White Deck Gelcoat Repair Recipe

[Paul D.]

I've searched the Board and not found a recipe for gelcoat mixing. I know some of you have made gelcoat repairs and made a good job of it. Also, I understand that mixing and getting the color mix ratios right will vary between boats.

Does anyone have at least a basic beginning gelcoat color mixture I could use to start off on the mix and match process? Or know what colors to use and not to use? I hope to get a repair kit with a few tubes of color and sort out a few dings near the anchor locker that have bothered me over the years. Thanks heaps. Been a long time since I've done any gelcoat work and well, let's just say, "I forgot."

Teaser: New windlass installation coming too. Look out friends...

[jbenagh]

I would need to check my notes but iirc for my CD30 using the common kit, 1in of base, 1 in of yellow and 1/4 of brown was pretty darn close
Jeff

[Frenchy]

Hi Paul. Here's a rough idea of what a match might be: To a 3 oz cup of white gelcoat, add four parts brown, three parts yellow
and one-quarter part black. A "part" is a toothpick dipped into the color about 1/8". So the brown would be about 1/2"
length of color and so on. After you mix it up and before catalyzing, drip a bit on a piece of paper, flatten it out a bit and
then compare it to the deck color (after compounding). You can adjust the mix a bit before catalyzing that way.
When you catalyze, use plenty of MEK. I think the recommended amount is usually about 2%, but I use more and
mix the heck out of it. For the 3oz cup of gelcoat, I would use 1/2 teaspoon of MEK. It's no fun when the
gelcoat hasn't kicked and you end up with a sticky mess. Don't forget the PVA mold release on top of the gelcoat if
you didn't buy the air-inhibited kind. I usually wait a few hours for the gelcoat to kick a bit before putting on the
PVA.
If you decide you would like to try spraying and avoid a lot of sanding, you can thin the gelcoat with acetone
and spray with an inexpensive preval sprayer. The gelcoat/acetone ratio I've forgotten, but I'm sure you can get it
online. Acetone is not really recommended for this, but it works. The gelcoat probably won't be quite as durable as
it normally would be. Good Luck.