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Spectrum Paste Repair


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Wanted to post my experience with Spectrum gel-coat repair paste.

The positive:

  • Easy to use - Easy to Mix - Easy to Spread - Easy to sand
  • Prep is relatively easy. Making a scratch bigger is a little bit daunting, but the end result is worth it. FYI I don't think you have to make it as much bigger as you are led to believe to get it to bond. I did some smaller scratches and it seemed to work fine.

The Negative:

  • Not an exact match. Very, Very, Very close - On the gray it was a little bit darker. Still way better than the bad spot but not perfect. Probably because the boat is an 05 and the paste was off the original factory color. Overall not too bad.
  • They say use a spreader and when you do that you end up covering allot more area than you really need to. I spent an hour sanding off too much access. Hey, we all learn from our first time. Just fill the spot you are fixing and leave the paste slightly raised nothing more.

Prep/Finish:

  • Wet sand - I used 800 grit to scuff her up a bit.
  • Mix desired amount. I had a 2 ounce bottle of the paste and took about a quarter out and used the catalyst and 1/2 the specification for 1 ounce. It probably wasn't exactly perfect but it worked and hardened appropriately. I sort of just eyed it. As long as you are really close I don't think you have to get anal about it.
  • I let it sit for 2 hours or so. make sure it's not too cold outside or have a heat lamp.
  • Sanded with 400 till it got close. Sanded with 800. Finished with 1000
  • Used a rubbing compound with a buffer and polished with a buffer and finishing pad.

Overall I would say it works and is very easy to use. I would say it's a very easy DIY. Hope this helps anyone. I took pic's I will paste them in a second if I can get it to work.

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That looks really good and on some huge chunks. I used the spectrum stuff on my Bayliner for some dock scratches that were really minor compared to what you did. Matched really well, but the boat had no fading and Spectrum sold some BL specific kits.

Here are a couple of your pics

IMG_02031_zpsa458bbef.jpg

IMG_02101_zpsfb9d6601.jpg

Edited by oldjeep
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Funny you posted this since I just got my spectrum paste in yesterday. Did you order it from iboats.com or straight from spectrum? Reason I ask is that spectrum is running a spring sale through iboats and it's about 10-12 dollars cheaper. Think I paid 19.95 instead of $30. I hope to be taking this on in the next few days. Any tips or advice? I have very little experience when it comes to gelcoat.

Edited by TNWILSON
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Tips, you kind of just tackle it. There are some steps that I found on the spectrum site. If I were to give a few it would be.

  • Sand it first if you sand it and clean it you don't need to use acetone to clean it first. Some will say you do but I don't think so.
  • Only fill the area that you need fixed. I wiped it on like the directions said and I spent a long time sanding it back off from areas around the damaged spot.
  • Take your time and don't get too crazy with the sanding. Use a staggered approach to the grits. Use the coarse grit to knock down the big stuff. Move to middle grit to get everything level. Then move to fine grit to finish it off.
  • Have a decent buffer around and use separate pad's for the cutting polish and the regular polish.
  • Don't expect perfection. ON darker colors it may be close but not exactly perfect due to fading, etc...

Don't be afraid of this one. If you know how to use sand paper and how to polish your boat you can do it no problem.

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Thanks for the pep talk! I'm gonna need it!! I'm thinking about wet sanding the entire middle black portion of my boat after I make the patch repairs. I've got a lot of very fine scratches that the boat candy extreme will not entirely erase. Plus I think it will make the patches blend a lot better.

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I just bought some of this for 2 small chips on the transom. Bought it from Spectrum for just over $20 shipped. Not sure when I'll be able to get on this. Supposed to be pretty soggy here this week.

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Thanks for the pep talk! I'm gonna need it!! I'm thinking about wet sanding the entire middle black portion of my boat after I make the patch repairs. I've got a lot of very fine scratches that the boat candy extreme will not entirely erase. Plus I think it will make the patches blend a lot better.

Use a fine grit like 800 or 1,000 if they are small scratches all of them will come out no problem. I would block sand it so you keep everything pretty uniform. Be careful not to oversand it. You can sand through the top coat of gel and then the stage below would start showing through. Get it close then use a buffer with a cutting compound to finish it out. Then some polish and you are GTG. There are log's of you tube video's etc... that will show you the how to. It's really not that tough.

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Your right about the color not matching due to the boats fading a little over the years but in just a little time it will get to the point to where you will no longer notice it unless you really look hard. I did white on my repair on the keel and by about half way thru that summer I could not even tell where I repaired.

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The color match really depends on how faded your gel coat is. I've used Spectrum before on a bright red Supra. The boat was about 10 years old at the time, but had always been stored indoors, never left out in the sun. The Spectrum gel was an exact match, you could not tell at all what was fixed. So, keep that in mind....

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maybe old Jeep can paste these up for me I can't make it work. Here is another pic of a long scratch across the side of the boat. Again it turned out really good. It's a hair darker but JWL said that it will fade out over the summer. Well here it goes:

Yes the scratch had to be made bigger to fill it. I thought you didn't have to but was wrong. It didn't take much though.

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i437/Moto-xdad/IMG_02121_zps7cfbe340.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i437/Moto-xdad/IMG_02131_zps020acd4f.jpg

http://i1093photobucket.com/albums/i437/Moto-xdad/IMG_02141_zps2b27dd4a.jpg

Have not done the ebony repair above it yet. That color is on order. I hope this helps somebody.

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I think you did a fine job on your repair.

I'm interested to hear what you say about the ebony. My new to me ride has some marks in the ebony that need to be repaired with spectrum. I'm planning to order the stuff tonight. I'm welcome to any tips, but it really seems very simple. If I understand it all, the biggest risk is over sanding and improper prep. Is that true?

Edited by inlandlaker
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Nice work, my boat would have been a prime candidate for this. I wimped out and took in to a gel repair shop. Thanks for sharing if I ever need another chip repair I will definitely reference this thread.

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Over sanding and sanding incorrectly. Just make sure you use a block if you use your fingers you will get wave's. My wife took out three more scratches completely on her own and they came out perfect. The process is pretty simple. I will let you know on the ebony it's not in yet.

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maybe old Jeep can paste these up for me I can't make it work. Here is another pic of a long scratch across the side of the boat. Again it turned out really good. It's a hair darker but JWL said that it will fade out over the summer. Well here it goes:

Yes the scratch had to be made bigger to fill it. I thought you didn't have to but was wrong. It didn't take much though.

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i437/Moto-xdad/IMG_02121_zps7cfbe340.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i437/Moto-xdad/IMG_02131_zps020acd4f.jpg

http://i1093photobucket.com/albums/i437/Moto-xdad/IMG_02141_zps2b27dd4a.jpg

Have not done the ebony repair above it yet. That color is on order. I hope this helps somebody.

IMG_02121_zps7cfbe340.jpg

IMG_02131_zps020acd4f.jpg

IMG_02141_zps2b27dd4a.jpg

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Over sanding and sanding incorrectly. Just make sure you use a block if you use your fingers you will get wave's. My wife took out three more scratches completely on her own and they came out perfect. The process is pretty simple. I will let you know on the ebony it's not in yet.

Thanks. I placed my order for ebony last night. I'll be picking up a block later this week along with some paper.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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