Topic: Gelcoat match
Does anyone know if there is a colour code to match the factory gelcoat.Mine is light blue and off white.I would like to do some small filling jobs (screw holes) on the white gelcoat.Thanks Bill
Re: Gelcoat match
I do not know if this info is available or not, but if it is it, may be of no value. The blue you have now is not the blue you had when the boat was new. Fading, oxidizing, etc. Best to try to find something that happens to match your blue in its current stage of life.
Re: Gelcoat match
you'll have to mix it up yourself. mix up the colour in small batches DON'T ADD THE HARDENER. ie 10mL white, 2 toothpick dabs blue, 1 dab black/green/whatever. record what you did, and put a little bit of UNHARDENED gelcoat resin somewhere thats the colour that you want to match. you'll know right away whether or not you're close, and if you're way off then its no big cause all you need is a paper towel to wipe off the UNHARDENED resin.
best thing i've found is starting with a bit of the main colour (ie blue) and then adding complementary colours to remove the colour you don't want - if it's too blue then add a teeny weeny bit of red instead of laying the white to it.
once you've got a colour match you're happy with, mix up a bigger batch of coloured resin, and then test again unhardened. once you're happy, don't use all youre good colour at once, mix up small batches of coloured resin and hardener and away you go
Re: Gelcoat match
Hey,thanks Stefan,that is very helpful.Now would anyone care to venture an opinion as to what colours to try to move the white towards off white.I would say that it is ever so slightly cream and maybe rose,though if past efforts are anything to go on I am way out there.Thanks Bill
Re: Gelcoat match
Dear Group,
One of my winter projects this year has been to strip down and fair my bottom. I've found that there is an unknown epoxy barrier coat over the gel coat. It has a few areas where it has peeled/chipped away but probably 99% remains intact. Over the years I've used a number of different barrier coats, Gluvit, polyester resin, West System, VC-Tar, Asphaltum all with pros and cons. I thought before I take a leap and choose one for this project I'd throw the question out to you all. What have you found to be best product for a good barrier coat? I look forward to all your input. Thanks
Re: Gelcoat match
I brought my bottom right down to the glass. I did not want to mess around with a surface that I thought might be ok. I wanted to barrier coat my bottom once, do it right, and get the max years out of it. I achieved the surface I wanted and hosed it down with water to get all of the dust off. I dried it with a towel, let it dry, and wiped down with solvent such as acetone or similar. All of this was done in good drying conditions. I was very fortunate to have the boat in my driveway so that I could do a very thorough job. After fully dry i mixed up a pot full of interprotect expoxy barrier coat by interlux. I didnt mix the whole batch at once but mixed what i needed when i needed it. I brushed the barrier coat on with a four inch brush. I liked brushing it on because i felt that i got a better coverage and the bottom is not too large of an area which would call for the roller. I put on five coats always wiping down in between coats. My bottom is tip top. I am totally confident in its longevity and feel that it is protected better than from the factory. cheers