1984 Outrage 20 Gel Coat Repair

[MikeUFCfan]

I'm working on my 1984 OUTRAGE 20--my first Boston Whaler boat restoration.

Q1: where can gel coat be purchased that will be an exact match for the 1984 hull and deck colors?

From what I have learned, [this 1985 OUTRAGE 20 boat has] two colors of gel coat. One color is called Desert Tan.

Most of the gel coat areas that need repair are on the topsides or deck, where the gel coat color is more white.

Q2: where can an exact match for this [more white] color gel coat be purchased?

[jimh]

The first step in assessing the color of the gel coat is to restore a portion of it to its original hue and luster. Typically older gel coat finishes that have been neglected will have oxidized and lost their luster. Use very fine grit emery cloth, maybe 600 grit or higher, and lightly wet sand a portion of the the hull or the cockpit. This will remove the oxidized layer. Do not sand aggressively, as 40-year-old gel coat can be quite soft and very easily removed.

The use a gel coat restorer product or compound on the sanded area. Then use a less aggressive polish compound to restore the luster.

When this is done you will have revealed the true original colors. The only effective way to assess these colors is to view them in daylight, but probably not in direct sunlight. Viewing the hull colors with artificial light will affect your perception of the colors.

You can buy small bottles of gel coat repair resin that is tinted to match original Boston Whaler gel coat shades from SPECTRUM. Here is an example from their website of a $53 patch kit that is said to match Boston Whaler Desert Tan gelcoat:

https://spectrumcolor.com/products/2238 ... 2302867697

Work with Spectrum to assess what pre-tinted gel coat patch kit will best match your boat.

Note that in the case of 40-year-old gel coat, the present hue of the gel coat may no longer be exactly the same as the original hue due to exposure to sun and weather.

The typical laminated polyester gel coat resin cannot effectively be used for repairs because those resins will not cure to a hard surface if exposed to air. Repair patch kits contain a gel coat resin that has been mixed with a wax or other material that will create an air barrier as the resin cures, which will allow the resin to cure to a hard finish.

[Phil T]

Second Jim's comments.

You want to match to your boat's current gelcoat color after it has been polished to a very shiny state. You should be able to see your reflection.

[MikeUFCfan]

Thanks for the input and help here. Once I get [the original gel coat] looking nice, I'll reach out to Spectrum.

Q2: will SPECTRUM help me with a custom color?

Q3: will SPECTRUM be able to just match [the] shade I'm left with?

Mike

[jimh]

You should get answers to those questions about what SPECTRUM is willing to do for you from SPECTRUM.

My guess is that if you want SPECTRUM to create a special order of gel coat resin to match your boat, you probably will have to pay more than the $53 they charge for one of their off-the-shelf colors in their wide range of gel coat repair kits.

I believe that many other Boston Whaler owners have bought gel coat repair kits from SPECTRUM and used them on older boats, and the results were satisfactory. I believe the two hues, Outrage Gray and Desert Tan may be the most often used. The difference between them is subtle.

Also, assessing the degree of color matching is a skill, and not everyone has sufficient color vision acuity to be able to precisely match colors, or even to recognize when two colors match if there is any variation in the luster or reflectivity of the surface. When you get the gel coat resin patch kit the hue will not be at a high luster, so you may be misled by your own visual assessment of how well it will match when it cures and is polished to a high luster.

The general goal with a 40-year-old boat with gel coat that needs restoration is to get it to look good again, and if there is some minor variation in the gel coat color in a small area that was repaired, it is not exactly a transgression against the legend of the Boston Whaler boat.

[jimh]

In some instances a very good method to discover the original hue and luster of the gel coat layer on an older Boston Whaler boat may exist if there is a fitting that covers a portion of the gel coat and there was a very good seal between the fitting and the hull. An example of this is seen below in Figure 1, where a fitting was removed from a 1990 Boston Whaler hull that revealed a significant contrast between the original gel coat color and the adjoining gel coat, which, regrettably, had been allowed to accumulate some oxidation, some mildew, and had not been recently cleaned thoroughly, buffed, and waxed.


Fig. 1. Removal of a circular fitting revealed the original hue of the Desert Tan gel coat which had been covered for over 30-years

A quick cleaning of the surrounding gel coat, then wet sanding with 600-grit, and taking advantage of a wet surface to create some luster, got the surface closer to original, as can be seen in Figure 2.


A better match was restored by a quick cleaning and wet sanding, but more work is needed.