Hull Color - H17

'ello!

So I am restoring my H17, and will be finishing the hulls soon. What color do you guys think I should paint them? Here is what I have come down to:

Red

Silver

White

Black

I currently have white and light blue sails. I will be purchasing a black or white trap and wing tramps, depending on the color I decide to go with.

My favorite would be black, but I think it would be too hot in the sun, and also not very visible should I capsize in Lake Michigan.

Red /white would be sweet...

White.. meh, so common.

Silver would match my car, and I like it...

Opinions? Suggestions? I have also considered adding some graphics.

_________________
Dave

Truth is treason in the empire of lies.

Campaign for Liberty

Red has a tendency to fade, although the pigment is better than it used to be.

Silver is impossible to match colors and will show every defect in the finish.

Black would be cool (figuratively, not literally), but I'd be worried about heat buildup - especially on the foam core bond with the glass (delamination).

There's a reason why most boats are white.

I don't think you can get white tramps for the 17 anymore, at least not from Hobie. I'm pretty sure the only new tramps you can get are the three-piece mesh (five piece if you count the wing tramps) which come in black, grey, teal, and blue.

sm

_________________
Dave

Truth is treason in the empire of lies.

Campaign for Liberty

White tramps don't stay white for very long.

When you are the only "red" boat on the starting line it is real easy to tell who is "Over Early" ... I'll hide in the crowd of "white" boats myself w/ my "white" boat

What do you think Matt and Brucat ???

And "red" cars are the color most often involved in accidents according to insurance company surveys... something about eye/occular fixation and stearing ....

_________________
HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

Concerning graphics: if you can put your business logo on it, can you write it off???

_________________
Sea ya,
Chris Larsen
Co-Pilot of the Hobie Getaway
"The Twins"

~~(\_~~

/puts accountant hat on

You can't "write it off" per se. The business could classify it as an "advertising expense" to offset income, theoretically reducing the business' exposure to federal income taxes. If the business is an S-corp, LLC or partnership, the savings are passed through to the partners / shareholders.

State business taxes are wildly different, so your mileage may vary.

That being said, the IRS tends to frown on such blatant tax avoidance schemes. (Tax avoidance = legal; Tax evasion = illegal; sometimes there's a fine line beween the two). I wouldn't want to be the one explaining to an auditor why my business bought a boat for my personal use.