Why White ?

[Fanie]

White has a tendency to make an item look larger than it's exact same dark colour counterpart.

If you have to pay for the mooring spot per sq meter in the marina you want it to be black or dark blue.

If the surveyor has to make a decision on the class boat and your size may be somewhat under you defenately want it white.

[SamSam]

Most boats come from mass production factories and are fiberglass. White is the cheapest gel coat. It hides the imperfections in the original fairing of the plug and wear and tear of the mold the most, dark colors being harder to make "smooth" appearing. White is also the best for hiding the scratches and dings that inexperienced mass consumers accumulate on their own or inflict on others hulls. It's ability to reflect radiant heat must be an advantage also, not so much for creature comfort but to stabilize material movements, such as the sun beating one side of your boat and making it longer than the other.

[Brent Swain]

When my boat was dark green in BC , the lockers all stayed dry in winter and when it was minus 12 degrees and I was frozen in ice , the hull felt warm to the touch in winter sun.
I painted her white for cruises to the South Pacific, which made things a lot more comfortable in the tropics. When I got back to BC, the lockers got a bit musty in the winter. I painted her dark green again, the mustiness went away and the lockers dried out. I'll keep her dark green in BC waters , and paint her white again when I go south of Cabo.
Hereschoff never lived aboard full time in northern lattitudes in winter, and the yachties he delt with had palacial homes ashore. He was thus a naive amateur when it comes to full time live aboard issues in northern lattitudes.

[hoytedow]

That is good to know, Brent. I don't live aboard, but the color as a means of climate control may be useful to me in other applications here in moldy humid Florida. Thanks!(I am thinking I can keep metal tool shed drier, if hotter by painting a darker color.)