Dark Purple, and it seems similar to Dark Blue which does not fade. Reds are the worst. If you look at any pics on CL, BoatTrader etc. Anything red (cover or Bimini) is faded. Blue stuff holds up. Don't ask me why.
 

sublauxation

Lieutenant
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
1,317
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

I bought a medium toned grey Stearns cover that has faded to mostly purple in 2 years here in MN. In SoCal if you want a purple cover just buy a grey one and keep turning the boat so the sun hits all sides.

Actually it's more of a fuschia color....... medium grey may be a bad idea.
 

wingmastr23

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
211
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

I bought a medium toned grey Stearns cover that has faded to mostly purple in 2 years here in MN. In SoCal if you want a purple cover just buy a grey one and keep turning the boat so the sun hits all sides.

Actually it's more of a fuschia color....... medium grey may be a bad idea.

Haha! Yes! I have already experienced that. My last cover was grey....and it turned into a purplish color....and it seemed like the Sun just totally broke down the fabric....got very brittle within about a year.
 

Cannondale

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 22, 2010
Messages
278
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

Anything red (cover or Bimini) is faded. Blue stuff holds up. Don't ask me why.


Maybe because our yellow sun's spectral output is skewed more towards the yellow/red end of the spectrum vs. the blue end?
 

QC

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Messages
22,783
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

I am sure that has something to do with it.

I had a boat that was accented with about 16 colors. Blues and reds, all shades. I removed the interior for replacement and underneath, where the sun had never shone, all of the pinks and reds had faded severely although the blues were identical. You could follow all of the colors from exposed to where they had been covered since new, and it was like a line across all of the reds. Not really discernible line on the blues. Now this is gelcoat, but I have also noticed tons of red canvas that looks like carp (almost literally), the blues stay blue.
 

ajgraz

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Messages
1,858
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

What material were those grey covers that they turned purple?

In general red does fade worst. Obviously any dark color traps heat, and the darker the color the more fade will be noticeable (espicially in spots). White is best for not trapping heat, but stains easily. So my favorite color for a boat cover in a hot climate is a very very light grey.

And yes, solution-dyed acrylics (like Sunbrella) do not fade as badly as other materials do. Personally, I chose to make my cover out of a material called "WeatherMax 80" in "silver"
http://www.outdoortextiles.com/mm5/..._Only=2&sort=price.asc&range_low=&range_high=

It is a lot like Sunbrella but because of the weave does not unravel as much when cut, does not stretch nearly as much, and is considerably more waterproof...all for about half the material cost. Dunno where you'd find a pre-made cover in that material, though.
 

tschmidty

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Mar 24, 2010
Messages
462
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

A good UV treatment like 303 should help some with the degradation.
 

gozierdt

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
364
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

Also, don't forget that the dark colors absorb a lot more solar energy, so the inside of the boat and everything in it
will be a lot hotter under a dark color. Buying a light colored cover, then covering it with a silver coated tarp is one
way to keep everything cool and long lasting- I find the silver tarps last at least 2 years in central CA, whereas green
or blue are gone in one year.
 

sublauxation

Lieutenant
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
1,317
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

What material were those grey covers that they turned purple?

Mine was a Stearns cover, not a vinyl like fabric, I'm assuming it was some nylon type fabric. It looked like canvas but wasn't nearly as heavy. I'd say the fading started within the first month, and I'd swear even though the boat stays in the garage now the cover is becoming even more purple.
 

rallyart

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
1,175
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

For almost anything, reds and blacks fade the worst. Darker colors absorb much more heat. That's MUCH more. White shows dirt more than grey or tan. Sumbrella lasts well. Maybe Cadet Grey. I guess I'm agreeing with ajgraz.
 

Boatist

Rear Admiral
Joined
Apr 22, 2002
Messages
4,552
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

Sunbrella has a 6 year warranty and ones I have had lasted over 10 years. My covers have been Pacific Blue and have not faded at all.
My boat is in full sun and every summer day it will get above 140 degrees inside.

Cover does not trap moister so no mold or mildue. If the cover has any slope at all will not leak. I forgot to put the streach strapes on one time and it looked like a lake. Sucked the water off of the cover and then got inside to see how wet it was. To my suprise it was complety dry.

First cover I had made the thread only lasted 3 years and it rotted so resowed. The cover I have now is over 10 years old. It was made with a new thread that last as long as the cover for about $15 extra. Cost is not cheap. My 21 foot custom made cover was just over $450.

One thing that both my cover have done is shrink some. My current cover is about 4 inches shorter than it was when it was first made. This makes it hard to get pulled over the stern corners.
 

Fireman431

Rear Admiral
Joined
Sep 17, 2007
Messages
4,292
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

The 2 biggest things to help a cover last is to clean it regularly and protect it.

Wash it about once a month. Dirt clogs the pores of the fibers which does not allow it to 'breathe'. This turns the fabric hard and brittle. Once you wash it, use anything like a 303 protectant to help it shed water. When it sheds water, it sheds dirt as well.

You should get 3-5 years from a quality cover, with minimal repairs. This boils down to about $100 a year. Pretty cheap in the overall picture.
 

smokeonthewater

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
9,838
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

Folks, it isn't the color that makes it absorb heat..... my carver with black canvas and black carpet was no hotter than when it had light brown canvas and bare white glass floors.

The heat in in the infra red part of the spectrum and the colors we see are in visible light.... the heat difference is generally more in the construction of the fabric although it is possible that a certain color of dye COULD also have properties that absorb or pass more of the infra red as a side effect.

As for fading.... the best color I've found is ANY color as long as it's sunbrella.
The canvas on my wellcraft is OLD and getting tattered but it's still very close to the original red it came in
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

Folks, it isn't the color that makes it absorb heat.....
Dark colors absorb more light vs a lighter color that reflects it. That is why a darker color fabric will be hotter.

Sunbrella Pacific blue is probably the longest lasting color although I use dark navy and it lasts long as well. Anything except red.
 

V153

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Apr 16, 2011
Messages
1,764
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

Sunbrella Pacific blue is probably the longest lasting color
I reluctantly agree. "Boring Blue" is what us canvas guys call it because there are so many miles of it around. Coincidentaly I just restitched a navy top that was origionally sewn in '92?!

I wouldn't use anything but Sunbrella sewn with Tenara "Gore-Tex" thread. Guaranteed for the life of the material.

I believe Overtons sells semi-custom & some custom fit covers made with Sunbrella but they're probably sewn with polyester thread.
 

smokeonthewater

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
9,838
Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

light and heat are two different things..... different parts of the spectrum

There is SOME thermal energy to be had in the visible light part of the spectrum but most is in the infra red and is not at all affected by visible color

try this.... drape a white t shirt over one arm and a black one over the other (must both be the same material and weight)... You'll be surprised on how little difference there is in the sun
 
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