1982 Tartan 37 White Gelcoat

kerryman51 · **Joined:** 01 Jan 2013 21:09 **Posts:** 15

Hi all I'm new to this site, I recently purchased a 1982 Tartan 37 and have a question about Gelcoat ( white ) does any know the manufacture that tartan used during this time period. I checked with Spectra Color and it's not them. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Velera · **Joined:** 29 Dec 2006 09:38 **Posts:** 656

I think you are going to have trouble if you are looking for an off the shelf perfect match I doubt if this is possible. I have a 1982 Tartan and have patched it here and there over the 23 years of ownership. I start with a standard white gelcoat and put in micro drops (and I mean tiny) of yellow, brown, or black to get a match. I probably can find the patches, but I doubt if most folks could. I suppose there are YouTube videos on this process, there used to be a VHS tape that was good about how to match gelcoat. You need to remember that any color you get will become darker when it dries. My gelcoat is slghtly different shades depending on where you are working on the boat. I am not sure if this was from the factory or just the way decades in the sun have disparately bleached the gelcoat. You might be able to get someone from a boatyard with lots of experience to mix you a bottle or you can do trial and error. My boat had been repaired by the yard for a PO and he gave me the bottle and that worked for a while. Now I mix my own.

Good luck.

Ray
Velera

jvoelxen · **Joined:** 21 Oct 2006 15:36 **Posts:** 268

I've repaired the gelcoat on my boat numerous times. Like Ray stated above, the gelcoat has a different color depending on the location; my hull is one color and the deck has a slightly different off-white color. I've found that creating a match is not very difficult at all. I start with bright white gelcoat, and add a very slight amount of yellow pigment incrementally until I match the gelcoat color of a recently sanded area at the repair site. To add the yellow pigment I use the point of a tooth pick. Beware, the pigment is very concentrated, so go slowly and add micro-dots of yellow until you get to where you want to be.

Good luck. It's easier than you may think.

kerryman51 · **Joined:** 01 Jan 2013 21:09 **Posts:** 15

Thanks Ray & Jim

How important is the galcoat manufacture in matching the color , who did you use and do they make a color matching kit ?

Thanks Matt

jvoelxen · **Joined:** 21 Oct 2006 15:36 **Posts:** 268

I bought my gelcoat at West Marine (white). Can't recall where I bought my yellow pigment but you can also buy it at West Marine.

Velera · **Joined:** 29 Dec 2006 09:38 **Posts:** 656

I think any white gelcoat will be fine as a starting point. Jim is on the money when he says use the point of a toothpick to add color. And give it some time.

I never go to West Marine when there is any alternative, because I find their prices so breathtaking compared to just about any other marine place on the planet. I in my local Hamilton Marine store they sell two kinds of gel coat. Catalyzed gelcoat (you need MEK to set it off) needs to be kept from air to harden. One kind of gelcoat has a built in wax that covers the gelcoat that you scrape off after it cures (I have not used this type as it is relatively new). Another must be covered with plastic wrap or sprayed with PVA to keep the air out to cure. If you have not done it before, it takes a bit of experimenting, but---as Jim says-- it is fairly easy to fix dings after you get the hang of it. Coloring it correctly is a bit of an art, but is also doable. I fixed a long scrape on my boat's hull from a metal buoy and I have a hard time finding where it occurred. If I can do it, anyone can. You will need some patience with wet sanding and polishing if you want the spots to disappear. Don't forget to thoroughly sand the place you are filling--gelcoat doesn't like wax or dirt.

Ray
Velera

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1982 Tartan 37 White Gelcoat

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