posted 02-06-2004 09:43 PM ET (US)     

Does any know what colors were original? In 1974-era brochures, tan was one option. Was blue an option?

I ran a search to no avail on the forum, but I do not have Tom Clark's CD (yes, I know it is must-have!).

posted 02-07-2004 01:09 AM ET (US)            

Do you want the short answer or the long answer? Too late. You're going to get the long answer:

The Katama was made from 1969 to 1975. The state of the art in boat canvas back then was not what it is now. Today you can order Mills canvas in any of the solid colors offered by Sunbrella.

Back then there was only one choice: tan and green cotton duck was the material, period. I am just old enough to remember the incredible struggle of getting one of those Mills mooring covers to actually stretch over the transom of a Whaler and get it cinched down. You learned very quickly not to try it when it was wet!

Some time in the late 1970s this new fangled synthetic came along and proved to be superior. You should really listen to the radio interview with Jamie Mills of Wm. J. Mills & Co. in the Whaler Radio section of continuousWave.
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/radio/
Jamie talks about how when Sunbrella came out it was the blue color, it was (for whatever reason) the most fade resistant.

I was glad to have heard that interview because I had long wondered why it was that when you visit a big marina, virtually all the boats are equipped with blue canvas. Blue Biminis, blue sail covers, blue mooring covers. This always struck me as rather bizarre given that there are lots of other color options. I attribute this phenomena to what I call the "lemming effect". People just love to do whatever everybody else is doing and follow along blindly.

Given that blue was the original successful Sunbrella product, I guess everybody just sort of followed along. Personally, I detest that color, especially on a classic Desert Tan Whaler, but that's my just my own taste. There is nothing wrong with it of course, but there are lots of other options. Visit the Sunbrella web site and check them out.

If you want to be true to your boat then I recommend the natural color as it most resembles the cotton duck that was used back then. In 1986 when I acquired my second Montauk, a 1980 model, I had a local canvas shop make a mooring cover for it. I even had them use the Mills gunwale clips that make those covers so superior to anything else on the market. I chose the natural color and it was superb in it durability and ability to not show dirt. I only owned that boat for four years but at the time of sale, the cover was good as new and it had spent all its time outdoors.

posted 02-07-2004 03:56 PM ET (US)         

Tan is the only color I have seen in any brochure.

I placed an order for blue late Friday afternoon. After hearing your spiel, I am going to call them Monday morning and change it to Tan.

Thanks,