Gel Coat Color Match

[minaret]

Ok, I'll do that this evening (unless I don't finish till nine again). For the rest of you; the OP's "don't let me stop you" didn't sound like a respectful request for help to me. I've posted some on color matching in the past, just gotta find the relevant pics.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by minaret

For the rest of you; the OP's "don't let me stop you" didn't sound like a respectful request for help to me.

I read it differently than that. I think he is very interested and it was an honest request written in a colloquial manner.

Mark

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by minaret

This is totally doable, I do it all the time. No reason to paint the whole boat, easy repairs are the whole point of gelcoat. I can talk you through how to do this right no problem if you are interested, with pics if needed. I've done thousands of color matches, it's a specialty. I can guarantee you 100% success if you follow my instructions to the letter. Only takes time and a little bit of materials.

Please add me to your list. I am interested in your Gel Coat color match method also.

[colemj]

No emails - post it on a thread. It will be valuable to have in the archives.

Mark

[S/V_Surya]

Is it to late to add to this thread? I have used spectrum service in the past to match repairs on my boat. Had to buy a gallon. I sent them a sample of the boat. I have to say it matched great. I had numreous places to touch up and you cannot tell there is a patch color was perfect. On a bad note half the gallon went bad over time cause I did not seal it tight. So I used another place to make me a quart. Have not tried it yet.

[Exile]

Hey Minaret!!

It would be most generous of you to give us some schooling on gel-coat color matching, especially since you likely don't have enough to do these days! Speaking of, I figured you had your head down trying to finish the big Nauticat refit since there hasn't been much posting -- along with working on every other boat in the yard I'm sure! I have read some of your comments & seen pics hitting on the subject of color matching, but I don't think you've done one of your step-by-step tutorials yet. That would be quite a resource for those of us trying to maintain our old gel-coat decks and avoiding the huge investment of time & money to paint.

I just made my first attempt to repair a bunch of the inevitable small dings that seem to accumulate on my decks, and I'm not sure whether 'disaster' or 'fiasco' would be the right way to describe the results. Actually, it went OK on the white smooth parts, but the grayer non-skid went terribly. The funny part was that I started out trying to mix up a small batch, and by the time I kept trying to compensate for the mix either being too white or too yellow, I wound up with a LARGE batch, most of which was wasted, of course. Oh well, at least the decks are better sealed now, but I'd be game to try again should you get around to doing a tutorial. My materials, btw, were base gel, cabosil for the thickening agent, a bottle of yellow for color, and the catalyst, of course. I think PATIENCE is definitely another key ingredient, especially for those of us with exactly zero artistic ability!

Thanks again for the offer should you have the chance, and hope the refit continues to progress.

Dan

[Tim R.]

I have a Caliber that is a few shades lighter than an IP and all the so called experts claim it is the most difficult color to match. I think the last time someone attempted they added yellow and purple to the base to get the beige but it came out with a green tint compared to the original.

I would also be interested in this valuable technique. I have successfully matched white before and it is pretty easy.

[jkindredpdx]

Originally Posted by minaret

This is totally doable, I do it all the time. No reason to paint the whole boat, easy repairs are the whole point of gelcoat. I can talk you through how to do this right no problem if you are interested, with pics if needed. I've done thousands of color matches, it's a specialty. I can guarantee you 100% success if you follow my instructions to the letter. Only takes time and a little bit of materials.

I'm at the perfect stage in a project for your lesson and would appreciate the help. Could you also cover how to get a purdy gloss finish when I'm done.

[Bluemansailor]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

Has anyone used a company like Spectrum Color, Mini Craft or Fibre Glast to color match gel coat for them? Non of the above companies nor any I have searched seem to have CAL boats in their database for color matching.

Mini Craft offers a color matching service where you mail a sample of chipped gel coat to them and they run it through their computer and send you the prematched gel coat. Has anyone used this service or one like it? Is it accurate at all?

Yep Used Fibre Glast- rented their 5000 color chip book and got a match I would say 95% the same, Haven't polished it but friends haven't noticed the repairs.

[Rhapsody-NS27]

My boat is an ivory, almost tan color. I had a couple spots that needed gelcoat repair, one spot was large. It was color matched perfectly for 30+yrs old boat. This looks like something that would take time and patience to get right. One that I would like to learn some day.

[AbaftAndBaffled]

I'd love to hear your technique. Almost went blind trying to match a baja 42 in its slip on a sunny day, anything that might help is welcome.

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by minaret

Ok, I'll do that this evening (unless I don't finish till nine again). For the rest of you; the OP's "don't let me stop you" didn't sound like a respectful request for help to me. I've posted some on color matching in the past, just gotta find the relevant pics.

No, I didn't mean it like that!!!! Please everyone wants to know. Don't make us wait!

[Opie91]

Minaret,

Please do post!!! I really appreciate all of the work you put into this forum. I am sure that your recommendations have probably helped thousands of boaters!!!

[minaret]

Holy crap, I ground glass all day and when I check in there seems to be some interest in color matching!

I'll take more time with this later, still on the job now. But start here-



http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ice-64941.html


Mylar really does make all the difference. The other good tip for the amateur is to do your match and then blow a little tiny patch of it on your prepped match zone, wait for a cure, and polish it to make sure it cures in the direction you expect and is a good match. This can save you from making the mistake of shooting a large repair that doesn't quite match.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Exile

Hey Minaret!!

It would be most generous of you to give us some schooling on gel-coat color matching, especially since you likely don't have enough to do these days! Speaking of, I figured you had your head down trying to finish the big Nauticat refit since there hasn't been much posting -- along with working on every other boat in the yard I'm sure! I have read some of your comments & seen pics hitting on the subject of color matching, but I don't think you've done one of your step-by-step tutorials yet. That would be quite a resource for those of us trying to maintain our old gel-coat decks and avoiding the huge investment of time & money to paint.

I just made my first attempt to repair a bunch of the inevitable small dings that seem to accumulate on my decks, and I'm not sure whether 'disaster' or 'fiasco' would be the right way to describe the results. Actually, it went OK on the white smooth parts, but the grayer non-skid went terribly. The funny part was that I started out trying to mix up a small batch, and by the time I kept trying to compensate for the mix either being too white or too yellow, I wound up with a LARGE batch, most of which was wasted, of course. Oh well, at least the decks are better sealed now, but I'd be game to try again should you get around to doing a tutorial. My materials, btw, were base gel, cabosil for the thickening agent, a bottle of yellow for color, and the catalyst, of course. I think PATIENCE is definitely another key ingredient, especially for those of us with exactly zero artistic ability!

Thanks again for the offer should you have the chance, and hope the refit continues to progress.

Dan

Don't use cabosil, only virgin gel. I prefer Snow White to Pure White (it has a blue hue, but tint, shade, and hue are a bit advanced). Start too light and creep up on it, what you experienced is classic new guy stuff. Happens to everyone. Still happens to me on tricky colors. Patience is indeed key. I figure (for bids) two hours to match a shade of white, 4-6 for cool colors, 6-8 or more for warm colors. For a perfect match, that is, including a test spot.