Gel Coat for Repair of a Gouge

C

Cview

Member
I'd like to repair two small gouges in the darkish blue trim on my 2006 25' C-Dory. I could mix up a batch using a repair kit, but if I could obtain a small quantity of gel coat which is an exact match, life would be good. I contacted the current builder and they mentioned they currently use Tailgate Blue obtained from Gel Coat Supply in Seattle. They started building the C-Dory in 2009. Does anyone know if that is a good match for a 2006 C-Dory? Any other suggestions?

Tony
2006 25' C-Dory
C-view II
 
Tony if you still have the manual with the boat it has the brands and color numbers listed in there. I guess if anyone has a manual for that year they could look it for you.
 
Tony, there used to be a company called Spectrem that sold matching gel coat paste. I used them several times on my Boston Whalers over the years. They are able to match your gel coat color by year and product type or by sending them a small cut out. I know not everyone will have a cut out but that's why I save any cutouts I get from mounting electronics and other goodies on my boats. Also the paste is much better to work with as it will stay put in a vertical repair.
 
I have the same year and colour CD25. My manual lists the gel coat manufacturer as COOK White 953WA441. Unfortunately accent colour is not listed (blank).
 
In the lead-up to repairing dings to gel coat on a 2002 CD 22Cruiser, I received very prompt service from GEL COAT PRODUCTS, a supply company located in Seattle. One phone call to provide vessel's year, make, model, and credit card payment, and a color matched kit arrived by mail 72 hours later!

I'm on the hard about 100 yards from Birch Bay (marine air moisture) and mild temperatures (58 to 68). The applied gelcoat is taking a long time to dry (5-days now, and still 'tacky', but does not lift-off onto my finger). I'm wondering if I should have used an extra drop (or two) of MEK to speed-up the curing process?
 
Mix small batches to be sure how it is going to respond. Most likely you will need an extra or one or two drops of MEKP. Also be sure the curing gelcoat is kept from moisture or dew on the coated areas.

Is your gel coat waxed? Are you going to remove all of the previously applied gel coat with acetone? Are you using any spray additive?
 
FYI: Spectrum no longer does the paste/kits for C-Dory colors.

I ordered a quart of C-Dory White from Spectrum a few weeks ago (eye watering $300 with tax and shipping - Took over 2 weeks to arrive) and while it is a better match than I could do on my own, and a better match than some other repairs on the boat, it is pretty far from perfect. I experimented with MEK ratios, curing methods, and confirming the issue is not print-through: The color is consistently too green/blue, even when compared to gelcoat that has been covered up since the boat was built.... So have tempered expectations even if you are shelling out big $$$ for Spectrum I guess...

Next time I will try Gel Coat Products.
 
It's not a C-Dory, but I touched up the gelcoat on a yellow kayak. First I tried using "Gel Coat Products" in Seattle. It's local, and the staff were friendly and helpful. However, the color-matched gelcoat was WAY off. I wasted over $120 on that purchase. I read somewhere that they lost their long-time color matching expert, so that might have been part of the issue. Their bread and butter is selling fiberglass bathtub repair kits to Home Depot and Lowes.

My second attempt I mailed a piece of fiberglass to the "Sherfab" color matching service. The product they delivered was a very good match. It's a sample of one, but I will use Sherfab again if I have a sample to mail in.

https://www.sherfab.com/color-matching-service
 
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