Blue Hull, Just how bad of a PITA is it ?

Back in 2009 when we started looking to upsize I looked at a couple of boats with dark hulls. They both showed a need for some serious TLC to bring them up to a shiny hull.

I decided early on in our search that I would rather be using whatever a boat we bought rather than waxing it so we eliminated all colored hulls from our search. Here's the only photo I could find of the side of the boat that shows the condition of the gelcoat. This was taken two years ago, four years after the areas above the rub rail were waxed.

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I have a friend who owns a blue hulled Pursuit. He has it washed once a week and to my eye it always looks perfect. But I always see it across from across the basin when we cruise northern Lake Michigan. He told me one day he would never again buy another blue hull because of water spots. You can't see them from twenty feet away on a sunny day. However, look at it up close, and sure enough, white spots from stem to stern. Take a freshly washed blue boat out for a ride and bring it back to the slip and you have white spots everywhere. Most of us have probably owned a colored hull at one time. My first boat was a Citrus (yellow) Searay. It faded in Michigan sun. Not good. All of my white boats looked very nice and had a good shine even after ten years of use. Current boat is no exception.
 
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Dark hulls sure can be pretty. Here's my 12 year old sitting in the yard with the outdrive removed for service last spring. Basic washing and a compound and wax the year before. It sits on a lift under cover. What you can't see is the stern, which becomes a s$!t show because I can't reach it. Float around every other year or more in a kayak with a 120v buffer to take care of that area. Not fun.

That is not my trailer (I don't own one) so no comments about the setup please. They just yanked it out on whatever the hell I was paying for that week. I polished the heck out of it it sitting there-after this pic.
 
Sea rays Gel Coat stinks period they never got it right.
My 36 was painted black Imron and stayed beautiful all season, this boat (pewter) is in need of paint it has been worked on but is too far gone from someone who didnt know what hey where doing. So shes going down south maybe next year to get an Imron job!


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I have owned 4 different boats, all 4 were/are colored hulls.
Pewter (2005 Crownline)
Black (2008 340DA)
Pewter (2005 420DA)
Black (2007 48DA)
Yes they do require a lot of work. My current boat (2007 48DA black hull) looks new but it gets 2 complete waxes and 3 additional hull waxes throughout the season. It's the only way to keep it looking new. The boat gets washed every Friday and the hull every other Friday, it's a $6k investment per year for wax and wash.
 
I have had two colored hulls, 07 Sundancer - black, 08 Sedan Bridge - blue.

the 07 Black was fine. Yes, needed to be washed weekly and waxed regularly to maintain shine. No gelcoat deterioration --- HOWEVER - big note, this boat was freshwater kept under a roof.

The 08 Blue was salt water kept in FL.

In FL saw several colored hulls. I would completely agree based on observation and conversations that the colored gel coat does not last in the Florida environment. Gets chalky fast, after a short period of time just does not hold up.

The previous owner of my 08 Blue hull had painted the boat with Awl Grip. Color maintained a strong and vibrant finish. Yes, washing was done by someone else every other week and immediately after we returned from any cruise. Waxing was 3 times a year, professionally done. Does show water spots and salt very easily.

Final observations:

Would not hesitate to have a colored hull in FL environment IF it was painted and I was ready to pay for frequent washing and waxing.

Not interested in colored gel coat unless it was fresh water and kept under a roof.

Scratches can be more expensive to deal with on a painted boat - just don't scratch the boat.


Mark
 
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CAMELLA said:
I have owned 4 different boats, all 4 were/are colored hulls.
Pewter (2005 Crownline)
Black (2008 340DA)
Pewter (2005 420DA)
Black (2007 48DA)
Yes they do require a lot of work. My current boat (2007 48DA black hull) looks new but it gets 2 complete waxes and 3 additional hull waxes throughout the season. It's the only way to keep it looking new. The boat gets washed every Friday and the hull every other Friday, it's a $6k investment per year for wax and wash.
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Exactly- Nice to see some colored hulls out there that are looking nice. You hit it on the head, it's all about maintenance. Great job!


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My 2011 300 SLX had a blue hull, so here are a few anecdotes based on my experience:


  • I washed the sides every weekend. (On white boats, you only need to do that chore every 2-4 weeks, I'd say. If I didn't wash my sides, I'd feel like the boat was dirty, and it really wasn't...it's just that water spots are crazy visible.)
  • Keep in mind the hull sides on a SLX are much smaller than your usual DA. So if you're thinking, "I'll wash my sides each week," you might want to think again.
  • During the off season (Chicago boating), I'd spend about $1.5k-$2k with the fiberglass man repairing tiny scratches. Probably not necessary, but I hate imperfection. I have over 25 years under my belt piloting twin engine boats, and my boat had Axius. Never ever did the boat slam into a dock on my watch, but even the slightest piece of grime on a piling or wharf that could rub the hull will cause a scratch.
  • A small scratch on a blue boat is white, so it shows up. A small scratch on a white boat is...white.
  • I waxed the sides 3x a season; in between those events, I'd do a few spray wax activities, too.
  • My blue hull was shiny and that was a result of my work. I realize I'm more meticulous than most. Very pretty when clean.

I have a new Formula this season, and I ended up getting a...wait for it...white hull. My reasoning:


  • If I were to get a painted hull (Formula paints with Imron), I could only imagine the cost for repairing the inevitable small blemishes/scratches each season.
  • Cost aside, touch-ups never perfectly match the paint coat from the factory.
  • Hull color dates boats. If you put a white 1997 450 next to a white 2012 450, they're obviously different designs, but they still look like nice 45' boats. Imagine if SR did the early 90s green in a colored hull. The resale market today would probably not be very strong for them. (And who knows, by now they might be all faded to white!)
  • There is just classic elegance about a white boat.

When I ordered the white hull, I was a little nervous I made the wrong decision because Formula's Imron painting is truly an art. But now that I've seen it in person, I'm absolutely in love with the midnight blue stripe and all-white hull.
 
The Pewter hull on my 330DA is waxed 4 times a year and looks like new. My 280DA was blue. I bought it used and after two years of ownership the color started to fade where the prior owner had done a fairly large repair. Year three the repair was very noticeable (to me). The repair was not noticeable when I bought the boat. Gelcoat repairs on colored hulls are very difficult to match. They fade differently then the original gelcoat and eventually become noticeable. If I had kept the 280DA I would have painted with Awlgrip.
 
I have the blue hull, love it, and would get another one. I'm in fresh water, albeit very hard water, and a covered slip. It does show water spots easily but they aren't really noticeable unless your are up close to it.

In the summer time, I wash the boat every 3 to 4 weeks with 9% vinegar and a soft-water rinse. I have an RV portable water softener. I've also tried ducky's hard water spot remover but it works no better than vinegar. What I probably need to do is leave the softener set up so I can easily rinse it off when returning to the slip.

Boat is a little more than 4 years old and has yet to have the hull waxed. It still looks great (right after washing) to me. It has had a few 'hanger rashes' that are light blue but they rubbed out easier than I thought they would.

I'm sure if I was a salt-water boater or in an uncovered slip I'd be singing a different tune.

There are a few older Sea Rays around with dark blue or black hulls and they all still look great. We slip our boats year-round and none of the blue ones have turned purple yet.
 
No problems here. Once you get it polished correctly the maintenance is not bad at all. Mine still looks good at the end of the season.
I did put 60 hours into getting it the way i liked it.
 
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I LOVE my blue hull. It does require extra expense, however. The investment on the 260DA isn't terrible, but when we upgrade in a year or two, I'll forgo the colored hull. I can find better uses for all that extra time and money.

If you're in the Middle River area, get a hold of Joe at Blitz Mobile Detailing. He did A-freakin-MAZING work on mine at the end of the season. Full job was little over $600!
 
John

I love the blue and black hulls but I wouldn't want to maintain one myself (though I don't maintain my white one myself either). How big of a blue hull are you heading to?

Gimme Time said:
Ladies & Gentlemen,

Thanks for all your comments and the Blue Hull has it and it will be taken care of!
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CAMELLA said:
View attachment 48485

This is my black hull after 10 years!
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Beautiful example of a colored hull which is properly cared for. Here is one that was next to mine which was badly neglected. The tan actually turned to grey. Very sad that someone could let this happen.
 

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I have green hull.just purchased what do you recommend gor keeping it looking new

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My dark blue 2005 390 DA needs buffed every six months here in FL. Anyone have an estimate as to what it would cost to paint blue sides with Imron or Awlgrip?


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