HOW TO COOL THINGS DOWN WHEN IT GETS HOT

Owning a boat is cool.  On those full sun, full throttle days of July, however, peeling back your old cloth boat cover feels less “oasis” and more “oven” as your boat’s interior cooks underneath.  As reputations go, maybe not the “Hot!” you were going for.

Sunlight is a welcomed part of summer, especially in Minnesota Lake Country where we spend a good part of our year waiting for its return.   A sunny day on the water is meant to savor, and the reason most of us have a boat in the first place. 

We understand the benefits of sunscreen to protect our skin from the damaging rays of the sun, and we slather it on our kids and offer tubes of it to our guests.  We wear ball caps and floppy hats while on the water.  Boat covers function in a similar way, providing a barrier from prolonged exposure to sunlight.  But a simple fabric cover is imperfect:  fine to keep rain, leaves, critters, and dust at bay, but light waves still get through.

For a long time, marine manufacturers relied on simple, light-colored fabrics to reflect much of the sunlight and keep boats comfortably cooler.  White and generic was alright, but consumer demand has led to marine fabric innovations.  New fabric treatments offer color variation, long wear and good looks, and superior stain and fade resistance.

Aqualon Edge, developed by TriVantage, is new to the marine fabric market, and is an improvement to an earlier Aqualon iteration.  Aqualon Edge has an engineered fabric coating that dissipates light waves and subsequent heat build-up more completely.  Even with prolonged exposure to a hot summer sun, your boat stays cooler.  The proprietary hybrid coating results in greater UV reflective capability:  less UV light penetrates the fabric, less kinetic energy is held as heat.  You cover your boat, you protect what matters, and you get a cooler start to your day on the waves. 

“The earlier version of Aqualon was pretty good,” says Matt Franta, CEO of Canvas Craft, a Minnesota company that builds and custom fits specialty after-market covers and Bimini tops on a variety of boats.  “But this new version, Aqualon Edge, has been proven to reduce temperatures in your boat by 30%.  And it comes with a nifty 7-year warranty.  That’s a huge advantage in the market, and our customers are loving it.” 

Customers love the range of 20 crisp, contemporary colors, too.  Aqualon Edge offers shades from an electric “True Teal” to a cheery “Apple Red”; a classic “Charcoal Grey” to a sexy “Cabernet.”  And basic browns are updated in the Aqualon Edge pallet to include “Toast” and “Mountain Taupe.”  That’s a far cry from “white and alright.” 

Science, technology, and color choices help your boat stand out.  Cool.