Cape Dory Gelcoat Colors

[aja]

Hey Guys,

Got some gelcoat repairs to make... I know aja's hull is slightly off white and when we first bought her we had to repair some gelcoat on her topsides. We ordered what they had as a stock 1977 Cape Dory white and the match was good. They have changed hands, or lost data or something and no longer have that color listed. They do have a 1980 Cape Dory white listed, however.

2 questions:

Did Cape Dory use the same off white color throughout all years of production?

Is the deck gelcoated in the same color as the sides?
...I always thought the deck was regular white - but that could be because it was so oxidized. Now the we are doing some grinding on deck, the gelcoat appears to be less white than I thought.

Any quick help will be appreciated as I have to place an order tomorrow.

Thank you,
Diana

[Tony Batchelor]

I also have a few chips and holes to fill so may I ask if you found out what the "white" colour is ?
Thanks, Tony B in Kiwi land, the future home of the America's Cup.

[Ray Garcia]

I found a company that provides "Cape Dory" white gelcoat. I too have some gelcoat repairs to be made. I will probably order a quart and see how it matches.

Has anyone else ordered from them?

https://www.minicraft.com/retail/capedory.htm

[henry hey]

I plan to do some gelcoat work myself this season and I have already contacted Minicraft.

They seem to know their business pretty well.

I will not, however, opt for their standard cape dory colors but rather send them a little chip of my boat gelcoat. They can computer match the color.

Ultimately, your gelcoat may not be the same color as the original cape dory color due to aging, sun damage, etc.

I would think that a computer color match would be our best bet.

h

[Oswego John]

Diana, Tony, Ray and henry,

For what it's worth, there is another source for gel coat. It's name is Jamestown Distributors, (JD) out of Bristol, Rhode Island. They have a complete line of boating supplies, tools, epoxies and boating equipment. This is handy for those living in New England.

BTW, JD doesn't label their off-white gel coat "CD White"

I agree with henry's idea to have a chip color matched. Most good suppliers can do this.

www.JamestownDistributors.com

In upper left, under search or quick shop, type in Gel Coat.
Also, down below, ask for free catalogue. Quite interesting and complete.

#1-800-423-0030

#1-401-253-3840

Good hunting,
O J

[aja]

Guys,

Since no one on the message board answered my post , I had to call to get the info from a very reliable Cape Dory expert.

The gelcoat on the deck and topsides are the same color.

The same color gelcoat was used throughout Cape Dory production. HOWEVER, several different manufacturers of resin were used during those years.

Because gelcoat fades, even some of the original gelcoat out of the very same can that they used on your boat may not match.

The best thing to do is send a chip. But you need a pretty big chip to get a good match. I had a couple that were about 3/8" and the factory told me it would probably be too small. Polish the chip down past the surface a little to get to the true color. They are going to match what they see on the surface.

I sent a sample of the gelcoat that I had previously purchased back to the manufacturer to get them to match it again. They will keep the formula in stock as a 1977 Cape Dory Color. I will post the formula color number when I receive the can. They also have a 1980 color, but I don't know if they are the same.

I don't know if this will match your boat, but it exactly matches mine. I have a friend who just bought a 1978 and I'll let you know how that matches.

The company is:
Gelcoat Products, Inc.
Seattle, WA
206-781-1162
(no website)

Of course, you can always mix your own. It shouldn't be too difficult if you have an eye for that sort of thing. But the previous owners of our boat repaired a lot of deck cracks with gelcoat that doesn't match and they really stand out, especially now that the cracks are coming back.

We are replacing handrails and coamings this year and decided to repair the cracks that are under the wood. Next year we will tackle the rest of her deck cracks. We are also repairing her forward hatch cover, glassing in a new clear panel, as the old was was so, very UGLY!

We ground out the cracks into the fiberglass, with a faired beveled edge until we couldn't see the crack any more, then filled with short stranded polyester resin. As soon as the gelcoat arrives, we will fill with gelcoat paste and finally with gelcoat. We purchased a gelcoat spray gun, because a regular spray gun tip is not big enough to let a thick enough coating out. I'll let you know how it turns out.

We were going to launch early this year, but there was a fire at our marina and our dock is still closed. So we have no where to go for another week or two. Might as well do the job right.

Fair winds,
Diana

[gregbeck]

I'm going to repaint my non-skid. According to the flyer/brochure that came with my 27' CD, the non-skid color is called CAMEL. (My decks are currently light blue by a prvevious owner). It looks to be a light beige/tan/green color in the photo. Can anybody tell me how I can acquire a paint chip or sample of this. I need about a 1.5 " square sample for my local fierglass company to match it.