a quick question, Kayak color

[pungomd]

Friends,
I am buying a new SOT kayak this month, the first I have bought in years, and I am wondering if there is any research or personal experience regarding best colors. I used to have a rec/sea kayak that was about 14 feet and was orange, which I thought made sense should I need a rescue. I had a great old 12 foot pungo classic in forrest green that I hunted and fished with a lot and the color was good because it was easy to camo during duck season. Does anyone have any ideas about best colors for a fishing kayak in this area and if so why. Thanks and have a great weekend of tight lines!

EC

[daolai]

I would go with loud and bright imo visibility is an added plus for safety when out on the water for fishing.

[Yak Fish]

If you are looking to be visible, lime green really sticks out as well as orange and yellow. Yellows and greens are in the middle of the visible spectrum, making them prime color choices because they'll be the most visible to the human eye.

[YaknBass]

bright colors = visability ='s safety....

[pungomd]

the bright colors/safety thing is indeed in the front of my mind

[Mark]

To be honest, when I'm out on the water with others I rarely see their kayaks from a distance, especially if there is choppiness or swells.

What I see first is their paddles flashing and next in line is their vest or shirt when I get closer.

I think yellow paddles are great visual markers and I think lime green or chartreuse shirts are also more easily spotted than pale colored shirts even if they are mostly covered by PFDs.

[jsnyd86]

^^^ I agree big time with the paddles. That's a great point. It's easy to think we stand out when we're sitting on 14 feet of blaze orange plastic (or whatever length/color your kayak is) but most of our sit on tops aren't more than a handful of inches above the waterline. Those couple of inches are all that will be visible from a distance. IDK about boaters, but from a kayak bright paddles are the first thing I can see and from a good distance.

just my opinion though. I have a black paddle and camo kayak so im never sticking out much. my pfd is orange though, so I guess I'm not completely invisible.

[YaknBass]

can also use a brightly colored flag...ex: visapole ect

[Mark]

I actually chose an olive kayak to sneak up on fish.

It hasn't worked!

[J.A. Veil]

I have a black paddle and camo kayak so im never sticking out much. my pfd is orange though, so I guess I'm not completely invisible.

Consider colored or reflective tape on your black paddle blades. I did that to my carbon paddle -- it can now be seen a long way off.

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[Cowpokey]

Paddles are definitely more visible than the kayak. Bright paddles especially; orange blades look hot pink from a distance to me. White paddle blades stick out too.

Kayak colors; to me yellow and lime green show up the best from a distance. Red, not so much. Olive and blue become invisible, probably because that's the color of water.

[dsiekman]

To be honest, when I'm out on the water with others I rarely see their kayaks from a distance, especially if there is choppiness or swells.

What I see first is their paddles flashing and next in line is their vest or shirt when I get closer.

I think yellow paddles are great visual markers and I think lime green or chartreuse shirts are also more easily spotted than pale colored shirts even if they are mostly covered by PFDs.

I've noticed the same. I think a flag is more important than kayak color.

[Longtrav]

I agree. I wear orange life jacket and use a yellow paddle. Also have a visa pro flag. I say get the color yak you want.

[Southerly]

chartreuse and orange are prolly the highest vis, depending on the specific light conditions. direct lighting, shadowed, or overcast for example will make a difference. but keep in mind that choppy conditions with whitecaps change the equation, prolly in favor of orange, or even red. imo, the red nav marks are generally easier to see their color from a distance vs green in almost any lighting condition.

but the comments regarding flags and paddle blades are dead-on. prolly because yaks are so low relative to even small waves - many times I've first noticed yaks (even gray ones) when they are using yellow paddle blades or orange flags.

ps - if you consider painting black paddle blades to be brighter - I'd suggest that an undercoat of white will make the overlying color much brighter.

[Frogsauce]

From a boat, I usually see the paddles and person first too. Reflective tape on the paddles really makes a difference.