GW Gelcoat Color Matching

[IBeGrady'd]

I have some gelcoat dings I'd like to repair this season and have had great success using the GW gelcoat repair kit. That being said, if I can find a less expensive gelcoat option that works well, I'd like to give it a try.

My concerns are the obvious...a good brand of gelcoat to use and, of course, the color matching. I searched the forum for some tips in this regard (not thoroughly tho) but thought I'd take a shortcut and post a new inquiry about this subject which we all must deal with eventually.

Any recommendations or tips (particularly about color matching) appreciated...or if you happen to have a link bookmarked, that will do nicely. I do recall someone suggesting that a speck of brown with a white base gets you into GW color territory but that's the extent of my recall. Also, is there a particular tint of brown (I'm assuming it's a paint tint) that anyone has had some success with?

Thanks

 

[mboyatt]

I would look to using Spectrum gelcoat repair kits. They sell them for your year Grady white that is color matched. I ordered some for my 1994 Tournament for $25.00. Seemed reasonable to me and it matches up nicely. I can't tell the difference. Mind you, if your hull is badly oxidized, you may not get a perfect match. I wet sanded my hull last year to bring back the color and shine, so that may have helped with matching the color better. Anyway, I don't know how much the Grady White kit costs, but I assume more than the Spectrum kit. Sorry I didn't have a link I can post for you. I am not computer savvy. Just do a google search for Spectrum gelcoat repair for Grady white. Links will pop up for places that sell the stuff. Good luck!

 

[IBeGrady'd]

It appears that "Spectrum" is the same kit that's sold by GW and which I've used successfully in the past. I just ordered one online from iboats and it came to $30.90 which includes shipping. As I recall, that's just a few dollars less expensive than purchasing via a GW dealer so I guess I'll just swallow hard and order the kits as needed.

 

[Pez Vela]

For its convenience, I use the white finish gelcoat sold at Westmarine, along with the tints which are included in the Evercoat Gelcoat Repair kit. No two boats are going to be the same due to the aging process, and different areas of the boat will differ due to their exposure. I have found that adding both brown and yellow tints achieve the best results, but the relative amount of each is miniscule. With each layer of gelcoat I lay down, I make slight adjustments to the color so that the final coat is pretty close. If you're looking for the cheapest way to go, I'm not the right guy to ask.

 

[BigI]

I used white evercoat tinted with brown. I added the tint in very small increments. Like a toothpick point worth each time. I put a dab of the mix on the boat, without the mek of course. I knew I had it right when I couldn't see the test dab.
I sprayed the whole port side and came out really nice.