1975-77 F36 gelcoat colors

daddyo36 · Post by **daddyo36** » Thu Jan 03, 2013 2:50 pm

Can anyone tell me where I might find the names or descriptions of the "white" colors used on the 1975-77 F36 ?

Stripermann2 · Post by **Stripermann2** » Thu Jan 03, 2013 3:12 pm

Give these guys a call. They have the colors and can send you a sample as well.

http://minicraft.com/Retail/TrojanYachts.htm

captainmaniac · Post by **captainmaniac** » Thu Jan 03, 2013 3:37 pm

Keep in mind - 'your mileage may vary'. Depending on the use / abuse / environment the boat has seen over the past 35+ years, its gel is likley to be faded, stained, or chalky compared to what the original gel looked like. 'Official' colours may not match how it looks now.

Commissionpoint · Post by **Commissionpoint** » Thu Jan 03, 2013 4:38 pm

captainmaniac wrote:Keep in mind - 'your mileage may vary'. Depending on the use / abuse / environment the boat has seen over the past 35+ years, its gel is likley to be faded, stained, or chalky compared to what the original gel looked like. 'Official' colours may not match how it looks now.

+10

I couldn't get a match with anything from the period. After trying about 4 different things Sea Ray Arctic White was the thing that made the match. Odd I know, but if I took some pictures for you of where some touch up was done you wouldn't be able to notice. The factory stuff stuck out like a sore thumb.

prowlersfish · Post by **prowlersfish** » Thu Jan 03, 2013 5:29 pm

Welcome to the forum

Big D · Post by **Big D** » Thu Jan 03, 2013 8:59 pm

A good automotive finishing supply house will have a contact they use that will come out and an electronic colour match and supply it in the product you want. Marinas that do refinishing will have the ability or contact as well. If you can't find someone that is mobile, you shouldn't have a problem finding a stationary place where you could take in a sample. Go somewhere that specializes in auto and marine product. Remove something off the hull that has faded/weathered the same and take it in as a sample. The area to be scanned or item used as sample should be polished first. Chances of getting it exact are few so smear a bit with your finger onto the are to be painted/gelled and let cure for a while. You may have to tweak the tint a little at a time and test again until it's just right. A good shop will adjust it for you. Take your time and test as often as it takes to get it.

Welcome aboard.

captainmaniac · Post by **captainmaniac** » Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:42 pm

Big D wrote:Remove something off the hull that has faded/weathered the same and take it in as a sample.

Not to be a pain, but you may also have inconsistent coloration... this is actually typical. And an area that has been repaired before and has new gelcoat may be different than the rest of the boat etc...

I haven't done any gel repairs myself, but I have seen a few pros doing it, and the good ones spend a bunch of time sitting beside the boat playing with mixtures of colouring agents and comparing to find an exact match for the area they are working on. They don't use a formula, like a true artist they do it by eye, and the result is an invisible repair.

If they use good gel, the repair stays invisible. Unfortunately on my boat, some sections that apparently were repaired before I bought the boat (and the previous owner never identified that repairs had been done) were repaired with sub-standard gelcoat. I think it was just stress cracks in the gel forward above the rub rail, and it looked perfect when I bought the boat about 13 years ago, but there are sections that are now visibly yellowed as a result of UV compared to the rest of the 33 year old original gel.

Big D · Post by **Big D** » Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:55 pm

captainmaniac wrote:
Big D wrote:Remove something off the hull that has faded/weathered the same and take it in as a sample.

Not to be a pain, but you may also have inconsistent coloration... this is actually typical. And an area that has been repaired before and has new gelcoat may be different than the rest of the boat etc...

I haven't done any gel repairs myself, but I have seen a few pros doing it, and the good ones spend a bunch of time sitting beside the boat playing with mixtures of colouring agents and comparing to find an exact match for the area they are working on. They don't use a formula, like a true artist they do it by eye, and the result is an invisible repair....

I completely agree, that's why I said you will most likely need to tweak the tint for the final result but the scan will get you in the ball park. How you separate the new from the old area will also make a huge difference on how noticable the repair is. How big that area is depends on how good you want the job to look versus the amount of time you want to spend on it. Cutting off at natural lines is always the best way to go but it could mean refinishing a much bigger area than the repair. Yes, it can be very time consuming and a true artist will not let it go until it's perfect and you can't see the repair...not always the easiest thing to do on older gel.

Daddyo36, what is it you're trying to do?

lawyerdave71 · Post by **lawyerdave71** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 10:59 am

Captainmaniac,

I know what u are talking about the areas on your boat.

I have the same issues and am thinking of just painting that section above rub rail to start of deck all the way around.

Marine surveyor told me that would be good idea to seal stress cracks.

What u think?

I ain't doing gel coat repairs. That would take forever!

An Imron paint job from the rub rail up would be awesome but when I think of cost, I immediatey get footitice.

lawyerdave71 · Post by **lawyerdave71** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 11:00 am

Captainmaniac,

I know what u are talking about the areas on your boat.

I have the same issues and am thinking of just painting that section above rub rail to start of deck all the way around.

Marine surveyor told me that would be good idea to seal stress cracks.

What u think?

I ain't doing gel coat repairs. That would take forever!

An Imron paint job from the rub rail up would be awesome but when I think of cost, I immediatey get footitice.

captainmaniac · Post by **captainmaniac** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 2:02 pm

lawyerdave71 wrote:I have the same issues and am thinking of just painting that section above rub rail to start of deck all the way around.

Marine surveyor told me that would be good idea to seal stress cracks.

What u think?

I assume you mean with some non-white trim colour, as whatever white you use will likely look different than the rest of the hull sides or deck?

I would expect any existing cracks would need to be properly repaired before painting, so not sure if the paint would really 'seal' them, but painting would certainly make that area more consistent coloured.

As far as mine is concerned, I don't like the looks of it but will put up with it a bit longer until I decide on the best solution. I have a few other items I want to address over time that are higher on the list.