Desert Tan Color c.1980

[dtmackey]

I'm sending a sample of the hull interior of 1986 15 Super Sport to the Awlgrip facility in Texas and they will analyse and come up with a formulation (recipe) for the Boston Whaler Desert Sand color.

Is the desert sand color used by Whaler in the sport models (and others) the same from mid-1970 through the late-1980 and beyond?

If we knew the models and years when this Desert Tan color was offered, I'd be happy to pass this along to Awlgrip and they may offer it as a standard off-the-shelf offering rather than a custom mix.

There seemed to be interest when I spoke with Andy at Awlgrip and since Whaler has built thousands if these models, it would be nice it there was a readily available high-quality paint for someone restoring and older Whaler.

D-

[jimh]

DT--I'm not much of a resource for knowing the exact epoch of when particular hues of Desert Tan were used.

About all I can say about the hull interior color from your 1986 SUPER SPORT 15 is that it may be slightly different from the hull exterior color on that boat. The difference in hue can be very subtle.

Also, using a sample taken from any one particular boat as the source of the color to be called Desert Tan is a risk. The exact hue of the gel coat on one boat might be different than another due to age, weathering, use of compounds with some slight coloration, the lustre of the finish, and other environmental influences.

I know that Spectrum has anointed certain hues to be "Desert Tan" and "Outrage Gray/Grey", but I don't know what they used as a source for those colors.

There is probably better information in the archives of the old forum, as this topic has certainly been discussed before. I would do some reading and take a survey of what others have commented about Desert Tan and Outrage Gray (or Grey) and when they were used. You can search the archives effectively from this page:

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/oldForum/

Here is a sample search result:

LINK

[jimh]

When color matching is the topic, I must always comment: the light source has a big influence on how colors appear to the eye. The best light source for color matching is sunlight from a mostly open sky. Lighting by electrical lamps can be very misleading. For decades most indoor illumination was provided by incandescent lightbulbs, with a color temperature equivalence of 3,200-degrees-Kelvin. This has been, more or less, the de facto indoor lighting standard.

Because incandescent lighting is not particularly energy efficient, that is, the amount of illumination provided per Watt of electrical power consumed is low, many other forms of electrical illumination with higher energy efficiency have been used, and today federal regulations have worked to effectively ban or severely limit use of incandescent lighting. The result is that we now have a complete mis-mash of light sources for indoor illumination. This further emphasizes the need to rely on sunlight when making judgements about color matching.

Having the visual acuity to make distinctions between shades of color is not a universal trait in humans, and some individuals are much better at color judgement than others. It is a skill, and it can be cultivated and improved.

When making color comparisons, the surface reflectivity or luster of the two samples should be matched.

[dtmackey]

Thanks Jim, figured it was a long shot kinda question since sun exposure and other factors factor in. I decided the Awlgrip color match was going to add about 3 weeks to the project, so I went to my local Imron supplier and they used their $8K color analyzer to shoot the sample and formulate a recipe. They named the colors, not me.

Your suggestions on lighting is very important for matching to a color chip, but the color chip charts are not always accurate due to age, UV exposure and a host of other factors, but they at least get you in the ballpark for a close color.



The color in the red circle is wet and will dry darker for a perfect match.



D-