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Black Hull???


TWeb12

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Anyone that has had experience with a Black Hull please chime in!  I'm working on my 2019 LSV 23 build.

How easy is it to keep looking good?  I trailer my boat a lot and don't want the front of my boat looking all scuffed up.  I have always had a white hull but love the look of a black one.

Thanks!

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Black Hulls Matter. I have had black hills on both of my wake boats. Cleaning is no worse than any other boats. You wipe them down after every outing right? Black hulls are Awesome!

 

Edited by carguy79ta
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I had a black hull on my 12 A22. I loved the color and recently purchased a 14 A24 also with a black hull. Our boat is on a lift almost the entire summer. During that time, it does show a lot of water spots. I don't really want to clean it while it's on the lift, and I can live with dull white spots.

In response to your specific question; When I am trailering the boat, I clean it with a little vinegar and water and the water spots come off no problem. I bet others know of a more official product, but for me, simple works just fine. I make sure to spray it down and put a fresh coat of wax on after every vinegar shower. Yes, it will show a lot of water spots. If you use the right cleaner, they will come off. I think if you wash it more often, it's not as big of an issue as the spots don't build up on each other.

I will say, when I owned a white boat, I didn't know what a water spot was.

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I have 2 boats with black hills and I love them both.  It does take a little effort to keep them looking good but it’s worth it.  One key point is to have a couple coats of a good sealant or wax in them and wipe them down when you’re done.  I use speed gloss and others here have had good success with hot sauce.  They both work well, simply a personal preference.  Spray on after use and wipe down with clean microfiber towels and it’s a winner.

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Most of the side of my boat is black.  The water spots show up a lot easier on the black and it definitely takes a lot more work to keep it looking good.  As long as I keep wax on the boat and wipe it down with Eagle 1 Marine Wax as you dry, it stays looking shiny.  Any scratches like the one in the middle of this picture are much more visible with a black boat.

 

IMAG0317_thumb_jpg_d2c532ded18350dde34cf5ae541cb3cb.jpg

Edited by oldjeep
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I have and had a few boats with black hulls. My new boat has a black hull. No issue really. Will it show water spots? it can, but if you wax it at the beginning of the season and use something like Bass Boat Saver or another cleaner  like hot sauce it comes right off and won't strip the wax. Its worth it thou... black looks amazing and catches many eyes. I wipe my boat down anyways, even if it was white it gets wiped down so no add'l time for me. 

A recent boat i had, had a white bottom that would show the scum line after a few hours on the water. That i didn't like. The black hides that more but you have a few more water spots. I always say, any color as long as its black. 

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It seems this is always a hot topic.  

I had a boat with a black side panel and a strip on top.  It showed lots of little swirls after a while.  They would come off with a little buffing, but were something I never saw on the same boat with white areas.  Black is always awesome looking, but does require additional upkeep.  Waxing is super important.  

If you are considering black inside the boat or on the gunwhale, you should consider if the heat might be a problem.  The strip on top would get super hot on my old boat.  

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My 2010 and my 2019 had and will have an ebony hull to include the interior on the '19. The only real problem(s) you may have are if you beach it, I do and will continue to do so (very delicately) and the trailer rub especially if you power load. The purists will poo poo on you for using a Keel Guard/Shield and I have used both with great results. Word of caution on the keel guards, at no time can they come in contact with rollers or the bunks or they wont last long, and the fine print will tell you that on both. Mine just barely sits on the outside 3/4" of the guard on the front bunks and I float on and off the trailer or I would not have been able to get away with using a guard. I did a custom install on mine where the bow eye went through a continuing running piece from rub rail the hull "V" ending, but ultimately that failed from roller rub under the rub rail. Cleaning is no harder than any other hull, but I don't live in a high alkaline area so YRMV. My '19 has the top of the bow in ebony also, but the SeaDek step padding should offset the heat on your arms.

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My 2008 had a white hull and white top deck with black accents, my 2018 had a black hull and black top/interior, and my 2019 has the same black areas. We didn't spend much more time on the black hull than we used to with a white hull but our wipedown process is pretty dialed in. Hotsauce and microfiber towels every time, and then I do a quick double check for anything family or friends missed.

I spent a bit more time on the 2018 since most of the transom was black but I only needed to do a more thorough wipe down at home before selling it last fall. We trailer as well and the hull still looked great after 65 hours but I go easy on the loading to avoid scuffs. 

+1 on the step padding helping with the hot decks. I'm going with Gatorstep again this year for that reason, and also since I like how it looks too.

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1 hour ago, Peebalz said:

Any opinion on metallic ebony vs flat ebony for my exterior? I am building a 2019 22mxz.

I’m going with the metallic ebony on my 19 LSV 23.  I had ebony on my 18 and it looked slick, but just like mentioned above...it takes work to keep it that way.

I love the look of a black hull but I’m going to go another year without it.  But I am going to try the metallic ebony this year.

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2 hours ago, Peebalz said:

Any opinion on metallic ebony vs flat ebony for my exterior? I am building a 2019 22mxz.

We actually said we were going to do Ebony flake. That is all my wife wanted. UNTIL we saw the two side by side in the sun. The flake was not as crisp as the flake. The flake had a grey look too it. We ended up going with just Ebony. Pictures in a few days😜😁

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We had charcoal hull on last boat and I don't think it was any harder to keep clean as we wipe down every trip and hand wax hull each year (sometimes twice).  I will say that the darker hull is much easier to clean and wax because you can see the spots.  With light hulls, the dirt is still there and it never seems like I get all the wax off because I can't see it.  I would love to find a wax that was colored or something to make it easier to see on a white bottom.

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7 minutes ago, wedge88 said:

We had charcoal hull on last boat and I don't think it was any harder to keep clean as we wipe down every trip and hand wax hull each year (sometimes twice).  I will say that the darker hull is much easier to clean and wax because you can see the spots.  With light hulls, the dirt is still there and it never seems like I get all the wax off because I can't see it.  I would love to find a wax that was colored or something to make it easier to see on a white bottom.

Jescar powerlok - it isn't really a wax but it is colored.  It is a sealant that works very well.  Otherwise turtlewax is green ;)

Edited by oldjeep
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@TWeb12 - We have a 2019 on order as well with a black hull.  I asked the same question as you when we were designing ours as we have never had a black hull either and trailer exclusively.  The consensus was the same as this thread...if you wipe it down consistently then having a black hull is no more work than having a white hull.  I think the only exception is having to be a bit more cautious about loading the boat on the trailer and making sure the bunks are wet.

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1 hour ago, eubanks said:

@TWeb12 - We have a 2019 on order as well with a black hull.  I asked the same question as you when we were designing ours as we have never had a black hull either and trailer exclusively.  The consensus was the same as this thread...if you wipe it down consistently then having a black hull is no more work than having a white hull.  I think the only exception is having to be a bit more cautious about loading the boat on the trailer and making sure the bunks are wet.

I had 575 hrs on my 12 model black hull and trailered it every weekend from Memorial day til November each year. It will wear at area the front bunks rub on the way up. As I said though, It's low enough you have to look for it on the trailer and will never see it in the water.

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  • 5 weeks later...

I just got my 2019 25 LSV and it has a black hull and the fiberglass in the cabin is black too. So far, no problem with the black hull, but I am regretting just a little the black inside because it shows all the dirt. It also seems to take a lot longer to clean. I kind of miss the white.  

Edited by bbattiste247
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I agree with dalt1. Only issue i have with my black Hull is the bunk marks. I keep saying I'm going to get down there and buff it out but if it's nice enough weather to be buffing on the boat outside, I'd rather be on the water. I have waxed my boat once in 5 1/2 years (year 1) but i am meticulous about wiping it down after each time out. It still looks really good but i did strip the decals off the side this fall with intentions of buffing the whole boat. Not sure if that will happen or not this year. 

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My 2019 25LSV has a black hull and black interior gel. It is only slightly more difficult to take care of. Good spray and wipe down will elliviate almost all the work to keep it looking great. 

F3DB9B60-1BA3-41FD-B064-A3E877EA6B04.jpeg

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  • 4 weeks later...
19 minutes ago, 7lazy77 said:

Black hulls.....look great, but require a little more elbow grease.

Agreed.  3 weeks into my first black hull I think it is underrated how much more work it is to clean.  Compared to our gunmetal and vapor metallics, the black shows everything.  Even with a good cleaner and microfiber cloths, you have to put some elbow grease into the tougher water spots and also make sure it is completely dry to keep from streaking.

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