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So guys, I have been in the market for a bass boat. This will be a keeper and do not plan on trading even 15 years down the road. So I am torn between two colors. A metal flake black (looks black when low light but dark dark charcoal in direct sun due to the metal flake). I absolutely fell in love with the color scheme. Black sets etc. Now, having said that, realistically we live in Vegas and out on the water it is blistering in the SUMMER but on the flipside, where I fish the most would be the cooler months. Maintenance on a black boat will be more and may show more dings? Will darker colors oxidize faster? I always spray wax my boat when its out of the water and keep covered under a carport.
If all the advice you guys give me points me to steer away from black then I will go for silver simply because i do like the silver (but a distant second to the black haha) and it will be eassier to maintain and I am assuming will be cooler?
carpet on either will be gray as that color is the most important when choosing for comfort
Thanks for any iput for AND against. Lets hear it
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It will be hot to touch for sure. But everything is in our heat. Heck I dread grabbing a rod that has been sitting on the deck unused for a little bit in the summer months.
Dark colors and the super hard water in Mead don't go hand in hand very well. I spend just about as much time cleaning my motor up after a trip as I do the rest of the boat. (Blue aluminum Tracker Deep-V.) Vinegar is your friend here. Helps cut the hard water spots.
I know nothing about oxidation issues. My boat is over 5 years old and my Mercury still looks brand new to me color wise. Light scratches/abrasions do show extremely well but are easily buffed out with some wax.
My boat is always in the garage so the only sun it sees is when being used so that helps a ton imo in keeping a boat up looking good.
Tom
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Thanks for the reply Tom. Your boat looks fantastic. I've seen it in pictures you post and notice how well its kept. I am the same with mine. Do you spray down with spray wax after vinegar? I usually just do spray wax and for tough spots ill use vinegar then wax spray. I carry them with me to use soon as I trailer. As a side note, are we allowed to post for sale boats on these forums? Just curious.
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I clean mine in the garage the day after in the AM when it is cooler out. At the lake everything you apply to the boat in the summer sun evaporates before one can take a swipe at it.
I buy industrial sized windex at Lowes. Like a 1/2 gallon sized bottle (maybe they are 1 gallon) or so and put that into a couple easier to use spray bottles. Typically I just use that straight up w/o diluting it. Every now and then I soak a rag in vinegar for the motor and hit the bad hard water spots that nothing else will remove. Sometimes I add vinegar to the windex for a mix if the boat is getting bad. As long as one stays on top of it it isn't that bad. The worst section on my boat is the lower end of my Mercury. I raise the motor a lot if I am back in coves where it might hit a rock so in the water, out, in, out, etc. That area I have to hit with solid vinegar to break up the hard water spots.
My Humminbirds get a mix of distilled water and distill vinegar. I keep a small spray bottle of that in the boat. Been using that combo for 5+ years on them and the screens look as new as the day I got them. Works super good to cut the hard water spots w/o any damage to the glass.
Spray wax I hit the motor every few trips after a full cleaning and then all the paint whenever I am feeling energetic. I imagine not as often as I should. It does help for several trips there after cleaning up the boat having that wax down.
I keep all my boat cleaning stuff in a 5 gallon bucket at the house so if I am traveling or might feel like cleaning at the lake all is in one spot and just another item to toss in the back of the truck before hitting the road.
I do keep my boat pretty clean. No reason to own something and not keep it looking good. I have had many people at the docks say congrats on the new boat and then be awed when I tell them I've had it for over 5 1/2 years.
Tom
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My boat is a beater because boat camping with children, keeping it outside, trailering on dirt roads , and fishing narrow slot canyons are not compatible with anything else. I would get very annoyed if I had a nice boat. I will admit that women judge you on your boat. When my kids get older it will be upgrade time as otherwise they will refuse to go with.
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