Chris Craft Buff (It ain\'t Yellow!)

dkimball80 · Post by **dkimball80** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 10:17 pm

Just purchased a 1956 18ft Sea Skiff. Planning to strip and repaint/refinish it this fall and would like to get my hands on the dark yellow hull paint that came from the factory. Is this still available anywhere?
Thanks!

57 chris · Post by **57 chris** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 6:27 am

A former member...Dave Konick painted his 18 footer the yellow of which you speak.
He still frequents the "woody boater" web site, maybe you can find him there.

Craig

Don Ayers · Post by **Don Ayers** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:34 am

Why is he a "former" member?? Let's get him back!!!

Who knows him?

57 chris · Post by **57 chris** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 5:44 pm

I correspond with Dave quite often about wooden boats etc. I guess he just lost interest in the club, not boats.

Craig

Grant Stanfield · Post by **Grant Stanfield** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 11:12 am

I would check out Kirby Paint in New Bedford, Ma. Go online and request a color chart; they mailed me one and I see close relatives of the optional hull colors for the 1st-gen. Sea Skiffs, as displayed in the 1957 Sea Skiff brochure visible in the Archives section here...check out Cream on their chart- this looks very close to my eye. I've heard Kirby has a wealth of knowledge about vintage marine colors, and can also custom-match for you.

Best of luck!

Bill Basler · Post by **Bill Basler** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 10:51 pm

I corresponded with Dave Konick a few times on the color of his hull. He ran through a couple of trial mixes,and in my opinion he ended up darn close. Now given that, very few photos of the yellow (as shown in the 1957 Sea Skiff brochure) exist. Like any color, it changes dramatically in warm sunlight versus cooler cloudy day light. David's hull is a very buttery yellow. It looks very nice.

I don't know if I would call the "yellow" as shown in the '57 brochure a dark yellow. There is also a color called "buff" that is a darker and dirtier yellow. I believe Don Danenberg found a booty of these original Chris-Craft branded paints a few years back. I know the buff was one of the colors he had. See low res photo from him attached. You might try calling him to see if he can help with a match. The yellowish color that you see in the photo below is actually the "buff"

57 chris · Post by **57 chris** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:46 am

When Dave painted his boat he wasn't sure if he had the right yellow or not. He did a lot of research and got help from many folks in the club.
The "before" photo shows as close to original as he could get. He decided that the original color was a little too yellow so he re-painted this year with the color in the "after" photo.

57 chris · Post by **57 chris** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:55 am

I spoke with Dave this morning and he informed me that the original color he chose was not yellow but buff, that's the color in the first picture I posted (looks way more yellow than it actually was), the color in the second picture is a custom concoction of one part Pettit Sunflower Yellow and three parts Sandtone.
The picture below is an original ChrisCraft sales brochure showing the colors available, the question is from what year? I have a 1959 sales brochure that does not have this color chart but lists the colors available as: Gray, Buff, Yellow, Green, Blue, Black and White. This color chart shows Buff but not Yellow.
I can't read it, does anyone know what the colors are called?

Craig

DLKster · Post by **DLKster** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 3:58 pm

Mr. Kimball,

The picture that Bill Bassler posted is from Don Dannenberg -- Continental Buff from a later year.
As you can see from the pictures Craig Wilson posted, for reasons I can't exactly figure out, this color looks different depending on the camera angle, the light and sun/shadow. This year, I put a little less sunflower yellow in the mix -- so it almost matches the sunbrella top. In what Craig calls the "before" picture (last year) you can see the top looks lot more yellower as well, but it is the same top. It is just the way the light hits it.

Here's another couple shots of the boat with the 3:1 mix (3 parts Petit Sandtone, one part Petit Sunflower. Previously it was about 2-1/2 to one.)

I did it by trial and error trying to match it up to that advertisement.

Good luck with your boat. I looked at a lot of chip charts and nothing was close to the color in that ad. Nobody's got the exact right paint, so who is going to argue with you? If you are really concerned about it, do what I do -- I got a letter signed by Joe Martell certifying mine is the exact right shade of buff. No one is going to argue with that but Don Ayers. :wink: If you have any questions, feel free to contact me any time.

Dave

Bill Basler · Post by **Bill Basler** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 4:47 pm

Craig, my note regarding yellow versus buff came from the color chart from the 1957 Sea Skiff brochure in the online archive, color chart here

57 chris · Post by **57 chris** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 8:23 pm

Thanks Bill,
The color I thought was buff was actually yellow but the reddish color is actually the buff. The close up you sent shows the color names.

Hey Dave, are you back?

Craig

dkimball80 · Post by **dkimball80** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:37 pm

Wow....what a wealth of information.
Thank you so much for your help, I'm looking forward to getting her in the water. The boat was last in the water in the fall of 2009.
Thanks again!!!
Best,
Dan

thompsonboatboy · Post by **thompsonboatboy** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 2:10 pm

Lemonade yellow was a standard Pettit colour from the 1950s and 1960s. It was used by Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co. on the Sea Lancer model.

George Kirby, Jr. Paint Co. of New Bedford, Mass makes a perfect match and this was used on my '57 Sea Lancer. It is a very pale yellow.

Andreas

motherofdog · Post by **motherofdog** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 2:54 pm

Greetings Dan,

If Kirby doesn't still make that color, you can send them a color chip from any brand of paint (even house paint). And they will match it. They did a really great job on a custom color for my SeaMac. And I just LOVE the way the paint flows.

Jerri

Grant Stanfield · Post by **Grant Stanfield** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 9:27 am

Hello everyone!

I just found a small patch of the original yellow hull paint under the current white of my 1955 18' Open Sea Skiff. When I pulled out my Kirby's Vintage Colors chip chart, their "Cream" color was a BULLSEYE match. It's an elegant, creamy shade of yellow, not lurid or irritating, and would be stunning against the varnished mahogany and perhaps medium-red, navy or deep-green cushions. I'm a big fan of more colorful hulls, and the Sea Skiffs make the perfect artist's palette for adding more visual 'pop' to our waterfronts...be not afraid- go for it!

As an aside- I saw another beautiful early-style 18' Open Sea Skiff three weeks ago at the Algonac, MI classic boat show. She was graced with a surprising RED hull to match her red cushions- quite attractive!

Grant Stanfield · Post by **Grant Stanfield** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 11:27 am

Sorry- that last picture focused on the grasses in front of the boat rather than the boat itself; I did not want to get too close for fear of waking the napper on the stern seat...

Here are some better pics of the same boat just for fun...anybody recognize this boat? I did not talk with anyone on board before they motored away from the Algonac Harbour Club and back into the St. Clair River after the show.

Incidentally, you can have some fun with hull colors by going onto the Sherwin-Williams "Color Visualizer" and uploading a picture of your BOAT instead of your HOUSE to try any color in the rainbow on your Sea Skiff. I've been playing with a nice, clean profile shot of a 22' Open to try various liveries, right down to cushion colors- try it...it's free and entertaining!

Doug P · Post by **Doug P** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 2:47 pm

Sandusky paint offer Chris Craft and Lyman paints. Their yellow is called LURE YELLOW, I have also used their 2260 Clear Sealer and was EXTREMELY impressed with drying time, buildup and more. It does need a UV varnish over it for final coats. I have also used their varnish that was in a can over 5 years and NO Skin when reopened.

Chris Craft Buff (It ain\'t Yellow!)

Yellow Hull Paint

Chris Craft Buff (It ain't Yellow!)

Kirby's Cream Yellow

RED Skiff- part 2

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