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I am making some hull repairs to my 1975 Sakonnet 16. I believe the factory color is Desert Tan, but it is much darker than the present hull color. How do I get a good color match?
Welcome jge7597: I have a 1974 Sakonnet 16. Yes, the cockpit gelsurface is desert tan. The hull is outrage gray. More white than gray. To get a gel-patch/repair to match, you first must wet-polish the area, and it will darken to the factory original color. try it. See how the results work for you. The only question I have is how old is the factory gel-can patch paste you show in the photograph?
Thanks for your quick reply, Weatherly. That patch kit is a year old and it's not usable. I checked on Spectrum and I can't find Outrage Grey. Perhaps it's been discontinued?
I recommend you call Mark at Advance Coatings, Westminster MA. He can help you out with a gelcoat outrage gray color match. Advance Coatings was the original supplier of gelcoat to the Fisher-Pierce Company, Rockland MA. You can see the notations about Advance gelmaterial noted in the BW engineering dept diagrams and hull plans. How much gelcoat patching do you have to do? Maybe Finnegan can weigh in on the spare availability of the outrage gray color. Who knows, he might have a spare pint to sell you. I don't know. Try it.
I have a few boats that require the so called "Outrage Gray", and was able to determine several years ago that the correct color code for this color has been lost to the Whaler factory. I learned from ChuckBennett that many years ago Whaler supplied a supposed color code for the "Outrage Gray" to both Spectrum and Mini-Craft, and it was incorrect, and as mentioned, not even close. THERE IS NOWHERE WHERE YOU CAN BUY THE CORRECT COLOR, so don't waste your money trying it.
Therefore, the Outrage Gray outer hull color has to be custom mixed, either by a gelcoat manufacturer or by yourself. You should buy from the previously mentioned Advance Coatings in MA. Their pricing is great, MUCH less than Spectrum and Mini-Craft, and if sent a hull color sample, will custom mix a gallon for you in qt cans for $160 shipped. Don't waste your money on the Spectrum paste patch jar.
Order the Advance gelcoat with wax added in brushing consistency. It has a long shelf life of about 2 years, and you can get a qt of Desert Tan for about $50.
I have sent Advance several Outrage Gray color samples over the last couple of years, and recently gave such a sample to a friend who, in turn, ordered a gallon of the Outrage Gray. I took one of the qts and he kept three. You might call Russell at Advance and see if he still has that mix on record and can make you some. Don't know.
Another option is to buy a qt of Desert tan and get a qt of generic white gelcoat (also with wax - Jamestown Distributors is a good source) and try mixing it on your own. I think you can lighten it enough for a match. I buy empty pt or qt paint cans at Benjamin Moore for mixing a large lot, keeping it for later use as needed for repairs, etc.
An exact match is Johnson/evinrude pre-1977 white outboard paint. Don't ask me how I know. It may be hard to find now as it was for the cowlings. The 1977 up white is a different color.
