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Random Quote: To those who know, no explaination is necessary. To those who don't, none is sufficient!
We're in the process of painting the hull of our boat. Its primed now (Awl Grip 545 Primer) and its almost ready for color. The hull will be white, there is no question about that, but there is more to white than simply white.
I got Awl Grip to send me a color chart and they have a half a dozen shades of white, some shaded to some extent and one, that is called "Snow White" that is everything white can be. So I immediately thought that was the one I wanted. After all if its going to be bright white it might as well be the brightest white money can buy.
I was going to make the call this morning to order the paint and then had second thoughts. Do I really want the Snow White or would an off white color be better? I'm not worried about staining, that will really be about the same with either, not much worried about dirt showing either. I'm just thinking about the overall color when its clean and out there in the sun shining. Is that absolutly pure white too much visually? Do you think that a bit of off color would actually look better? I notice that almost no factory boats are actually a pure white. I'm wondering why? Any of you all know? I'm way open for suggestons on this because artistically I have all the calling of a brood sow.
Thom, I am also artistically challanged but.......I think snow white would be a good looking boat....and on top of that it would reflect light better if you were ever in a situation that the Coast Guard or someone else was looking for you.
David
I don't know why , maybe an off white is a little more forgiving on the eyes and blends better with other colors. If it where my boat I would go with a kinder gentler shaded white.
Dave
Not sure if its still done but we used to put just a hint of blueing in the paint. For some reason it made it look white white. We painted a 205 USCG ship and when we pulled up along its sistership you could really tell the difference.
When it comes to whites, there is a lot more whites then a half dozen.
Traffic white is whiter than Snow White.
The problem with white whites is that they are so blinding. Anyone that has painted cars will atest to that fact. Another problem with white whites, is they will tend to hide lines and contours, especially Traffic and Snow White. You will probably want to clean your boat's hull on cloudy days because the sun light on that white of a white will be hard on your eyes.
But look at it this way, you only see your boat when you walk up to it.
When in doubt which direction to go, move forward.
I think that super white white only looks good when there is a suitable contrast such as a varnished teak rubrail as you might see on an older wooden boat. My vote would be for a very slightly creamy or eggshell white. Much easier on the eyes and forgiving of dirt.
What Garett said! I did paint a car Snow White once and it was even hard to wash on a sunny day because it was so bright! Did not look original either. Looked very generic.
Drive down the road and look at different color cars of the same model, especially sports cars and notice how the colors seem to change the shape and size of a car. I am a Corvette man and I love Yellow Corvettes, which in my opinion look entirely different than black or darker colored Corvettes. Probably the same effect on your hull. The "bright" white would probably make you stand out, but is that such a good thing? I personally think a good paint job is one that looks so close to original you can't even tell it's been painted.
Personally I think the white whites look very sharp. The new Prolines come with a very white gelcoat and I think they look great. On the other hand, you would not want to paint the inside of your boat with it. The glare from my off-yellow gelcoat sometimes hurts my eyes.
With that being said, the hull color will not bother your eyes when your using the boat, right? After all, you fish from inside the boat and not outside.
Seems to me the older yachts and boats always used a very white white on their hulls. Seems these off white shades are somewhat of a recent thing.
Just out of curiosity, have you painted awl grip before? My father painted the boot stripe on his sailboat with snow white awl grip (brushed on) and towards the end of the third month in the water, the white had turned to brown and looked like hell. He has since gone back to regular boot stripe oil base paint. I know there are all sorts of additives and catalysts and associated products that go with the awl grip so do your research into all of it before going for the full paint job- my experience was just a boot stripe and boy did it look bad- just a thought if you havent used it before. Also garrett brings up some good points about white white hiding the lines of a boat- i'd go with the off white. Good luck.
one thing to consider is the whiter the color the better your results will be as there is less pigment to settle out, the more color or tint the more solids in the paint and you have to pay attention to keeping the mixture right ...i used the bright white on my bronco and three years later just wash it and it sparkles
I'd go with the whitest and brightest white i could get. When you see a bright white boat in the waterway alongside offwhites, it really stands out. Makes the others look grungy. Just my .02.
Whiter Than White 
I have seen some reely nasty colors out there! 
