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Author Topic:   Spectrum Desert Tan Gel Coat

rsgwynn1 posted 08-09-2002 01:18 AM ET (US)
Got a bottle of this from the website. It looks very dark compared to the boat. Does it lighten up when mixed with hardener and spread?
Tom W Clark posted 08-09-2002 02:34 AM ET (US)
No. The color it is now is the color you get. Spread a little uncured gel coat on the hull to get a better idea of the match. You can wipe it off with some acetone when you are done.
What year is your boat? Are you working on the inside, outside or something else like the console?
kingfish posted 08-09-2002 08:16 AM ET (US)
And, did you order the Desert Tan indexed to the correct year and model of your boat? There were a number of different shades, as well as differences between inside and outside as Tom is alluding.
I'll duck back out here, but be aware that you can shade the color yourself, if need be.
kingfish
Tom W Clark posted 08-09-2002 12:06 PM ET (US)
rsgwynn1,
Kingfish makes good points. If, for example, your boat were a 1983 Revenge 22 then the outside of the hull is not Desert Tan. It is Outrage Gray, a much lighter shade. Whaler did not start making both the inside and the outside of the hulls Desert Tan until 1984 or 1985.
Even if you get the correct color from Spectrum for your particular boat, the color probably will not be an exact match. No two hulls are exactly the same color and there may even be variations between one part of your hull and another.
If you want to adjust to a perfect color match you should get a little white and black tint from Spectrum to use in adjusting the shade a tiny bit. But be sure you have the correct color to start with.
rsgwynn1 posted 08-09-2002 12:58 PM ET (US)
Bottle says Boston Whaler Desert Tan 1972-1993. Guess I can experiment a bit on small spots to see what it looks like.
rsgwynn1 posted 08-09-2002 12:59 PM ET (US)
I can't see any difference between outside and inside--1983 22 Revenge Cuddy.
Tom W Clark posted 08-09-2002 01:09 PM ET (US)
Yes, that is the correct Desert Tan for the inside of your boat (as opposed to Desert Tan 1994-1996 and Desert Tan 1997). The outside of your boat is what Spectrum calls "Light Grey", 1972-1984
You should try wet sanding, compounding and rubbing out a spot on both the inside and the outside of the hull. Fading and oxidation will make the original gel coat appear much lighter. I remember going through all this on my 1983 Outrage 18. The inside and outside are not the same color though they are very close. It is deceptive.
skookum point posted 08-09-2002 09:44 PM ET (US)
rsgwynn1,
Same story here: I received a bottle of Desert Tan from Spectrum that is supposed to be correct for my boat - but it looks too dark. It looks too dark even when I compare it to areas of the hull that wouldn't see much sun. I just haven't had time to fool around with it yet. Maybe it's a mis-tint? Keep me posted . . .
John
ShrimpBurrito posted 08-10-2002 01:50 AM ET (US)
I had this same problem for my '87 Super Sport (Desert Tan). However, it matched perfectly for the very bottom of the boat. I can't even tell where I patched. I got some colors to mix in to get a closer match, but haven't tried anything yet.
skookum point posted 08-10-2002 05:52 PM ET (US)
Well, now I'm curious so I tried the little experiment that Tom suggested and put some of the uncatalyzed gelcoat paste on the hull to see how it looks. Surprisingly, it seems to match very well in spite of the fact it looks too dark in the bottle.
rsgwynn1 posted 08-10-2002 08:19 PM ET (US)
I ordered some of the light gray too, so I'll send another report when it comes in.
newt posted 08-10-2002 10:59 PM ET (US)
I used the spectrum on my '84 Montauk, and it is too dark (after curing). It is to dark even after wet sanding, buffing, and polishing. If I do it again, I will add a touch of white pigment to lighten it up.
Note, even a little too dark shade of desert tan is still less noticable than pure white, grey, or any other colored epoxy.

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Author	Topic: Spectrum Desert Tan Gel Coat
rsgwynn1	posted 08-09-2002 01:18 AM ET (US) Got a bottle of this from the website. It looks very dark compared to the boat. Does it lighten up when mixed with hardener and spread?
Tom W Clark	posted 08-09-2002 02:34 AM ET (US) No. The color it is now is the color you get. Spread a little uncured gel coat on the hull to get a better idea of the match. You can wipe it off with some acetone when you are done. What year is your boat? Are you working on the inside, outside or something else like the console?
kingfish	posted 08-09-2002 08:16 AM ET (US) And, did you order the Desert Tan indexed to the correct year and model of your boat? There were a number of different shades, as well as differences between inside and outside as Tom is alluding. I'll duck back out here, but be aware that you can shade the color yourself, if need be. kingfish
Tom W Clark	posted 08-09-2002 12:06 PM ET (US) rsgwynn1, Kingfish makes good points. If, for example, your boat were a 1983 Revenge 22 then the outside of the hull is not Desert Tan. It is Outrage Gray, a much lighter shade. Whaler did not start making both the inside and the outside of the hulls Desert Tan until 1984 or 1985. Even if you get the correct color from Spectrum for your particular boat, the color probably will not be an exact match. No two hulls are exactly the same color and there may even be variations between one part of your hull and another. If you want to adjust to a perfect color match you should get a little white and black tint from Spectrum to use in adjusting the shade a tiny bit. But be sure you have the correct color to start with.
rsgwynn1	posted 08-09-2002 12:58 PM ET (US) Bottle says Boston Whaler Desert Tan 1972-1993. Guess I can experiment a bit on small spots to see what it looks like.
rsgwynn1	posted 08-09-2002 12:59 PM ET (US) I can't see any difference between outside and inside--1983 22 Revenge Cuddy.
Tom W Clark	posted 08-09-2002 01:09 PM ET (US) Yes, that is the correct Desert Tan for the inside of your boat (as opposed to Desert Tan 1994-1996 and Desert Tan 1997). The outside of your boat is what Spectrum calls "Light Grey", 1972-1984 You should try wet sanding, compounding and rubbing out a spot on both the inside and the outside of the hull. Fading and oxidation will make the original gel coat appear much lighter. I remember going through all this on my 1983 Outrage 18. The inside and outside are not the same color though they are very close. It is deceptive.
skookum point	posted 08-09-2002 09:44 PM ET (US) rsgwynn1, Same story here: I received a bottle of Desert Tan from Spectrum that is supposed to be correct for my boat - but it looks too dark. It looks too dark even when I compare it to areas of the hull that wouldn't see much sun. I just haven't had time to fool around with it yet. Maybe it's a mis-tint? Keep me posted . . . John
ShrimpBurrito	posted 08-10-2002 01:50 AM ET (US) I had this same problem for my '87 Super Sport (Desert Tan). However, it matched perfectly for the very bottom of the boat. I can't even tell where I patched. I got some colors to mix in to get a closer match, but haven't tried anything yet.
skookum point	posted 08-10-2002 05:52 PM ET (US) Well, now I'm curious so I tried the little experiment that Tom suggested and put some of the uncatalyzed gelcoat paste on the hull to see how it looks. Surprisingly, it seems to match very well in spite of the fact it looks too dark in the bottle.
rsgwynn1	posted 08-10-2002 08:19 PM ET (US) I ordered some of the light gray too, so I'll send another report when it comes in.
newt	posted 08-10-2002 10:59 PM ET (US) I used the spectrum on my '84 Montauk, and it is too dark (after curing). It is to dark even after wet sanding, buffing, and polishing. If I do it again, I will add a touch of white pigment to lighten it up. Note, even a little too dark shade of desert tan is still less noticable than pure white, grey, or any other colored epoxy.