Spectrum Gel Coat Patch Color Match

[hodgy1976]

I've performed a repair on my 1989 SPORT 13, and the Spectrum paste worked really well. The only problem was the Desert Tan gel coat was too dark. The only other color I think might match would be "white."

Q1: will using Spectrum WHITE gel coat paste be closer to tan or closer to beige?

I need to do some new repairs. I want to match closer to actual color, but I don't want to waste $57 on a bright white.

[jimh]

One possible explanation for a mis-match in color between what you perceive as the "white" color of your boat at this moment and the color of the Spectrum DESERT TAN repair patch resin could be that the original gel coat on your boat has not been cleaned and buffed with a polish to restore it; the whiteness of your boat's gel coat color may be due to oxidation forming on the hull gel coat, which tends to create a white appearance.

You should experiment with using a detergent to wash the gel coat, then wet sanding the boat gel coat with 400 grit emery cloth, then using a gel coat restorer compound to rejuvenate the gel coat, then using a buffer to enhance the surface finish to a deep polished shine. This will give you a better color to use as the standard to judge the resin sent by Spectrum.

If you look at the resin in the bottle, it can appear to be "too dark" to be a great match for the original gel coat, particularly if the original gel coat color has faded and become oxidized.

Perhaps a better color would be OUTRAGE GRAY. These color differences are rather subtle. To appreciate the color you need to view then in daylight and away from any other buildings whose colors could tend to be influencing the color you are seeing in the hull from reflected light off the other colors walls.

[hodgy1976]

Thanks for your detailed response.

I did, in fact, spend a lot of time buffing the hull with a polishing compound by 3M, after I had used increasing grades of wet sanding 400 grit through 1500 grit.

The repairs from the Desert Tan [patch kit] were darker than the original color, which appears to be a light beige.

I think I’m still searching for the right color to match.

Q99: With the suggestion of Outrage Gray, do you think I’d be getting a shade closer to a light beige or will it truly go more towards the gray spectrum?

I know that these color shades are probably eye-of-the beholder [judgements], but, again. I am just trying to be efficient to purchase the right tone.

I added a photo and circled a desert tan repair

[hodgy1976]

[Below in Figure 1 is a photograph of the hull color of the boat under discussion.]

Fig. 1. Photograph of hull color. The area inside the drawn-on circle is a repair made with Spectrum Patch Kit color DESERT TAN.

thumbnail.jpg (52.93 KiB) Viewed 2086 times

[jimh]

Judging a color from a photograph being viewed on a monitor with a browser is a rather inexact method, as there are many variables in the process. However, in the image seen above in Figure 1, the hull color does look like a typical Desert Tan gel coat finish

I do not see any particularly distinct different between the area inside the drawn-on circle and the rest of the hull. The hue or saturation or lustre differences may be too small to be perceived in the photograph.

To better illustrate, I modified the image in the following manner:

• a section of the hull color was copied from outside the drawn-on circle;
• that portion of the photograph was then pasted into the middle of the drawn-on circle area; and
• the remainder of the photograph was cropped away so only the drawn-on circle portion remained.

Figure 2 (below) below shows the image that resulted.

Fig. 2. A portion of the original image from Figure 1 where a rectangular cut-out of the original hull color images has been pasted inside the drawn-on circle in the center of the that circle as a means of comparing the two colors.

colorMatchExample.jpg (16.99 KiB) Viewed 1854 times

Again, I cannot see any difference in the color of the two portions of the hull.

A good way to get back to the original hue of the hull gel coat would be to find some area of the hull that has been covered by some accessory (or even by a large decal) and has not been exposed to direct sunlight for most of the time since the boat left the factory. For an example that I found on my own boat, see the two illustrations in the post at

https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... 868#p33790

[hodgy1976]

bad picture posted. Maybe the original hull has faded to 'white' more than the original desert tan. i've posted here a better shot of those spectrum touch ups that didn't match.

desert sand vs. gel coat.jpg (8.37 KiB) Viewed 387 times

[msteinkampf]

I used the Spectrum Desert Sand paste product on my 1990 Montauk 17 in four places. In three places, the color match was perfect. In the fourth spot, on the side of the hull about where your patch is, the repair paste was a bit darker. I'm just living with the imperfection, but if you want a perfect match, I think you will need to fine tune the color yourself with pigments marketed for coloring polyester resin.

M

[hodgy1976]

thanks for your thoughts! i'll probably try a custom color myself as you suggest.