Best Boat cover COLOR

[rallyart]

Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

To smokeonthewater: My bimini is Subrella fabric. Black and Red. On a calm sunny day you can put your hand four inches under the bimini and feel a dramatic difference between the heat radiating from the bottom of the black and the bottom of the red. The difference is immense.
The energy in the visible light spectrum is great. Put your hand on a black car and a white car in the parking lot. Wear a black shirt or a white shirt when you are in your boat, or playing a game of catch. You also don't take in to account that you do not see, because it is not visible light, what infrared is doing on the different fabrics.
My dark brown marine carpet would roast your feet on a sunny day. My grey marine carpet is hot but won't scorch your skin.
40% of solar light energy is in the visible range. The rest is divided between UV and infrared. In a lightbulb 10% is visible and the rest is infrared. Your statement on heat only applies to incandescent light bulbs.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

there is a reason solar water heater panels are black and roof coatings are done in white.

 

[hungupthespikes]

Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

I vote on the "boring blue" (per v153). This one is over 20 years old and you can see the patches. That said, it just survived a nasty winter without trouble. Even the new patches match the original color, and since it's only used at home, looks just don't matters much.

View attachment 90081

 

[V153]

Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

I can attest to the fact that darker clothes, cars, boats, canvas get hotter. But something I still can't grasp is how/why black nylon fittings, zippers, velcro, etc last longer than white?

 

[ajgraz]

Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

I can attest to the fact that darker clothes, cars, boats, canvas get hotter. But something I still can't grasp is how/why black nylon fittings, zippers, velcro, etc last longer than white?

IF that is true, it could be because the particles used to impart the black color (probably carbon black) either block or absorb the UV rays.

 

[444]

Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

White definitely absorbs and emits less heat than black. Night and day difference in underhood temps in my car between a set of white painted headers and a set of black painted headers. Same headers, different coat of the same brand paint.

 

[V153]

Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

IF that is true, it could be because the particles used to impart the black color (probably carbon black) either block or absorb the UV rays.

It's true, trust me. The white stuff eventually turns into dust. Chalk would be a better description of what happens to the teeth on white zippers. Never seen a black zipper or fitting crumble & cease to exist like a white one.

No offense to either color btw ...

 

[QC]

Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

This is making me crazy. Just go walk any Marina, the blue canvas is always still . . . uh . . . blue. Black, red, orange, (yuck) whatever, isn't . . .

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

i guess I got too technical for most here.... I SAID it isn't the visible color that makes the thermal difference....BUT I had based that on light in general and hadn't realized how much of sunlight was actually in the visible light part of the spectrum I also SAID that my personal experience was that my new BLACK canvas blocked heat as well as my LIGHT BROWN and that MY black carpet on the deck was no hotter than the bare white glass. Doesn't make sense at all now.... maybe better canvas and maybe something about the material of the carpet that rejected heat well??? I'll now add that at the same time I replaced my temp bimini made from a white bedsheet with black sunbrella and it was much cooler to be under but I figure that was because the fabric was much heavier That is not to say that any material of any certain color will exhibit those same properties but just that there are other factors in the construction of the fabric that influence heat rejection or transmission.


I added what I did in the interest of helping and not at all to get into a huge off topic debate.... sorry to be part of another sidetrack.... cheers

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

i guess I got too technical for most here...I SAID it isn't the visible color that makes the thermal difference

yes...too technically wrong...but you can believe what you want.

Walk barefoot on black top and then walk barefoot on white cement. If that doesn't prove the concept, nothing will. And yes, your chrome tool will be a lot cooler than if it was painted black.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

bruce, comparing different materials of different colors proves nothing..... it has to be the same material to make a comparison

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

View attachment untitledpopcorn.bmpView attachment untitledpopcorn.bmp

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Best Boat cover COLOR

Well I did a bit of reading up on the subject just now..... I was not aware that most of the energy we receive from the sun is actually IN the visible light portion of the spectrum and not in the infra red.... In that case the color actually should have the potential to have a pretty big effect..... At this point I really can't explain why black was so cool on my carver.... maybe something to do with being new fabric..... but the carpet.... that was compared to white gelcoat.....