Hello Folks...
I'm new to the forum. I just bought a 1983 Catalina 25 sailboat that I'll be using primarily on mountain lakes here in Colorado, with an occasional trip to Southern California or the Sea of Cortez. I'll be teaching sailing classes in this boat and had planned to paint the aging gelcoat topsides a dark blue or black color, as I think this eye catching color will help with advertizing. I just read an old post that talks about how dark hulled boats absorb far more heat, to the point that it can damage the fiberglass and lead to surface deformation (surface bumps and print through). Has anyone with a dark hull experienced any problems like this? Should this deter me from painting my hull a darker color?
Thanks for your insight!
Tim
I'm new to the forum. I just bought a 1983 Catalina 25 sailboat that I'll be using primarily on mountain lakes here in Colorado, with an occasional trip to Southern California or the Sea of Cortez. I'll be teaching sailing classes in this boat and had planned to paint the aging gelcoat topsides a dark blue or black color, as I think this eye catching color will help with advertizing. I just read an old post that talks about how dark hulled boats absorb far more heat, to the point that it can damage the fiberglass and lead to surface deformation (surface bumps and print through). Has anyone with a dark hull experienced any problems like this? Should this deter me from painting my hull a darker color?
Thanks for your insight!
Tim