I need to make some gel coat repairs on my O'day 26 (1984). My first attempts to mix a resin that matchs were not very good. Can anyone suggest what color pigments should I use to achieve something close to O'day white?
gel coat color match
- Thread starter Granger
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Some of the people on this forum were talking about this site. http://www.minicraft.com/ They advertise a spray can gel coat that will match per manufacturer's specs. I've never been successful in applying, even a matched gel coat. Most of the gel coats that I've worked with need to be sealed with a temporary barrier so that it can cure right, but I understand that now they have a special gel coat out there on the market that doesn't need to be sealed. This spring I'm planning on doing some gel coat work on some spots on my O'Day 222 and I am kind of in the fog on what to use and how to go about it.
Ed K.
You know quite a bit about this subject of gel coat repair. Maybe you can eloboarate on this subject. This is something that I'm going to need to learn myself.
Joe
Jamestown Distributors- http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/main.do
has a white gelcoat that doesn't need to be sealed and pigments that will get you close.
Rich
has a white gelcoat that doesn't need to be sealed and pigments that will get you close.
Rich
Hi, this website http://www.shopmaninc.com/pigments.html has pigments for paint and gelcoat and epoxy. They also have very good epoxy which i have used and is as good as westsystem (i've used both) for a lot less.
I tried to match the paint using pigments but no luck. I bought some gelcoat but did not try it. i was intimidated by the application instructions. but in hindsight i wish i would have used the gelcoat. i would have tried the prematched stuff from "minicraft"
I ended up using interlux brightside paint to paint over my repairs, and after ordering a couple of colors, I found that the "grand banks beige" matched the non skid almost perfectly, and to match the cream, i mixed in white . if i remember correctly that was about 4 parts white to one part grand banks beige. That did not match quiet as well. Overall i was pretty happy with the color match, but not the durability of the paint.
I did follow the guidlines here on the forum (see buff magic and sailors helping sailors threads) to restore my gelcoat last week. it looks great. It was expensive though, but cheaper than painting and from my experience with paint, i would not paint my boat.
kieth
Joe, I usually do not follow this forum. I usually stay on
http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/forumdisplay.php?f=65
Even big boats speak on that page. As Keith has pointed out the mini craft site.(http://www.minicraft.com/Retail/oday.htm)
Keep in mind that somebody out their has the curing wax in a spray, so you can spray on wax - seal the gel coat from air - to cure. Evercoat makes a good product that does not require the wax quote.
As to pigments, I use:
http://www.shopmaninc.com/pigments.html
their off white i.e., halyard, is handy when matching the O'Day off white.
Gel Coat usually comes in white, so some off white takes the brightness out.
Gets close but it is important to remember when dealing with old boats, close works fine, that is, unless your name is Keith. Then you should have the boat professionally painted with Imron or Awl Grip. Have you seen an old boat with the bright Awl Grip red? Or a 35 footer painted with the Imron marine blue?
Ed K
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Hi Ed,
Thank you for the info. Yes, I've seen boats painted with Awl Grip and they're beautiful, but I don't think that I'm up to doing my boat with it. If I was younger, richer, and more energetic, I probably would.
Joe
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