We have a Nacra 5.2 that we bought last year that is in amazing shape, but we are doing a bunch of work on it this year and we really want to paint it Jet black. We are however getting "mixed reviews"about the idea. The heat that it would attract could be an issue, but some people say that it shouldn't be a problem.

Has anybody had a boat fall to pieces on them after painting it a dark color?

We are also going to paint the top decks, that come grey, white so that it isn't too hot to sit on, and the rest will be in the water, or in the shade....

Any thoughts would be appreciated...

Thanks.

The problem with black boats is that they get so hot that the air inside the foam core can expand and cause blisters
The older5.2s are solid lay up, I think, so you won't get this problem

Make sure you get your repair work fair. Any cosmetic blemishes/dings will show up much more with a dark color.
My N-20 is blue and I haven't had any heat issues ,but the fading and chalking is alot worse.

Normal contamination like dew and dust will be readily apparent. When the dew dries it will leave the finish dull, requiring almost constant cleaning and polishing to look it's best.

White is the opposite, hose it off once a month and you're good to go.

You will have to keep it covered 24/7 when not in use or it will fade quick.

Too hot for any boat South of the Mason-Dixon line.

A 79er should have the cardboard stringers sans foam core. Pop the decks and check the deterioration in the cardboard.

If damage warrants, grind out the stringers and hull flanges, then replace with carbon. Stiffen the hull shape. While you are in there check the bridle bedding for the bowtangs & maybe reinforce with carbon.

Beam mounts and straps - look for delamination there (threads as well) closely and replace internal plate if required. Re - bed the beams for more stiffness.

Just as black is threatened by UV damage, our eyes are threatened by it as well. Keep as much of the boat gray as possible - balance the spectrum.

Make sure your jib lead adjusting wires are rigged under the trampoline...ah y'all got me talkin' 5.2 stuff again. You should have seen Jim Leonard's 5.2 with the polished rudder housings and all. Even the beam end caps were polished shiny chrome. Maybe he won the Nationals one year because he blinded the other ninety boats.

Discovery, Sail# 98

I had a black painted (wooden ) unicorn looked dogs bollox , no probs ,decks were varnished though.

wouldnt go for white decks , Sun glare is horrendous , think thats why any white decks you see on production glass boats will be slightly off white .

I had a laser when young , that someone had sprayed decks pure white , even on dullish day needed sun specs , then couldnt see for salt !

Sounds like your just going to paint the boat because you said it was in great shape. If you take catandahalf's suggestion to get into the hull keep in mind that Performance cat doesnt have the ability to make the 5.2 decks anymore. If you were to tear them up you would have to make your own decks. I would stick with glass over carbon unless you want to spend a lot of money. Carbon will give you stiff spots in the hull and may not flex overall like the glass will. That can be both good and bad depending on where in the hull the stiff spots are.

If its in good shape as stated above give it a paint job and sail it rather than working on it.