black not so bad
Hey,
You know, I used to worry about that too but I found something interesting. Last summer I got a new black GP. I noticed when I let a friend borrow it I could see them at about a quarter mile or more away. I couldn’t see the boat but I could see the regular flashing of the wet paddle reflecting the sunlight with each stroke. Certainly in certain conditions you can’t seem them, same with other colors really, but water on black creates a mirror and it does a good job reflecting light. For what it’s worth.
black is good
After motion, which the eye/mind will detect first, come silhouettes/shadows.
All the best hunting critters (ie-big cats) have strips, spots, or some type of shading to break up thier silhouette while stalking (can’t really do much about the “motion” thing but keep low when moving)
You don’t believe me? Just ask any sniper…
Yessiree, silhouettes stand out.
PS - the best camouflage at night is not black, but crimson.
The need varies with the conditions
– Last Updated: Mar-24-07 6:11 PM EST –
At night, you need retroreflective tape, such as the SOLAS products mentioned by others. "SOLAS" is just an acronym for "Safety Of Life At Sea". DOT approved automotive reflective tape is the same thing, or at least close enough for our uses.
In bright sunlight, nothing works better than prismatic reflective tape. It's the same type of product that's commonly used on fishing lures. I've found it at automotive stores.
In overcast conditions, fluorescent colors work best. As was mentioned, a white base coat makes a big difference with fluorescent paints. You can either paint the blade or apply white tape and paint the tape.
On my "visibility test" paddle, I had fluorescent orange on half of the blades, prismatic tape on the other half and a wrap of retroreflective tape on the shaft at the base of the blades. Needless to say, nobody had any problems seeing me.
These days, I paddle with cedar Greenland paddles. Adding white epoxy tips makes them more visible, more durable and creates a look similar to traditional bone-tipped paddles.