Blue Hulls

Converse48

Converse48

Well-Known Member
Nov 20, 2006
2,161
Chesapeake Bay
Boat Info
2010 McKinna 57 Pilothouse
Engines
QSM-11
Are the blue hulls Sea Ray is producing colored gel coat? How long has Sea Ray been producing them (so I can get a look at an older version to see how it has held up)? Do you have any opinions on pros and cons of colored versus white hulls? It's a fairly expesnive option, and it does look nice when new... just wondering about the tradeoffs. Thanks!!!
 
I think the current colored (Blue) Hulls were introduced for the 2003 model year runs....and I believe that Sea Ray uses blue gelcoat....Formula uses (again I think) Imron painted hulls...

IMHO there is no doubt that the colored hulls (Blue, Black and Pewter) look GREAT.....But, the problem is keeping them looking great.....I have two neighbors with colored hulls...both '06 (38DA and 340DA)....I can tell you that they are both paranoid about the colored hull maintenance.....even putting out fenders can leave a little dock rash in the gelcoat....

Very interested in hearing others opinions and real world experiences....

later,
 
Sea Ray has had colored accents and colored sections on their hulls for many years. The color is gel-coat so even if it starts to fade it can be brought back to look as good as new with some work. Most of the color has been accent sections up until about 3-4 years ago when they started making the whole hull available in the colored gel coat.

The downsides to colored hulls, especially the dark colors, is they require more care to keep them looking good. Water spots show up a lot more on dark colored hulls. I know, since I have a blue hull. :grin: A white hull is a lot more forgiving in that regard. The other thing to keep in mind is that a color that looks good today, may not be desirable in five years so in some cases it might affect resale value. Personally, I think that largely depends on the color you choose. (Sea Ray has had several colors in years past that I don't like.) The real trick to maintaining a colored hull is not to let the gel coat oxidize. That means regular polishing and waxing to keep them in good shape.

Choose the colored hull if that's what you like but pick a color that will still have some appeal five years from now. My own personal choices were limited to dark blue or black. While the other colors also look good, they don't have as much universal appeal as those two. to be totally safe, pick the white. It's traditional and more forgiving appearance wise.
 
We almost bought a blue hulled boat, because I thought they look great...
Then, at the last minute, changed to white, as I felt it would be OK to polish and maintain while the boat is on stands, it would be very cumbersome while it is in the water for the season. Once again, I think the blue looks great, but I'm not willing to baby it. White, although it should be maintained as well, is much more forgiving...
 
I am not a fan of colored hulls on larger boats. The bigger the boat the more problematical hull maintenance becomes. Hauling a 50' boat every 4 months for waxing gets expensive, but if you keep your boat on a lift, trailer or dry stack situation, then maintenance is easier.

Dave is right on another count as well......the colored hull introduces a new variable to styling and what was a "hot" color last year, may be "cold" next year. For example, the only left over boats our dealer has on '06's are blue hull boats and they only order blue on a sold boat now. Everyone seems to prefer cinnabar (or whatever the cool name dejour for rust is), pewter or black.

Repairs can also be an issue if your fiberglass guy isn't good. The glass shop at our dealer only stocks white and tan (for dash/panel repairs) gelcoat. They order gelcoat for repairs to colored hulls from Sea Ray by HIN# and the guy doing the work is excellent and he gets good color matches on repairs. But, there are dealers elsewhere that have a hard time making a decent repair on colored hulls.

Sun is another issue on dark hulls. At one time dealers recommended turning your boat once a month so the hull faded equally.

Depending upon the model, some boats were available in 2003 with colored hulls........actually, Sea Ray had 3 -4 28-31 Sundancers in our area for a catalog shoot in July of 2002, and those boats had an '03 serial number. Their models were not good drivers so we also saw each one repaired as well. Other larger boats wee available in late '03 or '04 with colored hulls.

So, pick your poison. If you are up for the maintenance go for a colored hull, but if you want clean classic lines and an easy to maintain boat, chose white.
 
Also - there have been some pretty strong whispers concerning blisters with the pewter hull. I have not heard much lately but I would ask the question if buying a pewter colored hull.
 
osd9 said:
I think the current colored (Blue) Hulls were introduced for the 2003 model year runs....and I believe that Sea Ray uses blue gelcoat....Formula uses (again I think) Imron painted hulls...

IMHO there is no doubt that the colored hulls (Blue, Black and Pewter) look GREAT.....But, the problem is keeping them looking great.....I have two neighbors with colored hulls...both '06 (38DA and 340DA)....I can tell you that they are both paranoid about the colored hull maintenance.....even putting out fenders can leave a little dock rash in the gelcoat....

Very interested in hearing others opinions and real world experiences....

later,
Click to expand...

OSD is absolutely right!! Colored hulls look great when new or cleaned/waxed, but they are nasty with water spots, even in freshwater. We have a 2005 500 Dancer with blue hill on the lake and the boat looks sad unless cleaned often. Can you imagine to wash and wax that sucker all the time. I personally would not go for a dark colored hull ... the pewter hulls aren't too bad though ...
 
WFYB said:
Also - there have been some pretty strong whispers concerning blisters with the pewter hull. I have not heard much lately but I would ask the question if buying a pewter colored hull.
Click to expand...

Based on feedback from my dealer, this color is also one of the harder ones to match when damaged.
 
I owned a yellow Formula for 2 years and a yellow SR for 8 years. When I sold my SR, the dealer told me, "First of all you have to find someone who likes yellow." Tastes do change. I did sell that boat for 20% less than I paid for it. That was due to the rise in prices of new models and the go,go economy of the mid 80's. I did decide however to never buy another colored hull. All of my boats have been white since the yellow "phase." Colors are too much work to maintain. Having said that, it's a boat which is not practical to begin with. So...buy what makes you smile. :smt001
 
My 1999 190 is pearl with the burgundy insert. The burgundy gelcoat still looks brand new- the previous owner gave it an annual polish and wax and I followed suit this year. In fact, I find the pearl color harder to "bring out" than the burgundy, for some reason.

Of course, my boat only sees about 20 hours a year, and only sees super-clean freshwater service.

Paul
 
We have a pewter hull and so far so good. I'm curious about the blister comment. Since blisters are caused by osmosis and the colored hull is above the water line, I'm unclear why there would be an issue.

Our boat was a demo, so there were some gel repairs needed. I guess we have a a good glass guy because its impossible to see the repairs. Our last SR was a green hull, no problems there either. To me, its just a mater of upkeep.
 
colored hulls are not that bad

you cant fix colored gelcoated hulls with gelcoat and have them look good 6 months later, period. I dont care who is doing it.
For small tiny repairs its not bad, or on a edge, near the rail, anywhere its hidden- its not that noticable.Now if you use gelcoat, sand it, then spray and blend clear PAINT over it- well thats the only way to keep it looking nice, that is until the rest of the gel starts fading and your paint does not.

The sea ray blue, for whatever reason, is VERY funny, light scratches cannot be polished out 100%, get some gelcoat and pour it out and just look at it, its translucent!

Tour your local dealership on a sunny day and spot all the factory repairs on the stock boats sitting on land, you will find all the repairs- and these boats are brand new.

Notice the exaust fittings? Those are done post-mold, most of them are now bottom painted WAY above the waterline to hide the repair. Tour the marina for those that are not using a stainless exaust fitting and see how many of them are dis-colored.


There is something very odd about that blue.


Never mind that in the sun its PURPLE!
 
you cant fix colored gelcoated hulls with gelcoat and have them look good 6 months later, period. I dont care who is doing it.
Click to expand...

I have to somewhat disagree with that. I did a lot of glass work (both fab and repair; albeit 25 years ago) on airplanes (skirts, wing tips, etc). Done right, it always came out fine (airplane owners tend to be very fussy).

Don't know about the SR blue though. In my experience, the darker the color, the tougher the job, so you're point on the blue is probably right on.
 
you can fix colored gels, just not with gel.

it will look good now, it wont look good later.

you have to use paint.
the searay blue is almost translucent and alot of times is contaminated right out of the can with white specs in it.
 
RobF300 said:
Notice the exaust fittings? Those are done post-mold, most of them are now bottom painted WAY above the waterline to hide the repair. Tour the marina for those that are not using a stainless exaust fitting and see how many of them are dis-colored.
Click to expand...

So that's why some of the new cruisers have this weird bottompaint pattern in the back arounf the exhaust openings ... I saw this on a larger picof Dave S's cruiser here on the forum and asked the question why the bottom paint would come up way above the water line ... intersting ...
 
I previously had an 1988 230 Weekender that was trimmed with green stripping both below and above the rub rail. I used to try to keep it from chalking but after a few weeks in the sun it would be back to looking faded. I knew it need to be painted to last but wasnt willing to go that far with it. I decided then that I would go for an all white hull if I ever got another boat. I dont know if they have changed anything with their gelcoat now, but I never wanted to take the chance with a hull that was one color like that. I do like the looks of them though.
 
My opinion is you can't buy a boat concerned about who will like it or will it look dated 5 years from now. Time dates all boats as styles inevitably change. Yes, even Frank's beautiful 45DA, as immaculate as he keeps it, looks dated alongside todays newer Dancers. The important thing is that he likes the look. I agree with SBW1, buy what makes you smile.
 
No problems so far w/ my cinnebar hull on my 2005. No repairs yet, either. I did find that a colored pencil luckily matched my hull and does a decent enough job of hiding hairline scratches.

Just keep a coat of Meguire's Flagship wax or some other premium wax on the colored gelcoat and it'll look good. Especially if you can wipe down with a squirt of detailing spray like I do. (Griot's Speedshine in my case.)

Dennis
 
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