Why are boats white?

[charleville]

Does anybody know why nearly all boats are painted white?

Is it to make them more visible at night?

Motoring through the Manly boat harbour today, it occurred me that they are all white with only a few trim colours, which on most sail boats is dark blue.

I have noticed that when war ships are to be seen on the horizon, they are not easily seen in their battleship grey paint.

[gropeher]

Cause they look good.. ;D

[Grand_Marlin]

White gelcoat is cheaper than coloured, it looks newer and cleaner, it dousnt fade noticeably like coloured gelcoat, it is easy to colour match for repairs, it is a neutral colour so it pleases everyone.

I dunno for sure,,, just my thoughts.

[Blackened]

G'day
What pete said. Neutral colour, so there's a larger market pleased. Will not look anywhere near as bad or faded when aged like coloured. Cooler as it reflects the heat. Visibility is a possibility, but i'll as then why are rescue services boats yellow?. Also the cost factor. Sounds good to me?
Dave

[blaze]

but do you guys know how many different shades of white gelcoat ya can get, the mind boggles
cheers
blaze
ps
mine rig has white top deck and burgendy below

[Grand_Marlin]

Interestingly enough Blaze, all shades of white gelcoat fade / oxidise over time to a very similar colour.
But yes, you are right.... any colour and shade that you can buy in paint, you can replicate in gelcoat.... thousands of them

Ask blackened.... he is an expert detailer, I am only the gelcoat repairer.... ;)

Cheers

Pete

[cooky]

colour is a pain in the butt - my dark blue topside striping is hard to keep from going off - finally found a good wax (international) which seems to keep in good condition. Would hate to look after a boat with the whole hull a dark colour

[cooky]

i forgot to mention that the majority of cars are white too - at least in Qld - by a LONG shot.

Most planes are white.

Space shuttles are white.

Taxis are white or yellow.

White is easier to look after (hides scratches, dings, etc better) and better heat retention properties. I'm sure if you really wanted to get technical a few searches on google wouild solve your curiosity.

[Boz]

Because boat builders are racist ;D ;D ;D ;D

[MulletMan]

Resale value is far better on a white boat! With about 90% of them being basically white you have a huge buyers market out there. If you buy a red one with green foredeck and yellow dots along the sides, you have to find someone who likes the same thing!

[Oldyella]

Only fishing boats,runabouts and Halfcabs are mostly white..

Ski boats and Jetskis are multi-coloured and metalic...and not to mention fast and LOUD.
This is because they are predominately operated by people with ADHD and they need us to LOOK AT THEM..... ;D

[rough_shag]

Black(+ other darker colours) absorb heat,white reflects heat.White is higher visibility than darker colours-collision avoidance etc.When working years ago at the Holden car factory I was told that 6 out of every ten cars were white in oz for the reasons above and that their long term resale value was higher.Also most government cars are white too. White will show up any blemishes more readily and they are more likely to be taken care of quickly and not missed and left to develop into a bigger problem down the track(rust spots on a car etc etc).Interestingly regards the space shuttle mentioned in this post-the underside tiles ,which are subjected to intense heat on re-entry , are actually black in colour! go figure.Also all low visibility "stealth" military jets are black.Jace. PS:Sorry for the digress!.

[dnej]

White boats are better for fishing , as you dont see ( from underneath) a big dark shadow overhead.
Shark underbellies are white, for the same reason.
All the other reasons are also valid, especially not showing up dirt and scratches as much as colour.

Boats are also white, so you can distinguish them from elephants, and blueberries.
Sure makes it hard for those that are colour blind.
David

[Geoff_Atkinson]

Mine's Cream coloured

[dnej]

Nah, sea raider, its " Off White"
David