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JRP,
I have purchased both the Spectrum Desert Tan gel coat repair kit for my 1986 13 foot sport and the Spectrum Whaler White for my 1995 15 foot Dauntless all with the same results. The color for either was not even close. Spectrum will tell you this is due to Gel Coat fading, however it is B.S to me as the Spectrum would not even match areas not exposed to sunlight such as the inside of the anchor locker or under a center console. I believe there is not enough quality control with the exact color matching for either original Gel Coat used by Whaler or Spectrum's color match kits. For this reason the pros always mix or tint their own gel coat to match. Do yourself a favor and buy the generic Gel Coat repair kit from West Marine that has white Gel Coat and tinting colors to get the correct color match. Try the straight white first which I found to be closer than the Spectrum Whaler White and then tint darker if necessary. It will take some practice, but if you try mixing up small batches using your common sense to darken up the white Gel Coat paste using either brown tint for more off white or beige white and adding black for more of a grey or stark white you should get good results. Gel Coat always dries a little darker so if you want to be sure, smear a little of your color mixed Gel Coat onto a clean waxed area of the hull and dry it with a heat gun. This will simulate how dark the gel coat will look when dry and then you can wipe it off with acetone or lacquer thinner, just stay away from any stripes or emblems with either solvent.

Jim G.