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Dark gelcoat on topside? Does it get too hot?


APoko

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I'm looking at a couple boats one 23LSV, one 24MXZ.  Both boats have black gelcoat on the top of the gunwales.  It seems to me that area being black would get really hot in the sun and be uncomfortable for people to rest their arms especially in the bow area?  Anyone have experience with this?

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My last two boats have had black on the top of the gunwales.....  To me, it really doesn't get all that hot.  Is it something you want to sit on when it's been in direct sunlight for a long period? No.....  But it doesn't get hot enough to burn or anything.

 

I honestly think my light gray (very light gray) vinyl on the sundeck gets hotter than the black gelcoat does.  Not sure if it's the texture, or dull versus shiny, but the light gray vinyl is hotter to step on than the black gelcoat.

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I have pretty much all black (black on gunwale) and that was a big concern of mine before buying. I have had no issues and we deal with 100+ temps on a regular basis. I have young kids and it has been a non issue. Carpet, swim step pad and vinyl on the other hand... They get hot!! 

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same as them. I have black in places with my gel. It's warm but not really any more-so than other places.

That swim platform though... sweet mercy...................... I've actually burned my feet before where they were red and the bottoms hurt for half the day. SeaDeck all the way for swim decks. That black is a cruel, sadistic joke. 

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Last two boats both black never an issue, Even though it really does not get that hot here in OR, I go down to Shasta lake twice a year and have never had a problem or anyone else in and out of my boat! Plus nothing beats a beautiful Black boat...IMHO Black Boats Matter...

Edited by Wakesetter67
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  • 6 years later...

How is the current gel handling the heat?   I went with black never considering the heat.  Interior and top side.  Was more worried about the seats.   How about cleaning?  Is that black a OCD persons nightmare? 

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Depends on how much black you have on the topside. I had a friend who had a 247 that had a mostly black top deck with no anti-skid on it. If you closed your eyes and walked toward it, you could tell when you were within 3’ of it. Mine is black from bow to stern on top and and it really hasn’t been a problem as far as getting hot. The SeaDek on the topside mitigates the heat for the most part. I will say that you better no lean on the non SeaDek parts. My interior is all black and I have no heat concerns. However, black shows every imperfection. Scuffs, glue drips and chief among them, lack of final polishing (which I find kind of embarrassing). It doesn’t show the dirt nearly as much as the grey SeaDek does. For heat issues, I honestly have more issues with the dark graphite upholstery over the black fiberglass. The new cool touch interiors may fix that problem. I am OCD and we wipe down after every outing. The wife does the inside and I hit the hull and trailer. Pride in ownership helps to ease the burden. That and knowing of I keep on it I will get top dollar come upgrade time! 😁

Edited by wdr
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It’s black so will be hot, but the areas exposed to touch are mostly covered with soft-grip. At least they should be if you ordered it that way.

I’m on my 6th boat ordered with black gel and I love it. Takes a little more work but not really much more than the two white boats before. I wipe each boat down every time it’s used, which is why it’s not much different in my experience. You might run a small vac inside a couple more times a summer with black too.

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2 minutes ago, wdr said:

However, black shows every imperfection. Scuffs, glue drips and chief among them, lack of final polishing (which I find kind of embarrassing). It doesn’t show the dirt nearly as much as the grey SeaDek does. For heat issues, I honestly have more issues with the dark graphite upholstery over the black fiberglass. The new cool touch interiors may fix that problem.

Agree with this, and you’ll have to work with your dealer to get some extra warranty work done on the scuffs that leave the factory. That’s fall work, after you’ve used it for the summer though, so take pics and blue tape at delivery.

The cool touch seats make a big difference in seat temps in the direct sun.

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This is what I came up with.  I didn't order the  soft deck anywhere other than the floor and platform i think. In would assume i cam order it after the fact and have dealer install.  Probably would have to go with the tan so it doesn't look goofy.  

67101487-3A73-4A38-A06B-B27542BF3BD3.jpeg

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I’ve had a black top deck on my last 2 boats over the past 5yrs and I don’t think it gets too hot, I did have soft grip on both tho. 

the bigger challenge is polish and keeping water spots and surfaces abrasions from ropes bumpers people in/out clean . 

neither of the 2 challenges scare me off the choice tho. I like the black top deck with black soft grip flooring, I see you went peanut butter , and I like the black contrast over the white

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As the owner of a boat that has a lot of black on it.  If you flip boats every year or 2, go for it.  If you are one who holds onto them, either pick a different color or make sure you truly enjoy wiping down, waxing, buffing and compounding.

And yes, the black and dark blue get a whole lot hotter than white.  If I snap out my carpet there is no way to stand barefoot on the blue floor- even in MN;)

Edited by oldjeep
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I have a black and red boat and love the color scheme.  But I also generally keep the gel looking showroom and buff the whole boat at least twice a year and hit any scuff spots with a mechanical buffer the second I see it.  In my eyes a black boat will start to look bad if you don't stay on top of it.  If you stay on top of it I think it looks fantastic.  

As far as hot to the touch, I don't think I'd order the same boat in Texas.  Ronny is in Texas and says otherwise, but I also lived in Dallas for a spell and always had white boats there for that reason.  My buddy had a black boat in Dallas and you had to be careful not to touch certain parts of the deck because it got pretty hot sitting in the sun.    

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57 minutes ago, Carguy08 said:

This is what I came up with.  I didn't order the  soft deck anywhere other than the floor and platform i think. In would assume i cam order it after the fact and have dealer install.  Probably would have to go with the tan so it doesn't look goofy.  

67101487-3A73-4A38-A06B-B27542BF3BD3.jpeg

IME, you can add or make changes to your order pretty much until the week before it’s built. IIWM, I would jump on the soft deck while you can. Who knows what it will cost or how long you will have to wait for it after you take delivery. JM2C

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3 hours ago, Carguy08 said:

This is what I came up with.  I didn't order the  soft deck anywhere other than the floor and platform i think. In would assume i cam order it after the fact and have dealer install.  Probably would have to go with the tan so it doesn't look goofy.  

67101487-3A73-4A38-A06B-B27542BF3BD3.jpeg

Don’t feel like you have to go brown soft grip just cuz you did inside, unless you want it to really stand out.

I actually think black soft grip looks best on a black top deck. Kinda hides it and maintains the consistent look of your beautiful, black boat. Personally, I don’t want to see a stripe all the way around my black top deck. YMMV  

Soft grip is ordered in two colors. So if you like this look, make sure you tell them you want black for both the MAIN and the ACCENT. 

99DAF18A-163D-44AC-BD2A-12ACC86B0ADE.jpeg

968D7375-C78C-4CE5-BFE3-4019BCC9BBC1.jpeg

  • Like 3
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2 hours ago, wdr said:

IME, you can add or make changes to your order pretty much until the week before it’s built. IIWM, I would jump on the soft deck while you can. Who knows what it will cost or how long you will have to wait for it after you take delivery. JM2C

It's already here.  It will stay wrapped till spring.   Hopefully enough time to get it ordered and installed.   I do plan on keeping this one a while. I was surprised how quick it came once it started.  I'm in upstate NY.  Doesn't get too hot up here but I've never had anything black.   Ill have kids on it all the time.  I think the tan soft deck.  I've read some stuff about it begin slippery thru Malibu.  Any truth to that.  Thinking maybe going sea deck but would be worried about matching the color.  Any boats out there with black with Tan top side soft deck for reference?

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I haven’t seen or had any issues with SeaDek or Gatorstep that wasn’t alcohol or stupidity induced. The new “Malibu” stuff sounds like it might be slick from what I have read on here. From what I have seen of the new Malibu stuff looks to be closer to SD than GS. Both will send you swatches if you don’t go specifically with the Malibu stuff. GS was great to work with in all respects. 

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