Sigma 362 colour matching gelcoat assistance

[thunderbird303]

Hi all. I own a 1989 Sigma 362, and what a lovely boat she is.
I am trying to get a colour match for a number of gelcoat repairs to the cockpit, and was hoping someone here could assist?
The original invoice for the hull mentions Grey Rose RF 9739, but this doesn't appear to be a recognised shade !!
Any help or pointing in the right direction would be most appreciated.
Cheers.
Laurie.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

It's highly unlikely that the shade now is even close to the shade she was in 1989. Sunlight and polishing will have altered the colour, and it will be different in different places. The usual suggestion is to find two shades that bracket the colour, and mix to get a match.

It's one of those jobs where I reckon the right tool is an experienced craftsperson!

 

[Hydrozoan]

It is difficult for the reasons that Antarctic Pilot describes. Some years ago I had a similar problem and got an adequate match for minor repairs (albeit to an off-white, for which there are many choices #) using one of the kits provided by East Coast Fibreglass Supplies - with whom I have no connection other than as a satisfied customer; other suppliers may offer similar kits (Buy Gelcoat Repair kits - East Coast Fibreglass (ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk) . In those days they offered a shade card, the cost of which was refunded on ordering a kit, but I think that facility is no longer provided. However, they give RAL numbers for many of the shades so if you are lucky you might be able to use a standard RAL shade card to pick a kit or kits giving a reasonable match. But for more substantial and obvious damage than I had, using a professional would as AP says be the better option.

# Edit: My mistake - it was not a match to an off-white, but to a light grey that I sought, and I see that the kits page to which I linked has about 15 different greys.

 

[dankilb]

Partly influenced by this - I’m thinking of contracting the local yard (or specifically their best guy for the job - who is doing other work for us, through them) to mix us a batch. Can’t arguably be more than a couple of hours work (@ their £60 p.h. inc.). That way he could come aboard the boat, see some polished areas as they stand, and match us a few gallons we can use ourselves on that basis.

It’s a few jobs down the list, but hopefully once the weather is significantly balmier we can get onto it and I can report back.

Boat is 1989 Jeanneau so a plain ‘white’ but after 30 years predictably looks nothing like any white gelcoat I’ve bought!

 

[Ian_Edwards]

You can buy a RAL color match card for around £10 to £12. I got mine on eBay.
Use this to find a match, or as suggested, two close matches you can mix.
If you decide to mix your self, and this may seem obvious, just mix the resin, no hardener, in very small quantiles, using a small syringe and keeping note of the quantities. If you are not happy with the match, discard the mix, wipe off the resin, and start again. Match to a cleaned an polished area.
I've been successful using this method, but it can be very time consuming. I concluded that I wasn't very good at matching and now leave it to a pro'. It's probably cheaper, and certainly less frustrating.

 

[penfold]

Partly influenced by this - I’m thinking of contracting the local yard (or specifically their best guy for the job - who is doing other work for us, through them) to mix us a batch. Can’t arguably be more than a couple of hours work (@ their £60 p.h. inc.). That way he could come aboard the boat, see some polished areas as they stand, and match us a few gallons we can use ourselves on that basis.

It’s a few jobs down the list, but hopefully once the weather is significantly balmier we can get onto it and I can report back.

Boat is 1989 Jeanneau so a plain ‘white’ but after 30 years predictably looks nothing like any white gelcoat I’ve bought!

I'd agree getting a local boatbuilder to attempt a match is the best idea; the colour it was when new will be a bit glaring next to what the colour is now, although balancing the fade with not ending up with a really obvious repair when it in turn fades in a few years is an art rather than a science.

 

[TLouth7]

For Sigma 33 the gelcoat colour (at least for the beige boats) is a mix of Scott Bader white and off white. You can adjust the ratio to match the level of fade.