Just bought a quart of white gelcoat (non air retarded) to repair some
dings and scratches in the hull. My next step is to take it in to a
paint store and have them match the color to the actual white of the
hull. I notice that the underlying gelcoat in scratched areas appears
to be slightly lighter in color than the surrounding area. Am I
correct in assuming I should try for the best match with the
underlying lighter color, and that the difference in color will be
made up in part by the effect of the wax (or in this case Poly Glo) on
the completed repair?

At this point, I'm not inclined to try thinning the gelcoat and
spraying it on the surrounding area. Hoping to get a decent result by
just filling gauges and necessary wet sanding of the repairs. Bad
idea?

Other suggestions based on experience with these repairs?

Hi Dave,

I was not aware that a paint store could color match gel coat. Do
they sell gel coat also? I've got some repairs that I need to make
to my 79 catalina, and will need to match the original color.

Besides trying to mix the color yourself, how do the rest of you go
about obtaining color matches for gel coat?

Don W.

wrote:
Just bought a quart of white gelcoat (non air retarded) to repair some
dings and scratches in the hull. My next step is to take it in to a
paint store and have them match the color to the actual white of the
hull. I notice that the underlying gelcoat in scratched areas appears
to be slightly lighter in color than the surrounding area. Am I
correct in assuming I should try for the best match with the
underlying lighter color, and that the difference in color will be
made up in part by the effect of the wax (or in this case Poly Glo) on
the completed repair?

At this point, I'm not inclined to try thinning the gelcoat and
spraying it on the surrounding area. Hoping to get a decent result by
just filling gauges and necessary wet sanding of the repairs. Bad
idea?

Other suggestions based on experience with these repairs?