Gel Coat tints

I was just given (Yes Given) a very nice very solid set of 1978 Hulls (light Blue) that need some minor work. There is a rather long (about 2') crack that runs along the ridge (underside/blade not sure exactly what it is called) of the bow on the Port hull. From what I have read, I should be able to just dig out enough material to get to a solid base and fill in the gap with fiber (if needed) and apply the gelcoat. My question is, and I could probably just do a search or look in the catalog but, What is the best way to match that 28 year old color?

Thanks
Sam

Hi Sam,

It all depends on the base gel coat you’re tinting.

If you have access to Hobie’s blue gel coat, pour a portion of the base gel coat into a mixing cup and then mix in very small amounts of white tint to lighten it up and even smaller amounts of orange tint to dull and age it even more (pre-mix the standard red and yellow tint together prior to adding it to the base). A bit of black might help too.

If you start with a white based gel coat, do the same as above but first start out by gradually mixing in the blue tint and then proceed with the rest of the tints.

Make sure you color test the area that is being repaired as the deck will be more oxidized than the bottom.

Another option is to simply use sanding/finishing resin since it’s on the bottom of the boat anyway ("underside/blade" as you mentioned). Finishing resin is easier to acquire, has far less steps, and you’ll be out on the water sooner.

Good Luck,

-Dennis

So, Matt, do I have access to the blue gel coat? Too lazy to do the research.