Dear Friends: Which boat colors are the most visible, night and day? Has the US Coast Guard or someone else done tests? Matt, when I was in your store you pointed at a blue boat, saying that it had been determined that that type of blue was the most visible. What type of blue was it? Does a white hull make a kayak less or more visible? And finally, is my favorite color, British Racing Green, a visible color? And yes, I am close to purchasing my first kayak, an NDK Romany Explorer! Thanks! Josh ============================================================================== Dr. Joshua Teitelbaum Tel: [972] 3-640-6448 Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and Fax: [972] 3-641-5802 African Studies E-mail:teitelba_at_ccsg.tau.ac.il Tel Aviv University Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978 Israel ============================================================================== *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Josh, A white hulled boat will blend in with white-capping waves making you far less visible. I am guessing that you would be doing a lot of paddling in the Mediterranean so this would be an issue. I do most of my paddling in the Atlantic Ocean and have an orange kayak. My PFD is orange also. Visibility is a concern for both boaters avoiding you and for help to find you if needed. If you are on calm inland waterways this may not be much of an issue but for open ocean paddling I would give it more thought. Paddle on....... Vinny *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I've found yellow to be easiest to see in a variety of conditions. It's important to consider visibility when choosing your PFD and hat as well. My husband races kayaks, and when he's wearing a yellow hat it's a lot easier to pick him out of an approching goup of paddlers. A bright orange hat is visible as well. The problem with red is that it dissapears into shadows and when light levels diminish. Same with blue and green. I've also added reflectors to my helmet, paddle, and we both use PFDs with reflectors. Barbara Moss Beach, CA. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Joshua I work for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority which co-ordinates all the sea rescues in Australian waters. I spoke to our SAR operators a while ago about colours for sea rescues and these were their comments Forget white its the worst colour for spotting at sea. The best colour is Flourescent orange. I believe there is an international standard for this and a lot of life rafts etc are coloured this way. Red would be the next best colour. I had heard about tests done on Blue but none of our SAR operators knew about it. I suspect the blue works best on dull grey days so would not be suited to Australian conditions (lots of blue sky and water). I would guess green would not be a great colour unless its that bright fluescent green (the same as on my bicycle jacket) During the day a signalling mirror is easy to spot. A blank CD works good During the night a small strobe light can show up a very long distance. David Australia *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
At 11:05 AM 12/1/00 +1100, Whyte, David wrote: >Joshua > >I work for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority which co-ordinates all >the sea rescues in Australian waters. I spoke to our SAR operators a while >ago about colours for sea rescues and these were their comments > >Forget white its the worst colour for spotting at sea. >The best colour is Flourescent orange. I believe there is an international >standard for this and a lot of life rafts etc are coloured this way. International orange, I believe it is called. >Red would be the next best colour. I have read several places that red is not a good color for low light situations because it just looks like black. It's fine for getting spotted at sea during the day but if a rescue effort continues until dark it becomes difficult to distinguish from a deep dark sea. I have also read the two contrasting colors is better than one solid color. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
John Fereira wrote: > > At 11:05 AM 12/1/00 +1100, Whyte, David wrote: > >Joshua > > > >I work for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority which co-ordinates all > >the sea rescues in Australian waters. I spoke to our SAR operators a while > >ago about colours for sea rescues and these were their comments > > > >Forget white its the worst colour for spotting at sea. > >The best colour is Flourescent orange. I believe there is an international > >standard for this and a lot of life rafts etc are coloured this way. > > International orange, I believe it is called. Actually the name of the color is International _Rescue_ Orange. I remember when the Canadian Maple Leaf flag was first being proposed three decades ago, an early printed version that I saw was strikingly similar in its color to good ole International Rescue Orange. I kidding my Alberta-born wife mercilously over that. Come to think of it the Maple Leaf flag is pretty visible and perhaps we should all fly big ones on our kayaks. ralph -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Joshua Teitelbaum <teitelba_at_post.tau.ac.il> wrote: >>>>>>Which boat colors are the most visible, night and day? Has the US Coast Guard or someone else done tests? Matt, when I was in your store you pointed at a blue boat, saying that it had been determined that that type of blue was the most visible. What type of blue was it?<<<<<<< Yes, the Coast Guard has done tests. They say (and I said then) that yellow is the most visible over the widest range of conditions. What was surprising in these tests was that a light blue was the next most visible color to yellow. Where most oranges and reds look very dark in dim light or at night light blue seems to almost glow (however nothing compares to reflective tape here). Also a light "Marlin" blue (sort of a bluer dyed turquoise like color) is not the color of anything else in nature so it stands out because it is unnatural. (Except for the bill of a Ruddy duck--first time I ever saw this duck, near the U of WA campus, I thought it must be someone's research experiment because the duck's bill color was so different that it looked to me like it must have been painted on). "If you want to be seen you need to make yourself bigger, brighter or different", is how the Coast Guard Captain put it to me years ago in a boating safety class. >>>>Does a white hull make a kayak less or more visible?<<<<< Depends on what's around it. It's bright, but if viewed from the air amongst a lot of whitecaps it is not different. I think it is a good choice for a hull color because it will be very visible at night (from the side as seen by an approaching vessel) when the deck color you don't mind looking at all day might not be very visible at all. Your PFD and hat probably have the potential to be more visible than the low kayak. What has the best chance of being seen is your paddle blades. They are constantly waving around making yourself bigger and different so the best thing you can do if you want to be seen by others is to also make them bright. >>>>>>And finally, is my favorite color, British Racing Green, a visible color?<<<<< No, and it will show every scratch as well, but if you like it and compensate with a white hull, bright PFD, and bright paddle blades I don't think you have compromised your safety much. I would also take into account what kind of traffic and how much of it you encounter where you will be paddling when making the decision. If the traffic is ships a green deck is going to be harder to see from high above. If speedboats are the threat at least then your hull will be more visible to them than a ship. A few further thoughts. In your hot climate you probably don't want colors like British Racing Green that heat up too much in the sun and at the same time you do not want a bright white deck which will help blind you with reflected light. Nigel Foster had a good article on "Choosing Colors for Sea Kayaks" a few years back in Sea Kayaker. I looked on Sea Kayaker's website and couldn't find it there (and then I got waylaid by bringing my "back issues/out-of-print issues" filing system up to date). I finally found it in the index of the first fifty issues. It is in the Feb. 1995 issue (#44--this issue is still available from Sea Kayaker--unfortunately the article is not online). For those of you who like the safety articles in "Deep Trouble" I see the last one I did (that Sea Kayaker printed) is available online now from the Dec. 1997 issue at http://www.seakayakermag.com/articles.htm. >>>>And yes, I am close to purchasing my first kayak, an NDK Romany Explorer! Thanks! Josh<<<<< Let us know what colors you finally choose? Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Please excuse the tardy response (Josh), but hopefully this will be worth something to the new boat buyers out there who do not feel like painting International Rescue Orange over a brand spankin' new boat. A friend of mine who owns a Mariner Express in the "Marlin" bluish - green Matt describes below was paddling Tropical Storm Dennis on the Chesapeake Bay with some friends and I. The boats included: M's Marlin Blue Mariner Express J's Yellow Mariner Express G's Std. Red VCP Nordcapp my Green / Blk F-craft Khatsalano The visibility due to torrential downpours at one point dropped to about 1 1/2 ~ 2 boat lengths (that with clear wrap-around shades I use for storm paddling). After the paddle, we compared notes on our boats' visibilities, and if you reverse the above list you'll have the order in which they "disappeared" (distance wise) into the whiteout conditions. >From other experiences, I've found VCP's Golden Yellow to be almost as visible as the Marlin Blue under all the conditions I've been in here in the Mid Atlantic. Next would probably be VCP's Red (if not faded), but as said already, tends to get lost in lower light situations. I was surprised how dark a friend's new Red deck & hull Romany appeared during a BCU class held in (low light daytime) storm conditions. The instructor's all Red Anas was even tougher to make out due to fading / "drabbing" of his deck / hull. I admit I'm kind of splitting hairs here in that the light conditions were not "bad", just low enough to easily see the differences between various colors in storm seas and surf. Getting back to Mariner's Marlin Blue, it seems as good as any standard deck color available for all paddling except clear turquoise waters. If only Matt would push equally visible hull colors so his boats could be easier spotted at a glance when rolling around upturned and unmanned in surf... Matt Broze wrote: > Joshua Teitelbaum <teitelba_at_post.tau.ac.il> wrote: > > >>>>>>Which boat colors are the most visible, night and day? > > Has the US Coast Guard or someone else done tests? > > Matt, when I was in your store you pointed at a blue boat, saying that it > had been determined that that type of blue was the most visible. What > type of blue was it?<<<<<<< > > Yes, the Coast Guard has done tests. They say (and I said then) that yellow > is the most visible over the widest range of conditions. What was surprising > in these tests was that a light blue was the next most visible color to > yellow. Where most oranges and reds look very dark in dim light or at night > light blue seems to almost glow (however nothing compares to reflective tape > here). Also a light "Marlin" blue (sort of a bluer dyed turquoise like > color) is not the color of anything else in nature so it stands out because > it is unnatural. (Except for the bill of a Ruddy duck--first time I ever saw > this duck, near the U of WA campus, I thought it must be someone's research > experiment because the duck's bill color was so different that it looked to > me like it must have been painted on). > "If you want to be seen you need to make yourself bigger, brighter or > different", is how the Coast Guard Captain put it to me years ago in a > boating safety class. > > >>>>Does a white hull make a kayak less or more visible?<<<<< > > Depends on what's around it. It's bright, but if viewed from the air amongst > a lot of whitecaps it is not different. I think it is a good choice for a > hull color because it will be very visible at night (from the side as seen > by an approaching vessel) when the deck color you don't mind looking at all > day might not be very visible at all. Your PFD and hat probably have the > potential to be more visible than the low kayak. What has the best chance of > being seen is your paddle blades. They are constantly waving around making > yourself bigger and different so the best thing you can do if you want to be > seen by others is to also make them bright. regular no affiliation with Mariner or any other kayak manufacturer clause Vince Orange deck, Golden Yellow hull Anas Acuta Blk diagonal striped between gunwales & chines to tell bow from stern at a glance if hull is upturned (for rescue purposes) Yellow bladed paddle Yellow PFD / Or.&Ylw PFD, both with SOLAS reflective tape and patches *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Vince Dalrymple <vincedalrymple_at_home.com> wrote: <SNIP> >>>>>>Getting back to Mariner's Marlin Blue, it seems as good as any standard deck color available for all paddling except clear turquoise waters. If only Matt would push equally visible hull colors so his boats could be easier spotted at a glance when rolling around upturned and unmanned in surf...<<<<<SNIP> Think of it this way. If you rollover and die in your white hulled kayak your life won't be all for not. Your legacy will be having done your small part to decrease global warming as the white hull you left facing the sun reflects the most energy back into space than water or any other color you could choose for your hull). :-) Actually, it has been my experience that our hulls have the frustrating tendency to stay upright in the surf once they are swamped. I would like them to quickly roll back to shore on the front of a breaking soup but like some disobedient puppy they obstinately stay upright and keep slipping over the breakers. I know, maybe a rudder would help. It might provide the wave with the leverage it needs to get that rolling action started. I don't particularly "push" any color on a customer. I do try to present the pros and cons of each choice and let the customer decide based on what factors are more important to them. Visibility (and some want to disappear on the beach rather than be seen on the water), weight (yep, some colors weigh more), fading and scratch resistance and the scratch's visibility=resale value, high light reflectivity hurts the eyes and high light absorption cooks the kayak's contents, and some folks even consider the psychological factors involved in looking out over the large area of foredeck color that's constantly in their field of vision. Several customers have chosen marlin blue decks with yellow hulls and although I personally find the combination not very appealing, I figure "to each his own". However, we have on a few occasions increased the size of the deposit we ask for when an order is placed because some of the color combinations customers have chosen would be very hard to sell to anyone else if they back out after the parts are made (or decided they didn't like the unusual colors they picked later). I think the black deck/red hull kayak was the strangest combination we've done (black deck--talk about increasing global warming--but the local warming in that kayak would be what would bother me most). We have had many orders cancelled for many reasons over the years but only once that I can recall have we not returned a customers deposit when that happened. We kept the $100 deposit of one customer in the late 1980's who insisted he wanted an older model we had discontinued and would now find much harder to sell. We went to a whole lot of extra trouble to restore the mold and build him the kayak he insisted he had to have, then once it was ready he told us he couldn't buy it because his wife decided to use the money to remodel the bathroom. Looking back on it, I suppose we should have been more merciful. That man had probably already been punished enough but I guess I was just not feeling real sympathetic at the time. Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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