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Best Mirage Kayak Color
http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=53698		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Thomas [ Tue Jan 13, 2015 12:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Best Mirage Kayak Color
Am buying a new Revolution 13 this spring and I need to decide which hull color to pick. My old kayak, an Outback, is yellow. I really, really like yellow for safety reasons …but also because it looks so cool with all the black items on the boat.

The problem is that here in Nebraska I kayak in unclear waters, and sometimes I run into a dark grey mud that can harden like cement. It does come off, but after months, my yellow Outback can start to look pretty grubby even after a cleaning.

I am thinking of choosing Hobie's Ivery Dune color, which might better match the remnants of that grey mud, and might also look less faded over the years. Does anyone here have another color preference that has stayed nice-looking over the years?
Author:  Dr.SteelheadCatcher [ Tue Jan 13, 2015 12:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best Mirage Kayak Color
After a good cleaning, you can bring back the color by applying Hobie UV protectant #70060001 or Aerospace 303 from Ace Hardware....less than $15 and did a great job on both my Outback and PA-14 that are the golden papaya and yellow color......these products do restore the original color very well.
I selected these colors for safety/visibility on the water too.
Author:  RandomJoe [ Tue Jan 13, 2015 3:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best Mirage Kayak Color
I have a dune color Outback. It has a sort of "speckled" finish to it that makes the crud a bit less noticeable. On the other hand that finish means that even freshly scrubbed it never really seems "clean" to me. I scrubbed all my kayaks down at the end of November and there was a marked difference before and after, but the Outback wasn't "ooh, shiny" like the others even with the UV protectant applied.

Not that it bothers me - it's already getting grungy again! :P

I'd probably go with the dune again if I was buying an Outback or Revo since I spend a lot of time up creeks and rivers, and along muddy shorelines (about all we have in Oklahoma). My Tandem Island will be yellow, though, for visibility out in the middle of the lakes. (And as you say the black fittings look great with it! :mrgreen: )
Author:  pmmpete [ Tue Jan 13, 2015 4:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best Mirage Kayak Color
I prefer yellow and other bright colors because they're much more visible at a distance. A yellow or red kayak will be clearly visible at distances at which a dune kayak disappears into the background. For me, safety is more important that having a kayak which doesn't look dirty.

Some rivers in Montana run through areas with gumbo soils which leave clay deposit lines on the water line of kayaks and canoes. I can take them off pretty easily by scrubbing them with a kitchen abrasive sponge. It's easier for me to get off the dirt line off if I scrub the line as soon as I take my kayak off the river, and then slosh a couple buckets of water over the kayak to rinse it off.
Author:  Salty. [ Tue Jan 13, 2015 8:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Best Mirage Kayak Color
Dune! It really does hide the dirt but still looks good. Not as visible as yellow but it's not a bad choice. I always wear my bright yellow pfd anyways & since that's a couple feet higher off the water that's what people are going to see. If you need more visibility then fly a bright flag.
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