This might be a bit dumb but....
I am about to start the first gelcoat repairs I have ever attempted. I keep reading about color match the gel to the hulls.
For white hulls, does the gelcoat not match?
Dumb gel coat question
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- Rank: Mate
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Posted: Dec 05, 2009 - 08:34 AM
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- Rank: Mate
- Registered: Feb 06, 2009
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Posted: Dec 05, 2009 - 08:54 AM
Depends on how white the hulls are. My old boat was gelcoat white. My Prindle is actually off white, so I add a little brown tint to the gelcoat now, which is a pain. I don't know what they were thinking going for not quite white, what a PITA.
Just go for it what ever you do, gelcoat is fun. -
- Rank: Lubber
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Posted: Dec 05, 2009 - 09:02 AM
Kenny's right on. I made several repairs including building up the bottom gel last summer. My H16 is an 83 and although it looked nice and white it wasn't. Gelcoat ages and darkens over time.
I recommend you clean the hulls first with FSR or Bar Keepers Friend. These products will clean the heck out of and restore the original white color as best as possible. Since Gelcoat is porous it tends to absorb organics that change the color. Each manufacturer of gelcoat has their own white color.
You can tint like Kenny said. I didn't and the repairs show slightly but then again I made repairs in various batches and would probably not gotten the color exact.
Go for it and enjoy the repairs. Remeber safety gear.
GO GATORS!!!!!
