Took the plunge

[Ruune]

You're keeping a new boat outside, during the winter in illinois?

[flyguy]

The Z1 will be stored in my garage... no problem there. I was more concerned with the dark colors showing normal wear and tear scrapes and scratches worse than white. My current 17' runabout is white on the deck and hull and still looks great after 8 summers of use and has always been stored inside. I wonder what the navy will look like over the same period of time. Anyone with a dark hull or deck color care to comment?

[chpthril]

The Z1 will be stored in my garage... no problem there. I was more concerned with the dark colors showing normal wear and tear scrapes and scratches worse than white. My current 17' runabout is white on the deck and hull and still looks great after 8 summers of use and has always been stored inside. I wonder what the navy will look like over the same period of time. Anyone with a dark hull or deck color care to comment?

We are entering our 3rd season with our Pacific Blue top and see no fading. It does show scratches more then white and does require a little more maintenance. I would get another custom color hull.

[da.bell]

I agree with chpthril and have the Pacific Blue top also.

[Wake Bandits]

White always looks good and is an even easier re-sale.
Sounds good, you made a good choice.

[Ruune]

everyone has got a white boat. I got mine all red and black to stand out. The only white thats on mine is on the seat cushions, so you dont burn your tushie in the Texas sun.

That said, get your transom coated with Line-X (or equivalent). Same for any color composite platform. Also, wax regularly. Some people like to use vinegar and water, but IMHO continued application of an acidic mixture (even diluted) will compromise your gelcoat's durability- i.e. resistance to fading, scratches, chips, etc. Find a good marine wax (or really good car wax).

I use eagle one nanowax:
http://www.eagleone.com/pages/produc...sp?itemid=1103

started my gelcoat patching (some idiot didnt tighten his SS rubrail) and my original gelcoat is still the same exact shade as the factory color- the kit I'm using uses factory gelcoat of the same color as part of the binary mixture.

[Big Wave]

I think the darker colors will hold up fine if you store it inside and wax it once or twice a year. I have attached a pic of our 1989 maroon four winns that still looks good to this day. It was always stored indoors and waxed once a year.
We went with black and indgo on the new Tige with little concern about color fade. We will wax this one 2 times a year to be safe.
I would go with what you like.

[illiniboarder88]

Tessa, where in IL do you ride?

[gman]

Kept my first two boat outside and always covered. Never had a problem with the fiberglass or gel coat. Waxed them about once every 3 years and they never chalked. No problem with either one at all and with the last one it still looked real shiny and good after 20 years.

[maximus2003]

Welcome to the gang! My advice is carefull with the deck colors. The dark ones look awesome but can give you a nasty burn after sitting out in the sun all day

[anhaney]

Congrats

Congrats on the new boat you will ove it.

[Jason B]

I have a very dark green (forest greenish) that almost looks black from a little ways away. It definitely shows the scratches more than the white on the boat however, not bad enough that I would shy away from the colored hull. All I have to do is hit it with some rubbing compund and the scratches come out fairly easily. Not really a huge deal unless you are a SERIOUSLY maintanence-free kinda guy.

[ggalbraith]

took the plunge

Get the navy blue and yellow! I have a white deck with navy hull and yellow middle stripe in a 22ve. The colors look awesome together and quite frankly I think the blue hull shows less water marks than the white hull I had on my previous 22v. A good wax will make it shine and it just looks more expensive to me. Mine is 06 and I am proud to see the 08's with the color scheme I have on my boat! Definitely go with a white deck!