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Author Topic:   Tinting Gelcoat

whalerajm posted 12-23-2003 01:28 PM ET (US)
Anyone have any experience with Spectrum Lt Gray (Outrage Gray)for gelcoat repair to older BW's?
The Boston Whaler cust ser rep told me I would need to tint the gelcoat becuase of fading (over 28 years)...The SpectrumColor cust ser rep told me thet do not offer a tinting kit and claim it's not necessary!

Gep posted 12-23-2003 04:31 PM ET (US)
Whalerajm,
I tinted my gelcoat from Spectrum. When you order your gray, order a small jar of white also.
I mixed it in a seperate quart can and before I added the catlyst I tested some on where I was going to eventually spray it and let it dry.
When I got it close enough, I add the catalyst.
A little tint goes along way.
There is also a good article that Jimh wrote up on tinting gelcoat. Try a search on gelcoat. Theres alot of info on the website.
Mike
whalerajm posted 12-23-2003 04:56 PM ET (US)
Gep,
Thanks...Spectrum says they don't have a tinting kit. The smallest container they sell the gelcoat in is a quart at over $60. I'm not going spend $60 for a few drops of gelcoat for tinting purposes.
I'm repairing a nick that's 1/2" wide and 2" long. Spectrum gelcoat costs are (approx):
-$65 quart of gelcoat (Lt Gray)
-$20 gelcoat paste patch kit(Lt Gray)
-$65 quart of gelcoat for tinting (White)
Total $150
I'm going to look for an alternative or live with the Lt Gray and wait 28 more years for it to fade!

Tom W Clark posted 12-23-2003 09:12 PM ET (US)
Andy,
Don't get excited; it's not as tough as it seems to make a good match. I've owned five different Whalers with Outrage Grey exteriors and Desert Tan interiors and have made minor repairs to three of them with Spectrum Patch Paste kits.
As I have counseled in dozens of posts over the last few years here, you may find that your gel coat has faded and the color has changed a bit because of exposure to sunlight. This is what that Whaler customer service rep was trying to tell you, that you may have to tint the gel coat to get a perfect match, but it is not a given. You never know until you hold the gel coat up to the hull in the area of the repair ans see for yourself.
I recommend you buy a patch paste kit in Lt. Grey and another in white. This will cost you only and extra $20 and if you don't need it, great. If you do, you have it.
The reason I suggest white (and Boston Whaler White, 1958-1972 will do fine) is that if there is a color change it will probably be a change to the lighter side of the spectrum and the addition of a little white to the Lt. Grey will lighten it up.
Now having said all that I will again point out that the color of a Whaler's hull will vary not only between different years and between boats exposed to a lot of sun vs. a boat that has always been well covered, but a given hull can even vary from one spot on it to another! On my Outrage 18 I had to mix different "blends" of grey to get a good match on different parts of the hull.
When using the patch paste, just mix the gel coat up in a small container (I use Dixie cups with the top two thirds cut off) and hold it up to the hull or even wipe some onto the area to be repaired. If it doesn't look good, wipe it off and try again with the addition of one color or the other. Once you've got a good match, wipe all traces of these tests dabs off with acetone and catalyze your mix and proceed with the repair.
whalerajm posted 12-29-2003 04:13 PM ET (US)
Tom,
Thanks...As usual the best source of information is from someone who has alrady done it...
The BW CSR was the one who suggested that the repair be done with the Paste Patch Kit and then "finished" with the liquid gelcoat with wax added...I'm leaning towards your "Paste Patch Only" approach since the repair is small and almost right at the water line...it doesn't need to be cosmetically perfect...since this is my first gelcoat repair attempt, I expect my workmanship may also be somewhat less than cosmetically perfect.
Thanks again!
quickfarms posted 12-30-2003 10:19 AM ET (US)
If you are using the paste kit they do make two tinting kits.
If I remember right one was about 60 dollars and one was about the cost of the paste kit.
I bought the one that was about the cost of the paste kit and it contained several small vials of each color. If you wnat I can look at it tonight and post the part number.
I would call spectrum back and talk to someone else.
On my boat I sanding the gelcoat down in order to remove the oxidation. This was necessary due to the fact that I removed the bottom paint that had been put on 25 years a go and the gelcoat under the paint was much whiter that the rest of the hull.
Gep posted 12-30-2003 04:16 PM ET (US)
Whalerajm,
I don't have my paperwork in front of me right now but I know I didn't buy two quarts of gelcoat.
I remember I had two little jars, one white and one black for tinting.
I still have it in my basement at home. I'll look tonight.
In your original post you didn't mention how much of an area you had to fix. Tom's right, I would just use the patch paste. It's alot easier than the liquid.
Mike
Gep posted 12-31-2003 07:37 PM ET (US)
whalerajm,
I checked my receipt.
I purchased 2- 2oz jars of gelcoat pigment. One white and one black.
Total cost of the two jars of pigment was less than $10.00.
The Spectrum Color part numbers are:
F35-0001 for the white pigment.
F35-0002 for the black pigment.

Hope this helps.
Mike
whalerajm posted 01-03-2004 05:58 PM ET (US)
Spectrum Customer service Rep (Danielle) came back to me after the holiday and acknowledged they sell a small amount of white gelcoat or tint for like $5...
I'll mix that with the paste patch kit and give it a try!
Thanks!

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Author	Topic: Tinting Gelcoat
whalerajm	posted 12-23-2003 01:28 PM ET (US) Anyone have any experience with Spectrum Lt Gray (Outrage Gray)for gelcoat repair to older BW's? The Boston Whaler cust ser rep told me I would need to tint the gelcoat becuase of fading (over 28 years)...The SpectrumColor cust ser rep told me thet do not offer a tinting kit and claim it's not necessary!
Gep	posted 12-23-2003 04:31 PM ET (US) Whalerajm, I tinted my gelcoat from Spectrum. When you order your gray, order a small jar of white also. I mixed it in a seperate quart can and before I added the catlyst I tested some on where I was going to eventually spray it and let it dry. When I got it close enough, I add the catalyst. A little tint goes along way. There is also a good article that Jimh wrote up on tinting gelcoat. Try a search on gelcoat. Theres alot of info on the website. Mike
whalerajm	posted 12-23-2003 04:56 PM ET (US) Gep, Thanks...Spectrum says they don't have a tinting kit. The smallest container they sell the gelcoat in is a quart at over $60. I'm not going spend $60 for a few drops of gelcoat for tinting purposes. I'm repairing a nick that's 1/2" wide and 2" long. Spectrum gelcoat costs are (approx): -$65 quart of gelcoat (Lt Gray) -$20 gelcoat paste patch kit(Lt Gray) -$65 quart of gelcoat for tinting (White) Total $150 I'm going to look for an alternative or live with the Lt Gray and wait 28 more years for it to fade!
Tom W Clark	posted 12-23-2003 09:12 PM ET (US) Andy, Don't get excited; it's not as tough as it seems to make a good match. I've owned five different Whalers with Outrage Grey exteriors and Desert Tan interiors and have made minor repairs to three of them with Spectrum Patch Paste kits. As I have counseled in dozens of posts over the last few years here, you may find that your gel coat has faded and the color has changed a bit because of exposure to sunlight. This is what that Whaler customer service rep was trying to tell you, that you may have to tint the gel coat to get a perfect match, but it is not a given. You never know until you hold the gel coat up to the hull in the area of the repair ans see for yourself. I recommend you buy a patch paste kit in Lt. Grey and another in white. This will cost you only and extra $20 and if you don't need it, great. If you do, you have it. The reason I suggest white (and Boston Whaler White, 1958-1972 will do fine) is that if there is a color change it will probably be a change to the lighter side of the spectrum and the addition of a little white to the Lt. Grey will lighten it up. Now having said all that I will again point out that the color of a Whaler's hull will vary not only between different years and between boats exposed to a lot of sun vs. a boat that has always been well covered, but a given hull can even vary from one spot on it to another! On my Outrage 18 I had to mix different "blends" of grey to get a good match on different parts of the hull. When using the patch paste, just mix the gel coat up in a small container (I use Dixie cups with the top two thirds cut off) and hold it up to the hull or even wipe some onto the area to be repaired. If it doesn't look good, wipe it off and try again with the addition of one color or the other. Once you've got a good match, wipe all traces of these tests dabs off with acetone and catalyze your mix and proceed with the repair.
whalerajm	posted 12-29-2003 04:13 PM ET (US) Tom, Thanks...As usual the best source of information is from someone who has alrady done it... The BW CSR was the one who suggested that the repair be done with the Paste Patch Kit and then "finished" with the liquid gelcoat with wax added...I'm leaning towards your "Paste Patch Only" approach since the repair is small and almost right at the water line...it doesn't need to be cosmetically perfect...since this is my first gelcoat repair attempt, I expect my workmanship may also be somewhat less than cosmetically perfect. Thanks again!
quickfarms	posted 12-30-2003 10:19 AM ET (US) If you are using the paste kit they do make two tinting kits. If I remember right one was about 60 dollars and one was about the cost of the paste kit. I bought the one that was about the cost of the paste kit and it contained several small vials of each color. If you wnat I can look at it tonight and post the part number. I would call spectrum back and talk to someone else. On my boat I sanding the gelcoat down in order to remove the oxidation. This was necessary due to the fact that I removed the bottom paint that had been put on 25 years a go and the gelcoat under the paint was much whiter that the rest of the hull.
Gep	posted 12-30-2003 04:16 PM ET (US) Whalerajm, I don't have my paperwork in front of me right now but I know I didn't buy two quarts of gelcoat. I remember I had two little jars, one white and one black for tinting. I still have it in my basement at home. I'll look tonight. In your original post you didn't mention how much of an area you had to fix. Tom's right, I would just use the patch paste. It's alot easier than the liquid. Mike
Gep	posted 12-31-2003 07:37 PM ET (US) whalerajm, I checked my receipt. I purchased 2- 2oz jars of gelcoat pigment. One white and one black. Total cost of the two jars of pigment was less than $10.00. The Spectrum Color part numbers are: F35-0001 for the white pigment. F35-0002 for the black pigment. Hope this helps. Mike
whalerajm	posted 01-03-2004 05:58 PM ET (US) Spectrum Customer service Rep (Danielle) came back to me after the holiday and acknowledged they sell a small amount of white gelcoat or tint for like $5... I'll mix that with the paste patch kit and give it a try! Thanks!