Coloured Boat Hull?
Traditionally, most boats have been produced with a white or slightly off-white hull colour. That was done mostly because a darker surface would be subject to rapid heating from sunlight exposure, making walking across the deck potentially very uncomfortable on the feet.
Although Sea Ray began introducing some coloured stripes in the 1980’s, offering solid dark hull-sides really took off during the early 2000’s and later model years.
Dramatic shot of this 580 Sedan Bridge, highlighting the dark blue hull sides.
Even though this gave the boats a dramatic contrast, some found that keeping a dark hull looking pristine proved to be a bit of a challenge. Water spray many times left unsightly water spots along the length of the boat, which was accentuated against those dark hulls. Scuffs or scrapes could also become more noticeable, but for many owners, those were just minor inconveniences, and having to wash or polish the boat more often was a small price to pay.
I was recently asked what the best paining options might be to rejuvenate an older Sea Ray that had seen better days. My suggestion was that forgoing a potentially messy paint job, but applying a professional vinyl boat wrap might offer the same results, but with less mess or cost.
Although I’ve never done something like this on any of our own boats, it could offer an alternative for someone who loves a certain boat model (a Sea Ray, of course 😉), but fell in love with that dark blue hull they saw on another boat years earlier. . .
Check out the most recent listing - 2005 Sea Ray 580 Sedan Bridge - to get some inspiration of your own!
