Hi All,
I am about to put my order in for a new Tempest 170 pro. I have narrowed down the color choices to Orange over White and Mercury Blue over White. The Blue is pretty dark but it is sharp looking. The Orange is bright and probably safer. I paddle in the Northeast. Any thoughts or does anyone have the Blue on their boat?
color
Yeah the orange deck would be more visible is someone was looking down from above - but in terms of visiblity to other boaters I think the color of your PFD and paddle blades are probably more significant.
If you like the dark blue go for it - might absorb heat from the sun a little better than lighter colors (a good thing spring & fall, not so good in high summer!)
color
A few years back I was out with a friend on his 16’ powerboat. Had it not been for the pfds and the paddles these paddlers would have looked like logs. The color of the kayak was in-distinguishable from the water level we were at.
Scuffs and scratches
I think the dark blue shows them more, if that matters.
Paul S.
FWIW
in one of the chapters in “Sea Kayakers:Deep Trouble” the rescuers said that the blue deck and white hull of the kayak made it “indistinguishable from the surf.” This episode was in the Pacific Northwest.
get what
You like, you are the one that lives with your kayak get the color you preffer. I put a one inch wide solas reflective tape around the perimeter of the kayak just below the hull deck joint, this shows up better than any color.Day or night.
Dennis
do the orange
blue is pretty but not as visible
say, chip
just wondering, why it came down to either dark blue or orange…personal preference or what could ship readily?
The other thing about colors like dark blue is that they really disappear at dusk (along w. dark green and red).
If you go the blue route (or any color actually) and paddle at dusk or later, add a stationary white light you can attach to the aftdeck for those times. Other boats use stationary stern lights after dark so you will be using a commonly recognized signal.
SOLAS tape is excellent day or night but putting it near the water line of an already low boat like a kayak may defeat the purpose. The other boats are looking down at a kayak, after all, & water action might obscure the kayak’s water line. Just a thought.Mine goes on the topside of the deck w. one inch on either side of the low peak there.
color peference
well it always better to have bright color,so you can been seen unless you are fishing or hunting then thats the different…aka same as when buy a car bright color keep the car cooler and can be seen in bad weather like snow or rain
Preference
I don’t want the standard yellow or red. I was always planning on the Orange. My current boat is Mango. I saw the Blue over Yellow on the website and never liked it. I was looking at the overhead view of the Tempest 180 pro and the blue caught my eye and I thought it would look nice over white.
Black Tacoma
I have a black Tacoma. LOL. Already ruined that theory.
The blue will be lighter!
Hate to start the gelcoat thing again but the consensus is blue is lighter weight than orange.
Orange in the fog
If visibility is really important to you, orange would be the preferable color, as it shows up really well in the fog , although, as others have said, ones paddle and pfd are generally more visible in most instances than the boat deck. .Putting some safety orange or reflective tape on your paddle blades would probably be the best visibility aide.
black is nice
your PFD color and paddle are more significant as far as visibility go than your kayak color.
Sensitivity
– Last Updated: Feb-23-07 5:35 PM EST –
Some folks have sensitive feet. They take out the footpegs and put in a foam block.
I have sensitive rods and cones. No way would I be comfortable looking at orange for hours and hours. You might want to keep that in mind.
My current kayak is slate grey and I ain't been rund over yet. I do wear a bright yellow pfd for visibility.
buy what pleases you
Get the color you like looking at, the one that pleases you the most when you see it on top of your vehicle or pulled up on shore.
Orange
Orange is nice, and it’s the color my new kayak is going to be (we’ll see. cross my fingers and hope it shows up as orange). I just like the color, but blue is nice also. Go with your favorite.