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

White paint reflect UV light better then any other color. And UV light tends to break down plastics and epoxy used in a lot of marine environments. For example fiberglass uses epoxy as binding material so UV light can make the fiberglass disintegrate. And metal plating tends to be covered with epoxy paint to protect it from the salt water so UV light will make the paint disintegrate exposing the bare metal underneath to rust. Using white paint helps reduce the issues of UV light and make the boat last longer.