gel coat/paint code question

[JP BRESCIA]

I am stumped on this one. I a preparing the sides of the 18 to be sprayed with paint(poly resin from GCP). I was able to bring the deck back to life by wet sanding/polishing and figured I would not respray it. The sides did not come up as well with the sanding/polishing effort. Especially around the water line. I contacted GCP to order the materials and ask if they had the paint codes. GCP had some Donzi codes dating to 1988 and newer but not for my 1980. I have an 1980 18'that is Dove Grey with a Burgundy stripe and sides. GCP's solution was for me to core a hole the size of a quarter out of the hull and send it to them to be matched :confused: I repeated that this is not repair work and I am not looking to match what I have. I am looking to match the deck stripe with new paint on the sides.
They also said paint codes mean nothing to them so even if I found the correct code they may not get it right. The only solution I can come up with is to respray the deck stripe and the sides with the same color and hope I like it.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.....
JP

[oldLenny]

Try your luck with these guys, or at least a call. They were a Donzi supplier (gel-coat) from the past...good luck

http://www.ferro.com/our+products/liquid+coatings+and+dispersions/default.htm

[smokediver]

if you have the color you want on your boat already, take it down to a auto paint shop and have them take a color reading. with a little tinting you should be able to get an exact match. usually there is no charge for the tinting and matching

[oldLenny]

This Seattle based company can do MOST ANYTHING. Click on "DONZI" and you will see some of their colors. I am sure they can come up with what you want.

http://www.spectrumcolor.com/catalog.htm

[JP BRESCIA]

Thanks Lenny. I have used Spectrum for the Boston Whaler grey the make and it worked fine. I was looking to use GCP based on a referral from a search done on this board. I am glad that GCP could not help me b/c it forced me to look at the paint chip book and think more about the paint vs gelcoat with regards to the apllication process. I did alot more reading recently from searches I performed and I came to a decision. I am going to paint. I think, I mean, I probably should, maybe, probably think about... I am still on the bubble. :rolleyes: It appears that a few board veterans have be satisfied with the durability they have found in some paint systems. I am researching some different paint systems now. Wish me luck

[oldLenny]

...ask Scott Pearson...He, if anyone, would know what is the best product for your application and could address the durability issues etc.

[RH]

JP, I did a Century Arabian inboard in 1991 with Awl Grip by US Paint. Ipulled all of the hardware off of the boat, left the engine in and did a factory style two tone job. It was a 1978 and was all brown with a creme color on the aft deck that followed the rubrail up and around the bow. I had a professional who had done alot of Century Coronados that looked great. I had that boat for another 8 years and ran it quite a bit. The only problem that I had with the hole job was where the v-drive shaft exited the hull. There was a small area that peeled underneath about the size of a quarter. Other than that, it stayed looking great for the 8 years that I owned it. It was a beautiful boat,nice sound, but an absolute pig in the water! I was very happy with the durability of the Awl Grip, but that was 11 years ago and I am sure that the advancements have been great since.
RH