Those with black canvas bimini's, any regrets?

no concerns for us either....when we bought the boat it had tan canvas but we went to black canvas two years ago and think the black adds a lot to the looks of the boat....

cliff

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Never had a problem with fading here in the Northeast on my old 300 Sundancers Navy canvas and so far this one seems fine too.
I could see where it would be different furthervsouth though.
I personally like the look of dark Navy blue and Black better than the lighter colors, but it does get hot as hell under there.
When docked and unattended I try to leave something open to vent it but it still gets stifling hot.
 
Pollen and cottonwood fluff are big problems in my marina, so I have a bias. Black, while sharp looking was a nightmare for me.

When it needed replacement, I went with “smoke” Sunbrella and it was virtually maintenance free and looked new for the five years I owned that boat.

The PO of my current boat went with (against the advice of the canvas guy) bright red, which I’m not wild about.

It has faded over about 6 years to a pinkish brick red color and not worn well at all. I’ve had burgundy that looked great for years, but the red is a bummer.

303 treatment darkens the color to the point that it’s acceptable, but replacement is imminent.

It’s going to be hard to not go the smoke route again, but it’s not a great compliment to the off white hull color.
 
Oh,
Bennett, I also responded to this thread. I have had full black Bimini and panels on the bridge for the 4.5 years I have owned the boat. Year round coastal boating in South Carolina and Florida. I never once think about the canvas color and wish it were a lighter color. It's just not on my concern list. I think you will be just fine.

Oh, no doubt it looks better and I will deal with it just fine. My point is that it has got to be hotter than the tan. My bimini on the bridge is several inches above my head when standing. On the 260DA, my head would touch the bimini and it was amazing how much heat radiated off of the bottom. I wish I had put my heat gun on it just for kicks.

Bennett
 
I just replaced my white enclosure with black Sunbrella. Love the look and once the rear curtain is opened up the cockpit temp is about the same as the old white Sunbrella. I had a "smliy" added to the center windshield curtain for ventilation. Since my boat faces South in the slip the sun beats down thru the windshield and makes the large flat dash very hot so I throw a couple of white beach towels on the dash to cut down on the heat. It makes a difference down below as well.

Just to add a comment. My previous white Sunbrella enclosure was an absolute PITA to keep clean. Every time it rained there would be dirt streaks running down the side and aft curtains. I don't miss the white at all.
 
Had my setup since November 2015 now. I haven't cleaned the white top with anything stronger than Imar Yacht Soap or Dulon Soap and I just mostly squirt it down with a hose after most outings. Bird poo just hoses off as it virtually a vinyl or water and a microfibre cloth if it has stuck. The black side curtains overcome the dirt streaks but certainly radiate the heat compared to the white top when they are down.

In our climate I wouldn't go back to a dark coloured bimini top.
 
Had my setup since November 2015 now. I haven't cleaned the white top with anything stronger than Imar Yacht Soap or Dulon Soap and I just mostly squirt it down with a hose after most outings. Bird poo just hoses off as it virtually a vinyl or water and a microfibre cloth if it has stuck. The black side curtains overcome the dirt streaks but certainly radiate the heat compared to the white top when they are down.

In our climate I wouldn't go back to a dark coloured bimini top.

Isn't your top Stamoid? Much easier to clean than Sunbrella (very different fabric).
 
I responed to this thread almost 2-years ago and guess what....we own another boat with black biminis and curtains. Here in the south, there is a definite difference with the black. Always had 0 fading, but the temp is a different thing. I am 6'3" so my head was close the bimini on the 260DA and the heat coming off of the underside in August was beyond description. With air stirring underneath, it was liveable. Current 44DB with all of the curtains up top...they are a real pain to take down and put up. There are 4-huge smileys and we will have to see how she is in the summer.

Bennett
The heat at the level of the top of your head is the issue we had with our black and grey canvas. While seat level temps may be reasonable, hanging out in the cockpit to read, for example, was impossible to bear. Running offshore was fine. Lake Michigan is seldom warm and the ambient heat coming off the dark canvas is actually helpful. But when in a slip on a sunny warm day, down below is the only comfortable place in the afternoon until the sun is lower.

Hard tops add a lot of comfort to boats, especially after years of expousure to the sun. An air conditioned hard top boat is perfect. I suspect that most serious boaters end up buying a boat with an enclosed helm if they remain active boaters for many years. This is almost a necessity given what years of sun does to your skin.
 
Just to add a comment. My previous white Sunbrella enclosure was an absolute PITA to keep clean. Every time it rained there would be dirt streaks running down the side and aft curtains. I don't miss the white at all.

Having lived in Chicago and now in a small town away from a big city, I have noticed a big difference in how clean boats stay. We had white canvas in Chicago that would get black dirt on it and this required a far amount of work to keep it fresh. However, the whole boat was like that as well. In our current location, yellow and black pollen is an issue in the spring. Once that is over I take the Sunbrella aft curtain to the local laundromat and it looks like new again after washing. Our boat gets washed weekly, but really looks clean even before it gets washed. We don't have as much of the airborn dirt from cars and other sources of pollutions as is present in densely populated areas. Having white canvas is a plus for us in these conditions.
 
We have the black sunbrella plus for our camper canvas, we live in Alabama and use the boat all year long. In the winter on a sunny day it can be 30 outside and 75 inside easily if the sun is out, and all the windows are down. In the summer we roll up all the windows and 90 percent of the time the temps are perfect. On super hot days it's hot under the canvas, but it's hot everywhere and we are usually in the water. We often raft out with 5-10 other boats and their cockpits are hot as hell too. Bottom line is that I would go back with black next time. Also zero fading so far and canvas is about 8 years old now. Seriously consider the Sunbrella Plus.

Pete
 

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