The best idea, sadly, is to match the color yourself. Get a can of white
gelcoat, a couple of Preval sprayers, some acetone and ancillary rags and so
forth. Gloves are a nice addition, too.

Prepare the transom by wet sanding with 220 grit and cleaning with water,
then acetone.

When you purchase gelcoat, make sure you use the kind that needs air to
cure. There are two types.

Get a tint kit from West – use the black or brown tint and very little of
it. I use a toothpick to color several ounces of the stuff. Start with
just the end of the toothpick dipped in the color you choose. Mix
thoroughly, and using your finger (in a glove) make a test patch on a very
clean (with acetone) spot of the hull. I often start with a dab of pure
white to be sure I’m going with the right color.

If you start with brown tint and decide you want black, start with a new
mix. Don’t try to change the color with tint. You can make brown, or a
darker brown, but never black doing that. Gelcoat is fairly cheap, so don’t
worry about wasting it.

Once you’ve decided whether your hull is greyish or brownish (off white or
cream) then mix a very small amount of tint. Very small. Tiny. Much
smaller than you imagine you’ll need. You’ll never go lighter without using
a lot of white gelcoat.

Every time you add some tint, mix well. Then using your finger again, put a
dab near the first dab to measure both how close you’re coming to the color
you want and how far from pure white you are.

When you’ve gotten a color you like, cap your mix. You’ll add hardener
later.

Tape the transom. Use newspaper to protect from overspray. Tape it at
seams, like where the topsides meet the transom and the cap rail meets. Try
not to put a mask in the middle anywhere.

Now comes the touchy part. Put an ounce or so of your mix into the Preval
container. Add one ounce or so of acetone as thinner and mix thoroughly.
Don’t shake, but swish. If the mixture isn’t thin (just a but thicker than
water), add some more acetone.

When it seems good, add the proper amount of catalyst. For an ounce of
gelcoat, you need about a cc of catalyst – or about 20-25 drops. Then swish
again. Insert the Preval power head and spray like you would with a Krylon
sprayer. Cover the whole transom and wait about 15 minutes and spray
another light coat. You’ll need to put 4-6 light coats. I often will go as
high as 10 coats to build the thickness up. Don’t spray thick coats.

Let the stuff dry (kick, harden, whatever you call it) so that you can wet
sand it with progressively finer paper. I start with 220, then 400, then
800, then 1200, then 2000 grit. Finally compound and wax. Make sure you
use a sanding block so you don’t gouge the gelcoat.

It’s surprisingly easy. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Bob

On Sun, Jan 23, 2011 at 9:01 AM, allantereshko <
> wrote:

I am renaming boat and need to cover old painted name on transom. Not
ready to paint whole boat, just transom. Any suggestions on matching shade
of white by using original shade of gelcoat as a match.

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—
Bob Fine
s/v Pelican
Pearson 424 Hull #8
http://thesailinglife.blogspot.com
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The best idea, sadly, is to match the color yourself. Get a can of white
gelcoat, a couple of Preval sprayers, some acetone and ancillary rags and so
forth. Gloves are a nice addition, too.

Prepare the transom by wet sanding with 220 grit and cleaning with water,
then acetone.

When you purchase gelcoat, make sure you use the kind that needs air to
cure. There are two types.

Get a tint kit from West – use the black or brown tint and very little of
it. I use a toothpick to color several ounces of the stuff. Start with
just the end of the toothpick dipped in the color you choose. Mix
thoroughly, and using your finger (in a glove) make a test patch on a very
clean (with acetone) spot of the hull. I often start with a dab of pure
white to be sure I’m going with the right color.

If you start with brown tint and decide you want black, start with a new
mix. Don’t try to change the color with tint. You can make brown, or a
darker brown, but never black doing that. Gelcoat is fairly cheap, so don’t
worry about wasting it.

Once you’ve decided whether your hull is greyish or brownish (off white or
cream) then mix a very small amount of tint. Very small. Tiny. Much
smaller than you imagine you’ll need. You’ll never go lighter without using
a lot of white gelcoat.

Every time you add some tint, mix well. Then using your finger again, put a
dab near the first dab to measure both how close you’re coming to the color
you want and how far from pure white you are.

When you’ve gotten a color you like, cap your mix. You’ll add hardener
later.

Tape the transom. Use newspaper to protect from overspray. Tape it at
seams, like where the topsides meet the transom and the cap rail meets. Try
not to put a mask in the middle anywhere.

Now comes the touchy part. Put an ounce or so of your mix into the Preval
container. Add one ounce or so of acetone as thinner and mix thoroughly.
Don’t shake, but swish. If the mixture isn’t thin (just a but thicker than
water), add some more acetone.

When it seems good, add the proper amount of catalyst. For an ounce of
gelcoat, you need about a cc of catalyst – or about 20-25 drops. Then swish
again. Insert the Preval power head and spray like you would with a Krylon
sprayer. Cover the whole transom and wait about 15 minutes and spray
another light coat. You’ll need to put 4-6 light coats. I often will go as
high as 10 coats to build the thickness up. Don’t spray thick coats.

Let the stuff dry (kick, harden, whatever you call it) so that you can wet
sand it with progressively finer paper. I start with 220, then 400, then
800, then 1200, then 2000 grit. Finally compound and wax. Make sure you
use a sanding block so you don’t gouge the gelcoat.

It’s surprisingly easy. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Bob

On Sun, Jan 23, 2011 at 9:01 AM, allantereshko <
> wrote:

I am renaming boat and need to cover old painted name on transom. Not
ready to paint whole boat, just transom. Any suggestions on matching shade
of white by using original shade of gelcoat as a match.

_______________________________________________
maillist mailing list

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—
Bob Fine
s/v Pelican
Pearson 424 Hull #8
http://thesailinglife.blogspot.com
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Hi Allan,

When I raised my water line, I had to repaint the bit between the cove
stripe and the anti-fouling. I had a very good match with Interlux,
Hatteras white. There are a couple of shades of this so go with what is the
closest. My hull is an off white, if there is a lot of oxidization it will
appear whiter than it really is.

Good luck

Jack
Xanadu

On Sun, Jan 23, 2011 at 9:35 AM, Robert Fine wrote:

The best idea, sadly, is to match the color yourself. Get a can of white
gelcoat, a couple of Preval sprayers, some acetone and ancillary rags and
so
forth. Gloves are a nice addition, too.

Prepare the transom by wet sanding with 220 grit and cleaning with water,
then acetone.

When you purchase gelcoat, make sure you use the kind that needs air to
cure. There are two types.

Get a tint kit from West – use the black or brown tint and very little of
it. I use a toothpick to color several ounces of the stuff. Start with
just the end of the toothpick dipped in the color you choose. Mix
thoroughly, and using your finger (in a glove) make a test patch on a very
clean (with acetone) spot of the hull. I often start with a dab of pure
white to be sure I’m going with the right color.

If you start with brown tint and decide you want black, start with a new
mix. Don’t try to change the color with tint. You can make brown, or a
darker brown, but never black doing that. Gelcoat is fairly cheap, so
don’t
worry about wasting it.

Once you’ve decided whether your hull is greyish or brownish (off white or
cream) then mix a very small amount of tint. Very small. Tiny. Much
smaller than you imagine you’ll need. You’ll never go lighter without
using
a lot of white gelcoat.

Every time you add some tint, mix well. Then using your finger again, put
a
dab near the first dab to measure both how close you’re coming to the color
you want and how far from pure white you are.

When you’ve gotten a color you like, cap your mix. You’ll add hardener
later.

Tape the transom. Use newspaper to protect from overspray. Tape it at
seams, like where the topsides meet the transom and the cap rail meets.
Try
not to put a mask in the middle anywhere.

Now comes the touchy part. Put an ounce or so of your mix into the Preval
container. Add one ounce or so of acetone as thinner and mix thoroughly.
Don’t shake, but swish. If the mixture isn’t thin (just a but thicker than
water), add some more acetone.

When it seems good, add the proper amount of catalyst. For an ounce of
gelcoat, you need about a cc of catalyst – or about 20-25 drops. Then
swish
again. Insert the Preval power head and spray like you would with a Krylon
sprayer. Cover the whole transom and wait about 15 minutes and spray
another light coat. You’ll need to put 4-6 light coats. I often will go
as
high as 10 coats to build the thickness up. Don’t spray thick coats.

Let the stuff dry (kick, harden, whatever you call it) so that you can wet
sand it with progressively finer paper. I start with 220, then 400, then
800, then 1200, then 2000 grit. Finally compound and wax. Make sure you
use a sanding block so you don’t gouge the gelcoat.

It’s surprisingly easy. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Bob

On Sun, Jan 23, 2011 at 9:01 AM, allantereshko <
> wrote:

I am renaming boat and need to cover old painted name on transom. Not
ready to paint whole boat, just transom. Any suggestions on matching

shade

of white by using original shade of gelcoat as a match.

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maillist mailing list

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—
Bob Fine
s/v Pelican
Pearson 424 Hull #8
http://thesailinglife.blogspot.com
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Allan,
There are too many shades of white to expect a match. In theory, you could
mix paint and match the color but the gloss would be different. Consider
having custom graphics done. I had vinyl lettering done with a black shadow
to raise the lettering. If you did this large enough, it would cover the
old name. Any sign company could do it and its not expensive.
See linked photo http://www.richardcarter.net/boat/pix/davit/davitAft2.JPG

BTW, painting your whole boat with 2-part paint isn’t that big a deal.

Regards
Rich

Alternatively you could just hire a yard guy, or perhaps a fiberglass repair
pro, someone with years of gel coat experience. As much as I advocate doing
your own work on your own boat, this particular project might be cheaper,
will likely come out better, and will certainly be faster hiring rather than
learning that particular special skill yourself in such a visible place.

Or just hire Bob!

Tor

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I sent a sample of fiberglass from the cockpit to Spectrum Color, Tacoma WA. They matched it to Sea Ray Old White 70-79, their #B1838. Not cheap, but cheaper than custom mix. Haven’t opened the can so I’m just taking their woed for the match so far.

Quent
Clairebouyant #132
Edgewater, MD

I sent a sample of fiberglass from the cockpit to Spectrum Color, Tacoma WA. They matched it to Sea Ray Old White 70-79, their #B1838. Not cheap, but cheaper than custom mix. Haven’t opened the can so I’m just taking their woed for the match so far.

Quent
Clairebouyant #132
Edgewater, MD

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Spectrum Cruisers 1992-2004 Polar White worked for patching for me for years. Last year I had a quart custom mixed for a small spray job. Both are spot on.

Hank S.
SHAY #80

— On Sun, 1/23/11, quent wrote:

You are right, a quart is a lot of gelcoat. Spectrum’s minimum purchase.
Didn’t get to it before winter. Will experiment this spring based on some stuff I’ve read, unless I can find someone cheap and good at gelcoat.
Open to suggestions….
Quent

You are right, a quart is a lot of gelcoat. Spectrum’s minimum purchase.
Didn’t get to it before winter. Will experiment this spring based on some stuff I’ve read, unless I can find someone cheap and good at gelcoat.
Open to suggestions….
Quent

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Have you tried taking the painted name off with rubbing compound?
Q

Have you tried taking the painted name off with rubbing compound?
Q

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I am, but not near you, I think.

Bob

I’m not being terse. This is from my mobile.
On Feb 4, 2011 4:53 PM, “quent” wrote:

You are right, a quart is a lot of gelcoat. Spectrum’s minimum purchase.
Didn’t get to it before winter. Will experiment this spring based on some

stuff I’ve read, unless I can find someone cheap and good at gelcoat.

Open to suggestions….
Quent

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I tried that on my boat years ago and found that the painted letters had
soaked in all the way through the fiberglass. Amazing. I had to prime
and paint the transom so I could re-letter the boat before I sailed her
out of Florida. Did this in the water, in a dinghy…

Pete

On 2/4/2011 2:54 PM, quent wrote:

Have you tried taking the painted name off with rubbing compound?
Q

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Hey Quent,

When you say that you sent a “sample of fiberglass from the cockpit” are you referring to the gelcoat color?

Thanks,
Dawn

On Jan 23, 2011, at 5:25 PM, wrote:

Sorry, wrong Spectrum. Below email from the right one. Ask for Kathy Shammo.
Best regards,
Quent

You’d need to send at least a quarter size chip from the boat and they will see if it matches anything we carry. If it does not match an in stock item they can make a custom match at a gallon minimum.

Thanks

Spectrum Color

135 E Davis Industrial Dr

St Augustine FL 32084

800-754-5516

Can label says
F501400Q
B#1838
Sea Ray old white 70-79
Bar code: 88574006970

If I might make a suggestion: You can’t gelcoat over paint. Perhaps try to compound off the name by hand, not machine. If once the paint is off, if you aren’t happy with the result, have a good gelcoat guy match and repair the transom. A good job would match very well and save you a lot of work.
Q

I totally agree with that suggestion.My Pearson had a custom color nonskid that I spent $ and time trying to match myself with no luck.I asked a fiberglass man to look at it.He spent 5 minutes mixing up a color using gelcoat and tint colors.Perfect match and I was shocked.Guys that repair hulls for a living do blending and color matching routinely as part of their job.

Sent from my iPad

On Mar 8, 2011, at 17:56, “quent” wrote:

Can label says
F501400Q
B#1838
Sea Ray old white 70-79
Bar code: 88574006970

If I might make a suggestion: You can’t gelcoat over paint. Perhaps try to compound off the name by hand, not machine. If once the paint is off, if you aren’t happy with the result, have a good gelcoat guy match and repair the transom. A good job would match very well and save you a lot of work.
Q

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I’ve had great luck over the years removing painted names with oven cleaner. Just don’t leave it on too long. That gets most of the lettering and I’ve never had it damage gel. I then use the “red abrasive” compound to get any remaining paint, finish up with white polishing compound and then wax. Works for me. Theres always a slight shadow left but usually goes away with 2 or 3 months of sunshine on it.
Calicojack

If you end up needing a glass guy on the Eastern Shore, I used a guy named Liderman when I was up there. His number was 443-562-4791 I have been gone from there for about four years so this info is a bit dated.

Congratulations on Easy Reach. When I was selling sailboats in Annapolis she was raffled off by the folks who had completed their round the world trip. The woman who won the raffle didn’t want a boat aftterall so she put her on the market and I sold her to a couple from upstate NY. I remember being aboard Thanksgiving 1990 sailing in Annapolis with a turkey baking in the oven.

Seven years later they traded her on a Pearson 53 to a private party who then sold her to another NY couple and I lost track of her after that. I guess she ended up in NJ?

I myself was the second owner of #67. She was in Boothbay, ME win I bought her and I kept her in Boston as a liveaboard. She was named Moonraker by the first owner and I did not change it. I sold her before I moved to MD.

Small world.

Best of luck.

Chris

Boatless in Fort Lauderdale.

I went to the dark side and started selling MY’s. I sold Hatteras in MD and moved here to do the same.

Now that things have slowed down a bit, I have been toying with the idea of another 424 or maybe a 365.

Best.

We’re in the process of changing the name of our 424 and I used the paint remover sold by West. The stuff worked like a charm an doesn’t harm gelcoat. I removed the remaining raised outline under the paint with acetone. Not a whisper of the old name left.

Dan Kalinowski
Lady Leanne II #135 (soon to be “The Jolly Lama”)
Honolulu