Going to the Dark Side Again, Color-Wise

Once More, Into the Fray Over Boat-Color Preferences

This afternoon, our friend Mike Yates passed along a short WoodenBoat story in which author and boatbuilding enthusiast Lawrence Cheek examined hullside colors seen at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival.

Assuming that classic vessels at the WBF wouldn’t likely be painted the same as white-gelcoat beauties dominating marinas, Lawrence was surprised to record that of all boats tallied, 96 were white or light shades like cream; 23 were all-varnished; 15 were different shades of blue; 8 were green; 6 were either black, red or teal; 3 were yellow and 1 each were either gray or tan.

So, the majority had white, off-white or cream-colored hullsides…way more than any of the dark colors.

Sorry, but even though there are reasons why dark colors don’t make sense on wooden hulls (like hot sun opening seams), I just find white boats—especially in our world of small watercraft—somewhat boring.

Maybe it’s just me, but why default to “traditional white” when choosing colors, especially for a small boat we’re building. Why not be adventurous and have fun when choosing colors? Why not consider going to the dark side, or some other spot on the color chart, when selecting hullside colors?

My own boatbuilding and restoration choices, when painting hullsides, have tended unapologetically toward darker colors, just because in my mind they are richer, more interesting and attractive. (When Lawrence Cheek asked Mike Higgins, owner-builder of a 16’ catboat, why he painted his hullsides black, his response was to the point: “Because it isn’t white.”)

Just to give you an idea, here are some small boats I’ve built or restored, illustrating hullside colors chosen: