# Light gray hull - any pics out there?



## GrahamO (Apr 4, 2012)

We are in the process of buying a Bristol 38.8 and getting a hull repaint is part of the deal. We really like the traditional dark blues but we plan to spend time in the tropics so that might not be a great idea. We don't really want to go white so we were thinking of a light silver gray but it is hard to visualize and risks looking like a dirty white boat.....

Has anyone gone this way? Are there pics? Other ideas?

Thanks a lot


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Your boat wants a dark hull. You are right, a light grey hull just looks dirty, and additionally gets lost in fog. Lots of boats in the tropics with blue hulls.


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

Check out Ericson boats. Most came from the factory with light gray gelcoat.


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## BluemanSailor (Apr 28, 2009)

I had a Bristol 32 that I Awlgripped the traditional dark blue. Spent 2 years in the Caribbean and never noticed that it was any hotter below deck than other boats. Besidies me there where a lot of other dark hull boats down there.

So if you love the color - go for it.


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## jimmalkin (Jun 1, 2004)

I replaced the Awlgrip Flag Blue on a 50' Passport with Awlgrip Whisper Grey - white boot top and black bottom paint. She looked terrific. I did so as the dark top side colors, especially blues, reds, greens break down or degrade in the sunlight of the tropics and are also heat attracting, drawing heat into the boat. The "degrading" is from an Awlgrip engineer with whom I had a long telephone conversation; the "heat attraction" is from personal experience living aboard in the Caribbean in the '70s on a blue hulled ketch.

If you would like a picture of the whisper grey boat (which used to be my signature, send me a PM with your email and I'll attach it.)

Best -


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## copacabana (Oct 1, 2007)

I would go with white if you plan on spending time in the tropics. It's amazing how even light colours can heat up under a tropical sun. When I redid my (previously white) non-skid I decided to use a very pale "sand" colour to offset the non-skid from the white deck. Even this very light, almost off-white colour heats up underfoot to the point it burns bare feet under the midday sun. The white surfaces remain cool. I couldn't imagine a dark blue hull for the tropics, no matter how nice it looks. When the sun angle goes down it's going to heat up. Just my 2 cents ...


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## GrahamO (Apr 4, 2012)

Jim, I'm not allowed to PM yet (not enough posts). Can you PM me with a contact?

Thanks


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Here's our last boat in Whisper Grey AwlGrip, black striping and white decks. We 'reversed' things from grey decks and white hull, huge improvement in under-foot-comfort, and we hid the hull windows in the stripe.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I boats that is notably grey on her topsides will look military, IMHO.

Blue topsides and grey bottom, now we're talking!

If you are really concerned about the tropics, I would stick with white and jazz up with more pronounced or intricate striping, if you need to individualize.


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## Nicklaus (Apr 23, 2012)

I seriously contemplated painting my boat and loved the dark blue. Word of warning: The darker the color, the more imperfections stand out. 

After looking around for ideas, I found a nice light blue sailboat with gold stripes. It looked as good as any navy. So if you are afraid of the dark colors but want something other than white, light blue might be an option.

I ended up just using some elbow grease and waxed out a shine on my gelcoat.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

I am thinking along your lines. My boat has red hull top side and a red mast with white deck (painted by PO with two part sprayed epoxy). Boat lives in Hawaii where UV index is extreme year round. After 5 years mast is turning pink as well as the hull due to fade. The white deck is good (stays cool to the touch). My suggestion is stay away from dark colors as they fade and I am told they cause the fiberglass to break down faster due to heating effects (probably not a huge issue but over years of exposure who knows). Problem I have with a pure white hull is that it will show every dock scuff and imperfection as well as minor dirt.

My plan is to use a two part Platnium color when I re-paint the hull and to paint the mast either white or maybe use the Platnium.


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## GrahamO (Apr 4, 2012)

That sounds like fun. Can you give me a little more detail on the paint?

Thanks

Graham



casey1999 said:


> I am thinking along your lines. My boat has red hull top side and a red mast with white deck. Boat lives in Hawaii where UV index is extreme year round. After 5 years mast is turning pink as well as the hull due to fade. The white deck is good (stays cool to the touch). My suggestion is stay away from dark colors as they fade and I am told they cause the fiberglass to break down faster due to heating effects (probably not a huge issue but over years of exposure who knows). Problem I have with a pure white hull is that it will show every dock scuff and imperfection as well as minor dirt.
> 
> My plan is to use a two part Platnium color when I re-paint the hull and to paint the mast either white or maybe use the Platnium.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

GrahamO said:


> That sounds like fun. Can you give me a little more detail on the paint?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Graham


I am looking at the Interlux Perfection two part paint. West Marine sell the paint as well as other distributors. You can also check out their web site. Platnium may be to dark but they are other off-whites or greys that may work.
Here is color chart (note the chart color might not be that accurate- the Interlux brochre probably has better color chart:
http://images.jamestowndistributors.com/images/multi/interlux/large/1439s.jpg


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Better yet, paint your boat without getting dirty:
Paint My Boat | Interlux

FYI, below is my red mast. Notice where the sail cover goes it is still red. Where no sail cover it is going pink. This after only five years.


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## dylanwinter1 (Jan 15, 2010)

here is a film of a splendid boat with a grey hull


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## GrahamO (Apr 4, 2012)

Casey,
That's cool! Gray still looks good to me. Of course a model on a monitor is not exactly accurate but we probably don't have time to do much worrying about this....

As for the video. That is probably the size boat we should have bought. Just found out the waiting time for moorings here is more than ten years......

Thanks


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## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

When we bought our Bristol it was dark blue but tired looking. We repainted with Whisper Grey with dark blue and gold trim and it looks terrific. We get many compliments. It does help in the tropics for sure. A picture really does not show anything since it looks white in the picture, but put it next to a white boat and really notice the difference, quite elegant looking.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

killarney_sailor said:


> when we bought our bristol it was dark blue but tired looking. We repainted with whisper grey with dark blue and gold trim and it looks terrific. We get many compliments. It does help in the tropics for sure. A picture really does not show anything since it looks white in the picture, but put it next to a white boat and really notice the difference, quite elegant looking.


exactly!!


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## GrahamO (Apr 4, 2012)

We are building a reasonable consensus here . do you have a picture showing the trim. It sounds great.

Graham



killarney_sailor said:


> When we bought our Bristol it was dark blue but tired looking. We repainted with Whisper Grey with dark blue and gold trim and it looks terrific. We get many compliments. It does help in the tropics for sure. A picture really does not show anything since it looks white in the picture, but put it next to a white boat and really notice the difference, quite elegant looking.


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

GrahamO said:


> We are in the process of buying a Bristol 38.8 and getting a hull repaint is part of the deal. We really like the traditional dark blues but we plan to spend time in the tropics so that might not be a great idea. We don't really want to go white so we were thinking of a light silver gray but it is hard to visualize and risks looking like a dirty white boat.....
> 
> Has anyone gone this way? Are there pics? Other ideas?
> 
> Thanks a lot


I like it:










Regards

Paulo


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## dylanwinter1 (Jan 15, 2010)

PCP said:


> I like it:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


me too

I think grey is a great colour

the same grey as a kittywake's back


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Here's another shot... our 'Whisper grey' "Phantom" and a friends' Martin 242 in more of a battleship grey. The lighter grey is more attractive, I think. As KS mentioned, by herself at a distance she looked white. Alongside a group of white boats she stood out.


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## SlowButSteady (Feb 17, 2010)

dylanwinter1 said:


> here is a film of a splendid boat with a grey hull
> 
> sky high lee = www.keepturningleft.co.uk - YouTube


Dylan,

I hope you have a nice comfy couch. Because if I see any more vids of that sweet little boat you built, I'm gonna have to start building one myself. And when "The Admiral" sees yet another one of my projects (or "piles of boat crap", as she calls them) laying around she might just finally toss me and all my half-finished masterpieces out of the house. And THEN I'm gonna show up on your doorstep.

SBS

(BTW, what's for breakfast?)


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## CapnRon47 (Jul 29, 2007)

We are far from the tropics (NC), but I like my light grey hull with a dark blue bottom.










the topsides are white.










cheers,
Ron


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## nemier (Jul 9, 2005)

Ron,
Beautiful boat, love the colours - is she a C&C?


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## GrahamO (Apr 4, 2012)

Thank you all for the great input. I'm definitely leaning towards Whisper Gray. However.....

Being married to a painter (of the Artist variety) the concept of 'Gray' becomes enormously complex so this is not a done deal yet.

Wish us luck.


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

Gray comes in many shades besides and the importance to choose a nice one it is an interesting color for a sailboat for several reasons: It provides a soft contrast with the white on the deck and cabin, it makes the boat not so hot as a darker color, it does not degrade as much with UV has a darker color (loss of color) and give just a great contrast in stripes on the hull, on top and over the water line with the white gelcoat and for the name too. I mean white over grey.

Put your wife doing that study, I mean the stripes and the name. You have great examples of what I am talking about on that Salona 37 or on Ron's boat. They can contribute to make the freeboard looking smaller and the boat more elegant. X yachts used that trick for many years and they still do.

Best regards

Paulo


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## catamount (Sep 8, 2002)

GREYHAWK

medium gray hull -- original gel coat for the most part, pretty close in shade to rustoleum gray primer...

Pettit EasyPoxy "mist gray" deck with KiwiGrip gray non-skid

Awlgrip "whisper gray" spars


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## CapnRon47 (Jul 29, 2007)

Nemier,
Heron is a Holby Marine Clearwater model, a swing keel boat they built in the late 80's in Bristol, RI. With the keel and rudder up she draws 1' 10"! They only made 7, we have hull #5. She is great for the shallow waters of NC rivers and creeks. Heron is now located in Oriental, NC, our little piece of paradise.










Many thanks to the original owner who kept her in Bristol shape, we are trying to do the same.




























Great looking and sailing boat and I am proud to show her off (if you couldn't guess, duh).

Ron


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## GrahamO (Apr 4, 2012)

Thanks All. These are some lovely boats! We are definitely going to join the gray gang but the which gray is still 'under discussion'. I love Whisper Gray but Janaki is not convinced. We have ordered an Awlgrip color card because computer screens are not the best place to choose.

Then its the name.... funnily enough I was just thinking Heron would be a good name for a gray boat when I scrolled down to the last message so I guess you beat me to it Ron


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

I'm okay with a lot of non-traditional colours on boats, but when I see grey, i think primer. it just looks... unfinished.
Which is cool on a rat rod, but on a boat with a sexy as hell sheer and proportions that look fast even at the dock?









or...


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## GrahamO (Apr 4, 2012)

Pretty car and I understand the risk but we are looking for 'tropical-practical-elegant' and what works for a car may not work for a boat. Although, I have seen some very classy gray cars as well. My dad's first Volvo springs to mind from many years ago.


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## TomMaine (Dec 21, 2010)

*Here's a lighter gray I saw last night.*



GrahamO said:


> Thanks All. These are some lovely boats! We are definitely going to join the gray gang but the which gray is still 'under discussion'. I love Whisper Gray but Janaki is not convinced. We have ordered an Awlgrip color card because computer screens are not the best place to choose.
> 
> Then its the name.... funnily enough I was just thinking Heron would be a good name for a gray boat when I scrolled down to the last message so I guess you beat me to it Ron


A Concordia yawl in my harbor.







And here's another Concordia in a darker gray.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

On Greyhawk what is the orange band for on the mast?


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

bljones said:


> I'm okay with a lot of non-traditional colours on boats, but when I see grey, i think primer. it just looks... unfinished.
> Which is cool on a rat rod, but on a boat with a sexy as hell sheer and proportions that look fast even at the dock?
> 
> 
> ...


I think the differece is that primer is not high gloss.

Also, sail boats are built more for crossing oceans rather than "picking up chicks" as that Chevy would be good for.


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## GrahamO (Apr 4, 2012)

*Re: Light gray hull - any pics out there? Graystone?*

OK we are down to Whisper Gray, or Graystone. We have seen lots of great examples of Whisper but no Graystone.

Has anyone used it? How did it look?

Going from a 1" paint chip to a 39' boat is not an easy visualization.....

Thanks a lot


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Good on ya! Who makes 'graystone'?


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## GrahamO (Apr 4, 2012)

Awlgrip,
It looks pinker on the screen than the color card but it is definitely warmenr than Whisper (same card). Not sure if that is good or bad.....


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Not sure about the pinkish hue... you're right about that.


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## GrahamO (Apr 4, 2012)

That's why I'm hoping someone else has tried it. Potential for a very Expensive mistake here.....


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## catamount (Sep 8, 2002)

casey1999 said:


> On Greyhawk what is the orange band for on the mast?


To increase the boat's visibility when at sea -- it's actually orange reflective tape... Not sure how effective it really is, but it does make the boat easier to find in a crowded anchorage!

Edit: I saw a magazine cover featuring a boat with an orange band on its mast, and thought "oh look, they have an orange band like Greyhawk does," when I realized that the boat on the cover _was_ Greyhawk (Points East Magazine, September 2010). The point of this story being that it was the orange band on the mast that first attracted my attention to the photo.


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## GrahamO (Apr 4, 2012)

*Color Update*

So... This was looking pretty simple until we discovered you can do Awlgrip custom colors.

The current (final) choice is Sherwin Williams Rain. It is kind of gray but with more tint in it. Hope it works.

Boot stripe still a work in progress. Pictures will be posted on completion.

One day we will actually get to sail......


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## GrahamO (Apr 4, 2012)

*Re: Light gray hull - any pics out there? FIRST PHOTO!*

Due to a slight pre-purchase mishap addressed in another thread we are STILL not on the water but a first photo of the hull is below. In the end we sharpened up the gray with a little blue. The actual color is Sherwin Williams Rain.


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## Nicklaus (Apr 23, 2012)

Very nice. Was out on the Chesapeake last night and one of the boats in the Wednesday night races was a nice blue-gray.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Yacht looks great


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## Jean Le Corre (Oct 6, 2015)

@CapRon:
I am building a catamaran here in Brazil - and quite liked the light grey hull of the yacht Heron. Functionally it is a good compromise (not too dark color in this warm climate) but also esthatically I find it beautiful.
Please do you have any reference number or name to that color? so I can try to find the equivalent here..
Many thanks,
Jean


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