I know it’s been discussed but I can’t find the thread.
I’m thinking about a new boat and trying to decide on a color… I think I remember that yellow is the heaviest and no gelcoat is not an option… Thanks
OK, I’ll be the first to ask…
What boat might that be ???
cheers,
jackL
Clear?
Clear gelcoat with no pigment added?
Might be…
– Last Updated: Aug-03-06 7:23 PM EST –
A red or blue one..
I haven'y seen one or sat in one or paddled one, so I don't want to get ahead of myself here..
Gelcoat weight
If it matters enough to you to consider color on that basis - or none at all - you better think about buying your wing back too! L
Boats built with that sort of lightness in mind are made for speed - or are really short. Sounds like your little 14 footers have you spoiled you for lifting.
If you’re talking a touring boat, everyone knows a skeg adds 7 pounds - and hard chines add 8 more (plus the 5 pound British import penalty if you go that route). Drop those and you have lighter choices. 
My quest is to stay under 44 lbs.
Doable for a day boat but it gets really expensive.
At my age getting it on the car is more important than going fast…
The ones that are the most opaque.
– Last Updated: Aug-03-06 8:09 PM EST –
Depends on operator too .... some companys still brush it in...... ugh ........now THAT is heavy.
Yellow and some reds are heavy simply because more needs to be sprayed into mold because they are very translucent.
Most tooling gelcoats come in either red, orange or black ..... so if you order a boat in one of these colors and X manufacturers molds are also that color, your boat willprobably be heavier than an equally opaque non-mold-gelcoat-color simply because the gelcoat guy will probably add alittle more for good measure since he really cannot see the difference between the mold and color as he lays it in. More than wet vs. dry too .... film thickness for coverage matters too.
That said, boats made w/o gelcoat can save several pounds and either put it into more worthwhile reinforcement or run lighter.
Yellow Must Be The Lightest
JackL and I have the same boats made of the same material. His is yellow and white and mine is ivory and white. His is much lighter than mine.
The differance must be the color, LOL.
Happy Paddling,
Mark
When I bought my Nigel Foster Shadow
last January, the factory told me that the two heaviest colors are yellow followed by orange. The rest are pretty much the same weight.
Yellow contains chromium in it and that adds to the weight - about 2-3 lbs heavier than other colors.
Orange is nothing more than red mixed with yellow, so it is the 2nd heaviest.
So Much for Visibility… Thanks…
I still went for a Burnt Orange Color.
First off, I like the color and since it was a custom color that I didn’t have to pay extra for, I knew I’d have boat different from most.
The weight difference isn’t really that much, get what looks good to you.
If you go buy a gallon … Red and
– Last Updated: Aug-04-06 5:18 AM EST –
burgundy are the heaviest.....
All things being equal........
Yellow boats are heavy(er) because of how much needs to be in there due to it being very translucent and manufacturers not daring to have you REALLY see what goes on behind the gelcoat curtain. A light spray of yellow and a clean layup underneath is really a cool thing to see.
Forgot to add .... white is lightest gallon followed by light blue.
It felt like a five or ten pound
difference.
what does that inboard bilge pump you have weigh.
That might be the difference.
Either that or you keep your secret horde of gold under the seat.
Cheers,
JackL
Hey Rick
Forget the yak and go C-1 racing canoe out of carbon graphite.
18’-6" long and 19 pounds. (black only)
You never have any confused water down there to use the yak you are looking at unless your going out in a hurricane.
Cheers,
JackL
I Did Not Weigh
The pump, hose, fittings, mini-cell, and plyboard used for the footpump. Maybe it weighs two pounds or so.
I might have to take a saw and check for that gold under the seat.
Happy Paddling,
Mark
This is sad
I find this thread interesting. Do you realize the weight I could have saved by choosing another color is 1%. I will contemplate this come Tuesday on my 2-mile portage that will turn into a 6 mile hike. Thanks, guys!
I think it is great.
– Last Updated: Aug-04-06 6:52 PM EST –
It gives me a new excuse when some one beats me.
My yak is yellow, (translates to heavier which translates to slower)
I just hope their boat isn't yellow.
Cheers,
jackL