[I'm sending this again because I don't think the first one made it. If it did, please excuse the double posting.] Dear Paddlewise and all those who weighed in privately and here on the Boat Visibility Thread: First thanks to all those who contributed to this. Some liked blue, others preferred yellow, but Ralph, Vinny, Dave, and David mentioned international orange and this is what the Coast Guard seems to prefer. Also, many mentioned the importance of visible paddles and PFD. I decided to ask the USCG. As you can see, was kicked around the USCG for a while. They apparently have no official policy on colors, but unofficially they prefer international orange. One more word here. Visibility is super important. But you also have to LIKE the color you choose, since you have to live with it. I've just ordered and NDK Romany Explorer from Nigel in Wales, and the color I have chosen is a a blue, close to what Matt and others have described. Both hull and deck. Below you will find the entire correspondence between me and the USCG and within the USCG. I made the initial contact via their web page. They only took a week to get back to me, and I think that is pretty good service. There are some good addresses there for further inquiries, too. Safe kayaking, folks. Josh ======================================= From: "Mandler, Marc Dr." <MMandler_at_rdc.uscg.mil> To: "'teitelba_at_post.tau.ac.il'" <teitelba_at_post.tau.ac.il> Cc: "Schaefer, Richard" <RSchaefer_at_comdt.uscg.mil>, "Cundy, Don" <DCundy_at_rdc.uscg.mil>, "Purvis, Gregory LT" <GPurvis_at_comdt.uscg.mil>, "Allen, Art" <AAllen_at_rdc.uscg.mil>, "Neprud, Kirk CWO" <KNeprud_at_comdt.uscg.mil>, "Jensen, Keith MCPO" <KJensen_at_comdt.uscg.mil> Subject: FW: Most visible color for small boats Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 07:49:00 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" X-UIDL: b9480e1de407b2f4e13c6f46624715db Josh- The answer to the question of which color is best for a sea kayak is quite complicated. The conspicuousness, detection distance and recognition distance of colors vary with both the background against which colors are viewed and the lighting conditions (direct sun, overcast, dusk, etc.) Let me give an example to highlight the complexity fo the problem. A bright white kayak might be quite visible to another kayaker if the white kayak were viewed against a dark, forested background. Against this forested background the white kayak would be most visible when the sun was directly behind the observer, such that a large portion of the light reflected from the white kayak came back in the direction of the observer. If this same white kayak were on the horizon against an overcast (white) sky, it would be much less visible. Similarly, from the air, a white kayak would be quite visible if the water were calm, but add white caps to the water and a white kayak could become indistiguishable from the background. While I cannot point to any single study to prove this point, the color, international orange appears to be one of the best selections for colors in a maritime environment, as it creates contrast with the background against which it is viewed in maost circumstances. The greater the contrast between a color and its background the more visible the color. Contrast can be in the form of brightness differences or color diffences. International orange tends to provide the greatest color contrast in the majority of situations. A large body of evidence, some done internationally, some done by the Naval Submarine Research Lab in Groton, CT and some done by me all converge on an an answer that bright (international) orange is the way to go. Bright orange will not be the most visible color in most situations, but appears to be a color that maintains a reasonable level of visibility in nearly all situations. Hope this helps. Happy kayaking. Don't forget your personal flotation device and a radio or cell phone. Marc B. Mandler, Ph.D. Technical Director, USCG R&D Center 1082 Shennecossett Road Groton, CT 06340-6096 voice 860.441.2615 fax 860.441.2792 mmandler_at_rdc.uscg.mil http://www.rdc.uscg.mil -----Original Message----- From: Cundy, Don Sent: Monday, December 11, 2000 4:15 PM To: Mandler, Marc Dr. Subject: FW: Most visible color for small boats Marc, Do you of a study that answers this question? Donald F. Cundy Chief, Maritime Operations Technology Division U.S. Coast Guard Research & Development Center 1082 Shennecossett Road Groton, CT 06340 (860) 441-2610 -----Original Message----- From: Purvis, Gregory LT Sent: Friday, December 08, 2000 8:19 AM To: Allen, Art; Cundy, Don; Neprud, Kirk CWO; Jensen, Keith MCPO; Markle, Robert Subject: FW: Most visible color for small boats Good Morning, Do any of you have any idea or are aware of any studies that have been done on what colors are the most visible in locating objects or etc? v/r LT Greg Purvis Office of Search and Rescue (G-OPR-1) Email: gpurvis_at_comdt.uscg.mil Phone: 202 267-1559 Fax: 202 267-4418 -----Original Message----- From: Schaefer, Richard Sent: Friday, December 08, 2000 6:57 AM To: Purvis, Gregory LT Subject: FW: Most visible color for small boats Greg, we've had similar inquiries on colors in the past. Can you please answer this. The survival folks may have some kind of lead, or perhaps the R&DC. Seems since the orange is prescribed for many things (life vests, hunting clothes, etc) that somewhere people have determined it is the best choice. Problem is pinning down the info. Makes me wonder if there is anything on the itnernet on studies of color visibilities (lots of universities may have done research). Richard R. Schaefer Office of Search and Rescue U.S. Coast Guard G-OPR-1, rm 3106 202-267-1089 rschaefer_at_comdt.uscg.mil -----Original Message----- From: Joshua Teitelbaum [mailto:teitelba_at_post.tau.ac.il] Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 4:34 AM To: Schaefer, Richard Subject: Most visible color for small boats Dear Mr. Schaefer: I received your e-mail address from William Perry of the USCG Information Line. I'm wondering if you could help me, in your capacity in the Search and Rescue Department at Coast Guard HQ in DC. What is the most visible color for a boat, day and night? I have heard yellow, international orange, and light blue. There is a lot of talk amongst kayakers that the Coast Guard has carried out research on this subject, but I could not find anything authoritative. I am purchasing a sea kayak, and want to be visible if I get separated from my partner, or if, God forbid, I need to be rescued. Thanks much. Josh Teitelbaum ============================================================================== Dr. Joshua Teitelbaum, Research Fellow Tel: [972] 3-640-6448 Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and Fax: [972] 3-641-5802 African Studies Tel Aviv University Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978 Israel E-mail:teitelba_at_ccsg.tau.ac.il www.dayan.org ============================================================================== *************************************************************************** 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. 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