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/ ***************************************************************************
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