Yet another poll...

[Les Lampman]

Hi all,

Ok, here I am again. We're going to put a Marinaut 215 in the Seattle Boat Show this coming January. Hope y'all stop by and say hello.

The Marinaut 215 has a full colored hull (unless you want it white). Quite frankly I'm not sure I want to do another blue boat to put in the show since it really won't stand out. So, what color boat really catches your eye...and that you would buy (which probably leaves out purple, international orange, lime green, etc)?

We can do the Marinaut interior cabinetry in DecraGuard white or teak. We can also use pre-finished panels of mahogany, cherry, oak, birch, etc. I sort of like the pre-96 CD22's with their teak patterned cabinets and cloth fabric upholstery but is it too dark for too many folks?

And rather than Sunbrella I found some nice upholstery, the kind that you'd use on rec room furniture or such since it's 100% olefin and will put up with dogs, kids, wear-n-tear, being damp, etc. It has a soft "hand" and feels really nice. The colors range from very neutral (like a wheat or toast color) to radical with some weave patterns available.

So the boat I have in my head is:

Tan hull with white topsides
Teak interior cabinetry
Nice neutral upholstery fabric (but not so light to be a problematic for us guys!).

I'm going for a little bit of understated elegance. But is it not eye-appealing enough? Will it look too nice to fish out of and scare the guys away? With brand new boat I often get complaints from the ladies that the inside of the boat looks like a refrigerator in all white so I'm trying for a compromise here but I want something that will grab attention too.

Whadayathink?

Thanks!

[Chester]

$.02 worth of advice freely given.

Pearl gray hull, like Nordhavn's, for understated elegance, white topsides.

DecraGuard white cabinets with wood trim, it would make the interior seem more open and cheery. IMO the cabin is too small for teak.
A carpet runner on the sole would make the cabin seem warmer.

Olefin upholstery. Maybe neutral, maybe not. Some East Coast and Euro boats get away with bold striped fabrics (not that I would ever buy such a thing...). A twill pattern ought to look good.

[dotnmarty]

Somewhere on that boat there has to be a Marinaut logo , like the beautiful C-Dory side stripe or the tan waistband on the Ranger tugs. Something that immediately and from some distance, identifies it as a Marinaut.

[Alyssa Jean]

And add a nice teak or exotic wood helm hub.

[c-ness]

As for the hull I'm a bit partial to a rust color with white topsides. That would make the boat standout at the show. For a smaller boat like the M215 I think a lighter interior would work best. Maybe a decraguard with wood trim. I also like the idea of a good carpet runner.

[BRAZO]

[starcrafttom]

Susan's favorite thing about your boat and the tugs is the colored hull. I like the pearl, baby blue or sea foam like Russ's tug. As for the inside white with wood trim of your choose. Its to small a small for teak. Unless you go with a blonde wood like what is used in the coastal craft and other yachts http://www.coastalcraft.com/

This way you get the elegance of wood without the darkness. As for cloth I like a light color or a tan with a different darker color on the edges.

Floor runners are great and should be attached or else looky loos will be wrinkling it and kicking it into a corner at the boat show. Have you thought of one of the artificial teak floors for the cabin?/ we are thinking of doing it for the 27.

In the end do not make this decision your self. run it by 3 guys, 6 women and 2 gays to make sure you got it right. maybe give "queer eye for the straight guy" a call.

[bimorg]

How about a Northwest dark green for the hull color?

[Big Mac]

First off Less very glad to see you stepping up for the SBS, I think we all see how much success Ranger Tugs have had and I think a big part of it is this show. I would vote for the DanaGuard light colored interior with teak trim where needed. I am not a fan of the fake wood. I agree a nice LOGO decal on the boat would be a great addition. I would go for the gray hull, as you know our boat is gray, so I might be a little partial for that reason. Good luck and keep us posted on the project.

[Les Lampman]

[Les Lampman]

[Les Lampman]

Alrighty then...seems the white interior is the overwhelming choice. That sets the tone and I think the upholstery is really just a personal choice thing.

I was already planning a lift out carpet, I just didn't think to mention it in my initial post.

Thanks for the ideas on the hull color. I think this is also going to be a very regional thing since dark colors in southern climes probably won't do as well as they do in the PNW. I'm still thinking on this one but I'm getting good ideas.

Thanks!

Les

[Don and Brenda]

Ah, that's the large round portlights and the profile

Speaking of portlights, have you thought about an option in the cuddy for this? Then again with that space being more open than the cave on the 22 maybe this is a mute point. I do like Toms suggestion on the "stays" for the carpet runner.

[Les Lampman]

[Chester]

Here's the thing, dark colors make things look smaller.
My complaint is that a dark hull makes the boat appear ungainly- top heavy with it's long cabin top. There, I said it...
I like everything else about the boat and would trade our beloved C-D 22 Cruiser without hesitation were we thinking of a new boat.
I'd like to vote early and often for starcrafttom's suggestion of dark (black?) piping on (Carhartt?) tan upholstery. This ought to provide some color for those that enjoy the ambience of wood interiors. You could even choose the wood trim to match or accent the upholstery.
The Carhartt tan-brown is pleasing to most and has some grime hiding qualities.

Adrienne suggested thin wooden implied beams on the underside of the cabin top to make it feel shippy.