---

I recently received a pint of gelcoat patch paste from Mini-Craft (Minicraft) in Florida. The color is the Whaler Desert Tan. I bought the stuff to fill in some screw holes.

In the past I've used the Spectrum 2 ounce kits with excellent results. However, I found that when I used these kits the gelcoat would dry very fast. Because I had about 25 screw holes to fill, I thought the pint from Minicraft might be better.

Unfortunately, the color was way off. Not even in the ballpark. It was too dark and had too much red and yellow in it. I've owned 3 classic Whalers, and this would not work on any of them. Of course I didn't expect a perfect match, just something in the ballpark.

In addition, the pint of Minicraft came in a quart can. The can was less than 1/3 full. For over $100 I would expect to get the correct size container, with the correct amount of product. I'm not an expert on this stuff, but if you had the correct size container, the product would last longer because there would be less air inside. I was told this stuff has a 90 day shelf life in unopened can.

When I called Minicraft to discuss the situation I was told that their product is to Whaler's specs, the correct color would cost an extra $75, and that it's too bad if I'm not satisfied with what they sent me. Paul from Minicraft was very rude. On a scale from one to ten, I'd give them a zero.

My advice to others is avoid Minicraft like the plague. I'm now on my way to spend more money and get the Spectrum product.

---

Dan, try a little less catalyst next time.When I sprayed the 15 I mixed a batch a little to hot and wasted some gelcoat, as far as the color it was dead on. Spectrum also has a shelf life. Label says about 6 months if stored in a cool dry area.BG