# Raft Color Question - Dark Colors?



## M3mphis (Dec 30, 2013)

Hello, and thanks for all the learning I've already done on this forum!

I'm looking at ordering a Sotar SL. I was thinking about getting some of the tube panels in black. How do these boats (urethane) do in the sun as far as getting hot? How much does the darkness of the color choice play in? I don't want to regret getting dark colors when nobody wants to touch the tubes for fear of getting scorched. Do dark colored tubes fluctuate more in pressure due to additional heat? 

Thanks for any practical advice you can share. Much appreciated.

Matt


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## zbaird (Oct 11, 2003)

Black tubes get hotter than hells kitchen, just like any other black surface. FWIW I order all the rafting gear I can in white.


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## Whitewater Worthy Equip (Dec 11, 2013)

I personally wouldn't do black. If you boat in a hot climate you will burn the shit out of any skin the touches it. I ordered a white Hyside and am supper happy. It doesn't expand in the heat of the day nearly as much as my darker boats and requires no topping off... of course its new which also helps. Have fun with your new toy and let me know if I can help with any of your outfitting.


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## bigben (Oct 3, 2010)

we have black hypalon frame wear patches on the commercial boats we use all summer. while the rest of the boat (red hypalon) does get pretty hot, the black gets super hot. like burn your ass hot. 
black boats may look cool, but if you plan on using it in sunlight, i'd personally go for a different color. my yellow hyside stays nice and cool in the sun


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## asleep.at.the.oars (May 6, 2006)

I've got a teal maravia. I can't touch the tubes at mid-day without wetting them down first. Black would be awesome if you're boating in the PacNW in the winter.


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## M3mphis (Dec 30, 2013)

Thank you everyone. Just as I suspected. 



asleep.at.the.oars said:


> I've got a teal maravia. I can't touch the tubes at mid-day without wetting them down first. Black would be awesome if you're boating in the PacNW in the winter.


We do some winter steelheading. It would be a nice place to dry some gloves in the sun etc, but this boat will also be used in 100 degree weather. Its a shame that I like the look of the darker colors better. I guess I'll have to weigh my vanity against my practicality.


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## M3mphis (Dec 30, 2013)

zbaird said:


> Black tubes get hotter than hells kitchen, just like any other black surface. FWIW I order all the rafting gear I can in white.


Do you ever get an annoying glare off a white boat? The Sotars are so glossy, that they glare a bit anyway, I guess.


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## Learch (Jul 12, 2010)

I have a yellow Sotar, and I don't have any glare issues. I doubt you would with white, either. I like the Hyside white color, but it looks like it could stain pretty easy. I could be wrong, I like the Hyside material. Time will tell, I have a buddy with a white Mini Me that is only 6 months old.


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## David L (Feb 13, 2004)

I remember being at our first camp, Soap Creek, in Grand Canyon about ten years ago, with a guy who had a dark green boat. I think it was a Maravia boat.

In the morning his boat was VERY soft, so I offered him my pump. He said, "Nah, I'll just wait for the sun." He was right. It tightened up real well and I remember was real hot in the sun. His passenger was always tossing buckets of water on it.


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## oarboatman (Jul 20, 2006)

The white is indeed bright but I've always used white paco pads so nothing new.


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## stuntsheriff (Jun 3, 2009)

but a black boat would look really cool.


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## LSB (Mar 23, 2004)

M3mphis said:


> some of the tube panels in black.


Checkerboard might look BA


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

Mildew and algae are good color choices if you never clean your boat


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## Gremlin (Jun 24, 2010)

Boy, that black Hyside Neo in the banner at the top of my page looks cool! You're all saying it isn't a great choice?


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## M3mphis (Dec 30, 2013)

Gremlin said:


> Boy, that black Hyside Neo in the banner at the top of my page looks cool! You're all saying it isn't a great choice?


Uh...where's that pic?


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## deets440 (May 13, 2012)

I have a black wear strip on the top of red tubes on my 16' Sotar SL. Flex tuff I think is what they call it, the one with sand in it. The black is a mixed blessing. On the Deschutes it's kind of nice to warm up on after getting hit with cold water. Good for drying stuff out in the sun. On really hot trips, like Lower Salmon in August, it does get quite hot. Would probably suck for a paddle crew but I have a nice seat for passengers (table on frame) so it's really a non-issue. Also, you can always wet it down to cool off the tube. I have no regrets though the color choice was for aesthetic reasons.


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## M3mphis (Dec 30, 2013)

deets440 said:


> I have a black wear strip on the top of red tubes on my 16' Sotar SL. Flex tuff I think is what they call it, the one with sand in it. The black is a mixed blessing. On the Deschutes it's kind of nice to warm up on after getting hit with cold water. Good for drying stuff out in the sun. On really hot trips, like Lower Salmon in August, it does get quite hot. Would probably suck for a paddle crew but I have a nice seat for passengers (table on frame) so it's really a non-issue. Also, you can always wet it down to cool off the tube. I have no regrets though the color choice was for aesthetic reasons.


Any pics?


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## M3mphis (Dec 30, 2013)

What do you guys think of these color ideas?


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## k2andcannoli (Feb 28, 2012)

Gremlin said:


> Boy, that black Hyside Neo in the banner at the top of my page looks cool! You're all saying it isn't a great choice?


Ive spent many river miles in an airtight shredder (neo), it does get hot. But lets not totally rule it out. The color and material works fine for what its made for; short technical runs in eastern rivers. Back home it hardly tops 90 deg in the summer and is mostly cloudy all the time. So if your getting a small boat for wet rides it works great!


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

M3mphis said:


> What do you guys think of these color ideas?


There's a long running thread about Sotar SL rafts. There's someone with a new raft that's very much like your choice #1 except gray & red. Both designs look really fun & original. I personally like choice # 2 .....The Tiger Boat! But maybe add a couple more stripes?

My 14SL will arrive in March. I went with red body & floor, black frame chafe, black d-rings. Since I'll never use this as a paddle raft, I figured the black frame chafe wasn't a big deal.


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## liquidphoto (Oct 22, 2010)

I would pass on a black boat. The first year I ever kayaked the Grand, I paddled a black Corsica Matrix. It was so hot the plastic was soft enough I could push an indention in it w/ just one finger. I left my PFD clipped to the kayak. I had a thermometer clipped to the pfd, the thermometer was laying on the boat, it was broken after a 30 stop. Good for PNW and ALK. I have an Aire cat, yellow. I love it. Other boaters w/ darker colors need to worry about letting air out before a hike ect.


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## M3mphis (Dec 30, 2013)

cataraftgirl said:


> There's a long running thread about Sotar SL rafts. There's someone with a new raft that's very much like your choice #1 except gray & red. Both designs look really fun & original. I personally like choice # 2 .....The Tiger Boat! But maybe add a couple more stripes?
> 
> My 14SL will arrive in March. I went with red body & floor, black frame chafe, black d-rings. Since I'll never use this as a paddle raft, I figured the black frame chafe wasn't a big deal.


Thanks, cataraftgirl. That boat was my inspiration for the layout on that first pic. I know I want at least the bow and stern to be as bright colored as possible. I want them to be like a bright flag that says, "jet boaters, there's someone else on the river. You might need to think ahead!"

If I use any black, I think I'll just keep it to a minimum. This will be a fishing boat but also a family boat. I want my kids to be comfortable in it. I was also thinking about the 3 boats that I have spent the most time in. Two are light blue and one is dark green. It does seem like the dark green one needs more attention to the air pressure.


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## GoRiverGo (Sep 15, 2013)

Wow, I'm flattered, maybe I should startup a boat design company ! Here's another photo to help with figuring out your sketched choices.


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