Spectrum Color Gel Coat Patch Paste
Author Topic: Spectrum Gel Coat Patch Paste Repair Kit. Binkster posted 09:45 PM ET (US) Just starting the restoration of the gel coat on the hull of my '87 15 footer. The hull is in very good shape for its age, and with some sanding and polishing it can be brought back to pristine shape, although are some nicks and scrapes that need to be regeled. What is the color of the gel coat on that year hull, and I assume that a Sprectrum kit is the way to go. My local fiberglass coatings dealer can color match their gel coat for the nominal fee of $225. LOL rich zotcha posted 10:28 AM ET (US) Merry Christmas, Bink. I believe it is Spectrum Desert Tan.
My 1982 is white hull/Desert Tan interior but my 1988 is tan inside and out. Binkster posted 09:09 AM ET (US) Thanks Mike, my 15 footer is the same color inside and out, so it would be all Desert Tan. We rolled the boat over yesterday (Christmas), so now I can work on the hull, and its sitting upside down on 4 tires.
Had to wait for a family gathering to do that, as the neighbors around here are all to lazy or have 'back' problems. A belated Christmas greeting to you. Rich Keeper posted 04:14 PM ET (US) I had mine belly up for quite a while. You can't tell from the pick but I had a decent section of gunnel cap to repair. Also, I re-glassed the bow-portion of the keel, as the prior owner like beaching the boat a lot.
It helped to use either PVA, or wax paper over the gel-coat for a harder cure. I actually mixed Evercoat Gel-Paste with Spectrum Gelcoat as filler, then sanded and finished with thinned gelcoat via a Preval sprayer, or a gun in large areas. Funny, by the time I was done. I actually got pretty good at it all.
That portion is over now.:-) L H G posted 06:00 PM ET (US) First, wet sand, buff, polish (no wax), whatever you need to do, before doing any gelcoat repairs. Otherwise, you will not have the correct color to match to. Don't expect any brand of Desert Tan gelcoat to match perfectly. All will have to be tinted for exact color.
Find best value and selection for your Spectrum SeaRay gel coat patch and paste repair blue search on eBay. World's leading marketplace. Spectrum Color uses the latest and. Boats older than 5 years may have a slightly noticeable difference in the gel coat color matches. Patch paste kits cannot be.
I recommend liquid instead of paste, so you can pre-tint up a jar of gelcoat to use for all work, any time it's needed. Keep in the 'fridge.
For pre-tinted, I recommend Mini-Craft in FL, but it is expensive, about $150/qt. This is who Whaler buys from, I believe. For a cheaper alternative, you can buy generic white gelcoat by Evercoat and do the color tinting yourself. Color matching is difficult and can take an hour each time, so that is why you do a large enough batch for the whole boat. Binkster posted 10:01 PM ET (US) The amount of regelcoating I have to do is minimal.
I have 4 or five plugged holes on the transom, and the rest of the hull is good except for a screw-up I did. When pulling the trailer from under the boat, (transom tied to a fence post) as it was almost off, the keel slipped of the rear roller on the trailer and the sharp edge of the keel rubbed against the trailer beam, scraping the gelcoat off about 16 inches of the keel. I think it would be easier to use the paste type gelcoat on this sharp edge. Yes, I plan on sanding and polishing the hull before patching the gelcoat. I'm planning on doing something different as far as sanding. My compressor doesn't have nearly enough capacity to run a DA sander for wet sanding. I don't look forward to hand wet sanding the entire hull, and if I don't get a good gloss on the hull, it will look odd, becuase of the high gloss AwlGrip interior.
Gel Coat Paste Kit
For the past year or so I have been fooling around with my bowling balls, changing the surface by wet sanding with 6' Abralon sanding pads. This causes the balls to react differently on the oiled lanes, more hook or less hook, depending on the oil pattern put down on league night. Actually, resin bowling balls are not that different than a gel coat boat hull.
I realized that the Abralon pads I use for sanding bowling balls have a hook and loop backside and can be used on any orbital sander for dry sanding. I found this out by researching them on the Internet. You can use them for dry sanding and you can blow of the residue on the pads with air. I have only wet sanded bowling balls, actually pros use a ball spinner that spins the balls at a high rev, and you just have to hold the wet pad on the surface of the ball for a few seconds. That is a subject for a different forum. I found a company on the internet, that sells Abralon sanding pads at a good price, and will sell a sample of their pads in 500, 800,1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, and 4000 grit for $20, so I'm to give this a shot on a small portion of the bottom by dry sanding with my orbital sander.
If it doesn't work I'll hand wet sand the hull. If I sand a bowling ball up to 4000 grit you can see your face in the ball. Rich zotcha posted 10:06 AM ET (US) Dry sanding out any large nicks, or just trying to get to a uniform color throughout hulls exterior really doesn't take very long. Wet sanding by hand may be a labor of love, but it is only repetitive steps, and each one is more and more rewarding. 15 feet is not that bad, and the wet goes pretty quick. I stopped at 2000, then 3M heavy compound, and Finesse it I and II.
Then sealed with pure carnuba by hand. Pretty much like woodworking. Is 8 coats of varnish enough, or do I want to put the time and effort into 12?
BTW, I have 12 coats on my 1982 and after 7 years of use and Goldens on board, I have some scratches. I have read that Finesse It I, II, or III and a high speed buffer can remove many minimal scratches. Not to derail your thread Bink, just curious. Happy New Year. Binkster posted 11:51 AM ET (US) Mike, I will go your route, if this experiment doesn't work out.
BTW I'll be looking for a 2 stroke low hour freshwater motor for this boat, anywhere from 50-75 hp brand not important. You might know of a good one. Rich zotcha posted 12:12 PM ET (US) Did you see my 40 listed? Zotcha posted 12:14 PM ET (US) Aren't you close to Spring Hill?
Coming down in two weeks to close on a short sale in Hernando Beach. Binkster posted 03:47 PM ET (US) Zot, 40 would be too small. Did you buy a house in Hernando Beach? E-mail me floridaboy2053@yahoo.com rich Binkster posted 10:38 AM ET (US) Nixing the dry sanding idea. The hull is in very good shape, and experimenting yesterday with wet sanding a small 2' by 3' area.
It came out glistening and looking better than new. I starting with a 500 grit scuff pad to remove the scum from sitting in fresh water, started with 800-1000-1500-2000-3000 grit. Took less than 15 minutes. I used regular wet and dry paper, but I sent for the Abralon 6' sanding pads as they last longer than paper and are more flexable to get around various curves and corners.
Rich Binkster posted 11:31 AM ET (US) Just recieved my Spectram gel Coat patch repair kit. (Desert Tan).
Just holding the jar to the boat, the gel coat may be a bit dark. Will sand the boat first, and then check the gel coat for a match. Can gel coat be tinted with Universal Colors like paint. Probably needs to be lightened up with white. Rich zotcha posted 10:56 AM ET (US) Bink, I made most of my repairs to exterior of 1988, and don't remember having to tint. But I did a fair amount of sanding to remove all oxidation before starting the nightmare of gel coat and pre-val sprayer.
Note: Be prepared for several trial and error procedures. Can never seem to apply enough without causing orange peel, then can never stop sanding soon enough.
Took usually three coats. I guess its not really supposed to be used as a fairing compound, so you'll sand through at the edges long before deeper or thicker areas of new gel. You'll get it. Be prepared, its tedious depending on quality of finish you are looking for. Yes, Yes and January 18th.very excited. Binkster posted 11:43 AM ET (US) Yesterday I got to use my Spectrum Patch Repair kit.
I have never done any gelcote repair, as all of the hulls I have restored were in a condition where they needed to be painted (Awlgrip). This stuff is actually a form of bondo, that is the consistency of say, vaseline. It will stick to vertical and overhead surfaces. Its tinted to match my hull. I have 25 holes in the transom, some were engine mount holes and some really small ones where something was mounted. All but the engine mount holes were filled with something, mostly silicone. I drilled them all out, they were dry and filled them with a marine/auto type bondo with glass in it.
It is used mostly for the repair of Corvettes. It is great stuff. Have used it many times. Available in auto body paint suppliers. So, now these holes are filled flush, no room for my Spectrum Patch repair bondo like material. No probloem, I re drilled the holes with a spade(paddle) bit to the depth of the original gel coat.
Now I have nice clean looking holes to fill. The instructions say scoop out 1/2 of the material from the 2 oz. Bottle, add 10 drops of MEK(second bottle), and mix. Then as I read further is says material will set in 5-10 minutes. Not much time to work with the material, so I scooped it out in 1/4 intervals, and mixed with 5 drops of MEK.
I overfilled all of the holes, the few nicks on the hull, and the forward section of the keel where the gel coat was scraped off. I was glad I did it in small intervals and had some left, becuase I discovered that the stuff shrinks, and even though I overfilled the holes I had to go over them again. Then I let it all dry, the color looked perfect.
This morning I figured I would finish the job, maybe an hour or to. It took a lot longer than that. Directions say start with 220 wet or dry.
That worked on the small nicks on the hull but I had to start with 100 on the transom holes. I got everything sanded flush, had to be really careful as the Spectrum bondo is a lot harder than the surrounding gel coat and it would be easy to burn through the gel coat. I then hand wet sanded the patches with 360 500 1000 1500 2000 3000 4000 grit as I had done with the entire hull. Its easy to do with these Abralon 6' round sanding pads, and they seem to last forever.
They are primarily used in finishing fine furniture, but are also used in sanding bowling balls. Everything is really shiny, haven't waxed the hull yet. The Spectrum is a shade darker than the surrounding hull, not happy with that, there is no way I could have tinted it.
I think the hull looks really good, but not new. For the amount of labor I put in I could have made it look new with Awlgrip. Oh well, some say original is more valuable.
(I'm tired now) rich zotcha posted 09:49 AM ET (US) Nice job Bink. Like I said, a PITA, but you get out of it what you put into it. With the new engine rigged, no one will notice shade difference, except maybe you.
Food Color Gel Paste
Or just never leave stern to shore.;-) Be down 24th to see my new home. Chuck Tribolet posted 07:47 PM ET (US) I've never had trouble with it shrinking. I usually mix 1/8 batches, and that's still way more than I need. DO NOT OVERDO THE MEK. Rather than making it set faster, it makes it set slower.
They supply way more MEK than the paste needs, so one time on the last batch in the jar, I mixed the leftover MEK with the paste that left from the batch. A week later is was still soft. Don't way till the next day. It's rock-hard then.
In about an hour at room temperature it's ready to 'sand', but cut easily, and faster than the original gel coat. I don't sand it. I took a coarse single cut file, and cut about an inch and a half off the end with an abrasive chop saw. The little piece takes the high spots off just fine.
When you get done with a batch, close the jar well, put a turn of electrical tape around it for a second seal, put it in a zip lock, and put it in a cool place. Do not put it in with a fridge with food as it will stink up the fridge over time.
In with beer is OK (at least I do it). Chuck Binkster posted 09:02 AM ET (US) I've been using bondo type materials since they were introduced back in the '60's. I learned many years ago not to use much hardener, and when the temps are in the 90 degree range, hardly any.
In this case the temp was about 75 degrees, which is about perfect. I still used less than the recommended amount, and got about 10 minutes out of a batch. I waited the next day to sand, and found it sanded easily. If I sanded after an hour, I would have clogged up these expensive sanding pads.
The complaints I have are not in the finishing, but in the fact that the color match is not that perfect, the stuff is useless for filling scratches, of which I didn't have many fortinuatly. Regular gelcoat would be better for them. Rich L H G posted 01:29 PM ET (US) Rich - You must not have read my post above. In my opinion, paste Desert Tan gelcoat from Spectrum is basically worthless for a perfect repair since it can't be easily color matched, and it has no shelf life. I gave up on it years ago. Binkster posted 08:42 PM ET (US) Larry, I should have heeded your caution. Fortunately most of the gelcoat repairs are on the bottom, and can't be seen,and most of the transom repairs will be behind the outboard.
The difference in shades is really minimal,the average person wouldn't notice, but I'm picky. Also the boat is now pretty glossy, and the sanded and polished Spectram bondo is a little duller. Rich zotcha posted 09:42 AM ET (US) Rich, has the new gel been compounded, Finessed and waxed yet?
Binkster posted 12:10 PM ET (US) I didn't do it that way. Everything was sanded from 360 grit to 4000 grit, and then waxed with Meguiars carnauba wax. Original gel coat is very glossy, Spectrum bondo, glossy to but not as glossy as the gel coat. Rich ebwalk posted 03:21 PM ET (US) LHG, Do you have a favorite supplier for evercoat?
Can you say more about tinting? I am having trouble learning about it. Like what do you tint with! I need to find the right kind of store- the pep boys is NOT doing it for me.
My 1973 13.5 whaler is nearly done being sanded, 3000 grit to go well.interior that is, and that has made an amazing difference! My thanks to all for the inspiration and advice. Now, because it looks so good, I am going to try my hand at some gel coat repairs for dings, holes, and stress cracks rather than paint or durabak. Thanks L H G posted 03:48 PM ET (US) The Evercoat products are available from any marine store or on the web. They are made by the same company that makes Marine-Tex epoxy and many other marine repair products, Illinois Tool Works. All are high quality products.
There are two ways to achieve correct color matched LIQUID Desert Tan gelcoat. The easier, but more expensive, way is to buy the color matched product from one of the well known suppliers to Boston Whaler, either Spectrum or Mini-Craft (I prefer Mini-Craft). But you have to buy a qt and it is expensive, about $160.
Besides the hardener, they also include the wax additive, which is important for curing. Spectrum also sells a color tinting kit, which has red, dark yellow and black pigments in small jars. Almost always, Whalers lighten up over the years, and the Desert Tan pre-mixed color will be too dark. A small amount of white gelcoat can be bought locally to do the lightening. Mix up a decent sized batch in a plastic cup and then store in a glass jar for future use once you have matched the color perfectly. It will take some time and patience to do this. As I tint, I brush a dab of the gelcoat on the boat with an artist brush, check for correct color match, then wipe off with laquer thinner.
When you can't see the brushed-on gelcaot from a short distance, you know you have it right. Eventually you will get it perfect. Work in good natural light shade, not direct sunlight. The less expensive way is to buy the Evercoat white (or any other brand you may find) and add the Evercoat tinting colors to get to color of the boat. This is more work and more time consuming, but can be done.
For those that have not done this before, I recommend the easier, costlier method for better and quicker results. Binkster posted 05:17 PM ET (US) Larry, what kind of tint is in those small jars of tint?
If they are not gelcoat, they probably are Universal Colors. Here is a colorchart for Universal Colors.
It takes a good eye, but with practice you can learn to tint paint. I managed a paint store back in the '60's, before color matching equipment was available. It takes some time and patience to get it right. I'm going to get some Awlgrip color matched to my Desert Tan exterior gelcoat.
Only cost $15. If they start from pure white, I'll ask for their formula. It may be possible to use that for mixing gelcoat. Rich zotcha posted 05:20 PM ET (US) Status update Bink? Coming down to Hernando Beach Fri thru Sun or Mon.
Binkster posted 06:00 PM ET (US) The 15 footer's exterior is finished, and it sits upside down waiting for me to finish working on the trailer. Its getting cold here. Rich g zotcha posted 09:07 AM ET (US) Are you in Spring Hill? Three guys to help flip her over this weekend. Ebwalk posted 09:43 AM ET (US) I am following Binkster's footsteps and have sanded my 1973 13.5 Sport (thanks for the inspiration.
My elbows are still sore, but it looks incredible). Time to fill some holes and try my hand at stress crack repair Called BW customer service at 877 294 5645 and they are incredibly helpful.
Gel Coat Tints: Interior: Desert Tan From Minicraft either of these numbers: OEM 44-0114-00 Coating 954-IC-011 From Spectrum: 2203 Exterior: Light Gray From Minicraft either: OEM 44-0105-00 Coating 954-WF-220 From Spectrum: 2204 Next step, give them a call and order some materials! Ebwalk posted 08:37 PM ET (US) I need some advice. I called minicraft and provided the coating numbers but the very experienced gentleman nearly refused to sell me the kit- 'It will look worse than if you just used bondo on the whole thing. It will look all freckled (where you fill the holes) because the hull is 1973 and the color has changed. It won't match at all. I think L H G was referencing this in his post. So, the tech suggested supplying a sample and getting an actual match.
They need a silver dollar sized sample taken by using a hole saw and cutting just through the gel coat then prying out a disc with a screw driver and mailing it off to them. Has anyone done this? I will admit, it freaks me out a little bit to put a hole in the side of perfectly good hull. Any tips on making sure i only do this once and get it right the first time. The other path (not recommended by Minicraft) is tinting my own batch.
Thanks for your encouragement or discouragement Binkster posted 09:56 PM ET (US) Wow, thats a little scary, even though I used these tools for what seems my whole life. When I patched some holes in the transom of my 15 footer I wanted to even out the jagged holes, so I did this by using a spade(paddle) bit, after filling the holes, going only as deep as the gelcoat.
Spectrum Gel Coat Patch
The gelcoat is fairly thick, and I think this could be done with a whole saw, but think of the risks. The disc could, probably would, split into pieces when attempting to pry it out.
After all you are cutting the sides of the disc, but the bottom of the disc is still firmly attached to the fiberglass hull. And here's another thing I learned. I should have left the holes jagged an regeled them that way. Even if its a good gelcoat match if it is not exactly perfect, the difference can be seen more easily in a neatly cut hole than one with jagged sides. I have a somewhat similar problem. The outside of the hull is in good, original shape, and needed only sanding and polishing to look good.
The interior didn't fair as well and I'm going to paint(Awlgrip) it. The Awlgrip dealer says they can exact match their paint to the hull, but they need a sample.
So where do I get a sample. Well I'm thinking that I could put a small teak louvered door in the side of the console. I can use the piece I cut out as a sample.
That's what I'll do. Maybe you can use an extra instrument or a recessed light in your console. There you go, take your hole saw cut the hole and now you have a sample. Polish it up and send it off. Just make sure the interior and the exterior are the same color gelcoat.
Rich Binkster posted 10:12 PM ET (US) I should have reread your post. You say the exterior and the interior are two different colors. OK, so now what to do. Here is an idea.
Take your silver dollar size hole saw and cut the hole behind the engine. Only cut it deep enough that you go through the fiberglass skin to the plywood backer.
Then you can pry that out and send it off. Make sure they send it back with the gelcoat patch stuff.
Glue and glass it back in, cover it with the new gelcoat. It still may be a bit visible but the outboard will hide it. Rich L H G posted 01:04 AM ET (US) I can share my considerable experience here regarding early Boston Whaler gelcoat colors. Regarding a 1971-1972 Ribside, the correct color code for this model is GONE, DOES NOT EXIST. Gelcoat repair on these hulls has to be custom mixed, period. In addition, I tried the custom mising approach with Spectrum, and sent a correct color plug (cut out of the console side when I installed courtesy lights).
The supposedly custom matched qt, which cost about $200, was not even close! I sent it back, and they tried again. A little better, but still NOT EVEN CLOSE!
So forget that idea completely. A waste of time and a lot of money. DO NOT CUT A SECTION OUT OF YOUR BOAT! My other two Whalers, a 1975 and 1979, both with the two color gelcoat, have the desert tan interior and the lighter color exterior. Both of these hulls were stored indoors on trailers their entire life, with little UV fading.
As has been mentioned here, you can order the Desert Tan and it will be somewhat close, but still need minor tinting/lightening. As for the supposed LIGHT GRAY, from either manufacturer, FORGET IT. I tried it first from Spectrum. NOT EVEN CLOSE. Then I tried it from Mini-Craft. NOT EVEN CLOSE.
Evidently, Boston Whaler supplied this color code, and it is WRONG. The actual color code on this generation of boats has also been lost or is incorrect in Whaler's files. I checked with Chuck Bennett on this, and he says that is the only color code Whaler has on file for these two tone boats.
Somebody goofed up somewhere on this. So for repairs to these outer hulls, 1973-1982, you will not be able to buy color matched gelcoat. You will have to custom mix.
I learned this the expensive way, and it cost me about $600 to figure out this comedy of errors at Whaler. Both manufacturers are aware of this wrong code, which is probably why they are telling customers to send in samples for custom matching instead. Ebwalk posted 07:20 AM ET (US) a dilemma.
I like Binkster's idea about cutting at the transom-i can get both the interior and exterior and it will be less noticeable. It may still not be 'perfect' because I suspect that part of the boat is a little less faded on the exterior because the engine was protecting it. Binkster-for your color match with awlgrip, could you grab color chips from the local paint store, hold them up to the boat and see if any are close enough-then take the chip to awlgrip for exact match?
The outside is less of a concern anyway for an imperfect match. Hasbro scrabble download free full version. I am filling holes on the transom where the wire rope pulley steering was and just below the gunwale where a mooring cover snaps were attached and an extra railing -I am also sure don't need a quart for that little job.
The inside- this one will be more obvious if not done well as the gel coat cracks are all around the edge of the non-skid where it joins the topsides. LHG, it seems you saying the best thing to do is custom tint myself. Are you saying to start from white or start from one of the wrong custom-match colors? I have more confidence in my ability to do a decent gel-coat repair (never done before) than i do in being able to match a color! I'm going to let this percolate a little longer thanks for the ideas. Binkster posted 08:51 AM ET (US) I plan to cut a small section out of the side of the original console and have Awlgrip matched to that.
It would be more accurate than using color chips from the paint store. I was not happy with the color of the Spectrum Paste repair kit, basically bondo. I'll live with it though, I made only a couple of repairs on the hull, most on the transom, but they will be hidden by the outboard.
Tinting paint or gelcoat is not easy for the inexperienced, I worked in a paint store back in the 60's before the invention of color computers. We did it by eye. Wasted some paint while learning.
Boat Manufacturer: Caravelle Years Covered: 2002-2010 Color Family: Black Color Name: Black Container Size: 2 oz Patch Paste Repair Kit Gel Coat Patch Paste Repair. Patch Paste is the factory gel coat color made into an easy-to-use paste. Kit includes:. 2oz gel coat paste.
Hardener. Easy-to-follow instructions. Add hardener, mix thoroughly, apply to damaged area using a putty knife. Perfect for cosmetic repairs: small nicks, scratches, drill holes, worn areas Patch Paste allows an inexperienced person to make professional gel coat repairs. The paste spreads like vaseline, sets in 5-15 minutes, and is ready to sand and buff in an hour.
Spectrum Color uses the latest and most advanced gel coats in the industry for formulating its products. Their products are superior for ease-of-application, cure, sanding and in returning a high-gloss finish when buffed.
Coloring Colors are a perfect match to the original, new gel coat color. Based on exposure and time, boats older than 5 years may have a slightly noticeable difference in the gel coat color matches.
Patch paste kits cannot be altered to match the 'tint' of the weathered gel coat color. Tinting is available with quart and gallon sizes. Use Instructions. Mix 1/2 of the gel coat paste bottle (1oz) with 10 drops of hardener. This mixing ratio must be kept or the gel coat may not harden.
Apply to the damaged area in work temperature between 65 and 90 degrees. Allow to cure for 1-2 hours.
Wet sand and buff with polishing compound to achieve a glossy finish Shelf Life Gel coat patch paste kits have a shelf life of 6 months. After 6 months the solvent in the kit evaporates and the paste begins to break down chemically. Safety When working with gel coat be sure to wear gloves and safety glasses. Typical use may also require acetone to clean the area, an application tool like a putty knife, finishing sand paper and a buffing tool. We understand that sometimes a product you purchase just doesn't work out. We want to make the process as easy as possible for you.
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