ELi5 Why are most of the boats and ships I see in dock white and not another color?

Question

Is it a cost issue or does a white watercraft have some advantage over ones that are different colors?

In: 2

Answer 1

I’ll be that guy…

Depending on the type of boat, it’s usually not paint. Smaller crafts (often recreational) are often made of fiberglass to keep the weight down for trailering and on-water performance. Fiberglass uses an epoxy resin brushed onto multiple thin pieces of fabric, so white resin is often used because 1) it’s cheaper than adding pigment, 2) it’s actually lighter without pigment, and 3) it streamlines the manufacturing process since the color is integral to the pieces being made.

Even when scratched, there’s no variation in color in fiberglass, because it’s the same color throughout, and not just one layer of color on the outside.

A happy side effect of this is the high visibility (for safety) and the high UV reflectivity (for comfort).

The airline industry follows a similar logic too… passenger jets painted white are notably lighter than colored liveries, thus they get better fuel economy.