Gelcoat white colour match - Sadler 29

I hate to disappoint you, but your boat is, what, 30-some years old? Nothing wrong with that - mine will be 50 next year, but the gelcoat won't be the same white as when it was put in the mould. The bit here that's been walked on in full sun won't be the same as the bit that's been untouched and in the shade most of the time. My deck was sky blue when new, most of it was a manky duck egg green when I gave up and got the paintbrushes out.

One suggestion I heard was to save the sanding dust from the bit your working on and mix it into plain white gelcoat filler. Don't do what I did once and use a yellow hardener on white gelcoat...
 
When I did a small repair to a (grey) Sadler non-slip, I got a shade card (IIRC for about £5, redeemable against an order for a gelcoat repair kit) from East Coast Fibreglass supplies (no connection except as satisfied customer). One of the standard colours was close enough (on a ca. 20 year old boat) but I cannot see the shade card offer here so perhaps they do not do it any longer - though I may be looking in the wrong place on the site, and it might anyway be worth a telephone call to them. https://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/category/gelcoat-repair-kits
 
Get some white, plus some pale grey and some small tubes of pigment, then experiment.
I had to match some grey-ish white.
I used Vela grey (intended for my laser!) and pure white in 2:1, 1:1 and 1:2, then refined the nearest one wth a spot of blue.

Main thing is to get the old GRP clean first.
My repair is not perfect, but it's less noticeable than the other marks on a 25 year old boat, so it is good enough.
 
For repairs to small areas Ive used a white flowcoat and dependant on the quantity needed, added primary pigmants to it to get a very good match. Then I add the catalyst and apply. You may be aware you cant use Gelcoat as a topcoat as it will not cure properly exposed to air, or that's my understanding of it.

Steveeasy
 
steveeasy said:
For repairs to small areas Ive used a white flowcoat and dependant on the quantity needed, added primary pigmants to it to get a very good match. Then I add the catalyst and apply. You may be aware you cant use Gelcoat as a topcoat as it will not cure properly exposed to air, or that's my understanding of it.

Steveeasy
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Eh? I thought gelcoat WAS the top coat.
 
It is, but it goes into the mould first and is covered by the layup. Gelcoat does need to be covered to set properly, but the almost all the assorted goops sold to repair it are a simple polyester resin/hardener mix with a filler, so will cure in the air. In essence, they're no different from the stuff you used to bodge your first car.
 
If you want to repair damaged gelcoat. you either use gelcoat and cover it with a film. or use flowcoat which is gelcoat but with a wax added that when applied rises to the top to exclude air so it cures. you then lightly sand it to remove the wax coating and then you can if needed apply a second coat and build it up as required. Of course you can use lots of other products but flowcoat provides a very hardwearing and smooth finish.

Steveeasy
 
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Another way to cure gelcoat without adding styrene wax is to paint over with PVA glue on the final coat. I have done it and it works. Incidently my Sadler 29 'white' gelcoat has a distinct blueish tinge.
 
steveeasy said:
If you want to repair damaged gelcoat. you either use gelcoat and cover it with a film. or use flowcoat which is gelcoat but with a wax added that when applied rises to the top to exclude air so it cures. you then lightly sand it to remove the wax coating and then you can if needed apply a second coat and build it up as required. Of course you can use lots of other products but flowcoat provides a very hardwearing and smooth finish.

Steveeasy
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Correct, but a lot of places will sell 'gelcoat' for repair purposes and it has wax already in it just to confuse us!
 
NJBe said:
Hello, does anyone know the stock RAL code for the white decks on Sadler 29 yachts please?

Thanks
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Not the RAL colour but the L* a* b* measurement on my Sadler 34 in Feb 1995 was L 94.44, a -0.29, b -4.51. Converting that using https://www.e-paint.co.uk/Convert_lab.asp gives the nearest RAL 280 93 05, porcelain white. I doubt very much that it remains the same colour today.
 
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