88 Prostar - Resto - Slight Twist on the Classic (Pics)

[Abe]

Well Done, That's an Awsome Restoration Job There.

[Luv2Ski]

mpdobson: See post #21 of this thread, it describes the gelcoat work I did - some sanding, mostly polish...

Abe: Thanks man!

[jconover]

Reviving old thread - Hey Luv2Ski, do you happen to know what color codes your gelcoat was? I've had a hell of a time finding a match...

[Luv2Ski]

Yea, I had the same issue and decided to mix my own. It was not too difficult, though it is also easy to see how people can make a career in color science. Some tips if you go with this method:

I was able to fix all the issues with a paste:

http://www.discountmarinesupplies.co...oat_Paste.html

Purchased the clear gel and then the full assortment tinting agents. The black was easily matched, pretty much just black tint. The gray was a little tricky and although I got acceptably close, they are still visible if you know where to look. I believe I ended up mixing white, blue, and black together.

Have a section of the boat completely polished so you have a good comparative surface for color matching.

When mixing. First separate out enough gel to make ALL of the repairs for the given color. It is a drag to get the color just right only to run out on the last repair. Take a stab at a mix, start lighter than you think and add a little at a time. I smeared the color right onto the gel I was matching as well as a white board and chunk of old fiber glass. Without the harder, it wipes right off. Just keep adding a little bit of tint until you are satisfied, it seams to dry very close the color it is when wet.

I am sure some people could do this quickly, I just used a guess and check method - worked out in the end.

Wish I had a simple number for you, but hopefully this will help if nothing else. I breezed through you two new threads yesterday, but did not get a chance comment yet. Will provide some more specific input over on those shortly.

[jconover]

Thanks for the expert advice!! This is a great starting point.

I really look forward to your other thread commentary - your boat has been a template for my effort - I really like the results you got from all the hard work.

[Thrall]

You can order an exact color match from Spectrum. May need to find the official color name from your dealer first.
I bought mine for a 12yr old boat and bought some tint just in case. Didn't need it. It matched perfectly.
Initially it was a little brighter than the rest of the boat, but after sanding the patch and buffing/polishing, it blended in fine.

[jconover]

For the record - Spectrum does not carry the Platinum "medium gray" color tone at all any more, nor does minicraft. Spectrum will custom match, but only does so in gallon increments.

The paint IDs for this hull, to the best of MC's ability to reference it, are:
Medium Gray - Spectrum #3903
Black - Spectrum #3977

Neither color is available from spectrum anymore, though black can be created. Minicraft can still provide the black, but not the gray. "Medium gray" is discontinued. I am not really certain how a color can be discontinued -- it seems to me that this is just a matter of mixing pigments, but nevertheless, it is discontinued. It is possible they used a pigment that is no longer available due to environmental regulations or other reasons.

[Thrall]

They told me something like that too, and that they couldn't do the gel paste in my color. Yeah, seems to me you have a base shade and pigment it to match, although gelcoat has a long shelf lifr so maybe the stock the newer colros in lg qtys. I ended up getting a quart I believe and it was around $100.
Good luck with your repairs!

[TimfromLowell]

Who did the interior?

[jconover]

Tim that's VIper Customs in TN (vipercustoms.com)