Question: Does anyone know how to match the 1984 light tan gelcoat on the decks?

Dec 25, 2018
28
ODay 34 262 Galesville MD
Spectrum says they don't carry 84 ODay anymore. My boat still has the original light tan and I can match by eye, but would love to have the factory color.
 
May 17, 2004
5,031
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
Chances are the color of the deck after sitting in the sun for 37 years isn’t the factory color anymore. That might be part of why Spectrum doesn’t bother selling it. You could try to match it yourself following a process like this one from Boatworks Today -
 
Apr 1, 2004
145
Catalina 34 Herring Bay Chesapeake, MD
Spectrum says they don't carry 84 ODay anymore. My boat still has the original light tan and I can match by eye, but would love to have the factory color.
I used Pettit Easypoxy 3518 Sandtone on my nonskid for my 88 Catalina. After 1 summer you cannot tell where I used it. It's possible that Catalina did not make a unique color for this boats.

Just a thought,

Steve
 
Nov 25, 2018
36
Oday 28 Wiscasset, ME
I have tried the color matches including spectrum in my 1985 Oday 28 in the past and all failed due to years of sun exposure on the original. I also have struggled to match my own. If anybody has a recipe for this I would appreciate it. I know that mixing brown pigment into white or eggshell does not work. I have some touch up work to do next month and plan to try small amount of black and yellow pigment.
 
Jan 22, 2008
50
Oday 30 Stamford CT
The last time I purchased gelcoat for my 1983 O'Day I purchased it from Rudy at D&R Marine. It was a long time ago but he had both colors of gelcoat for my boat. Cream DNR #0016026-PT, Tidal Sand DNR # 0016027-PT
 
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wayneR

.
Jun 7, 2004
20
Oday 34 Cambridge MD
Rudy doesn't carry gel coat any more but Jamestown Distributors sells colored gel coats in qts and gals. and their Cream is a good match for Oday's cream on my 1983 Oday 34. I haven't found a good match for the contrasting tan on my boat. It is about $50 for a Qt. with shipping.
 

mm2347

.
Oct 21, 2008
241
oday 222 niagara
Squiggle Tool, Melrose, MN 56352 does a good job of color matching from a paint chip. They can also supply pigments. BUT!! often it's only close or color changes from shop to outside light or color shortly changes from the sun and on and on. Color matching is an artful-techie-type job. :banghead:
 
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Aug 16, 2016
38
Pacific Dolphin 24 Phoenix, Arizona
Buy the closest match from Jamestown. Also get yellow, brown and white tints. Pour 1 oz of Gelcoat into a small cup..do NOT catalyze.
Clean an area of the hull you want to match. Add tint, 1 drop at a time and put a dab onto the cleaned area of the hull. Adjust color by adding additional tint(s) 1 drop at a time until you have as close a match as possible. Have someone else look at it to see if they agree. Record how many drops of each tint you used per 1 oz of gelcoat to get your match. This is now your recipe of drops of tints/oz of gelcoat. If satisfied with your match, wipe of the area of the hull where you were applying the samples. Acetone is a good solvent at this time. I use the small Preval disposable sprayers available from many suppliers even my local big box store. Styerene is the best thinner to use when spraying with the Preval sprayers, but others have used Acetone also. Remember......if it doesn't come put right....you can sand it off and start over.
 
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