Paint

[Sid Charles]

Hi

Can anyone tell me the name and make of that nice deep red that I see a lot of, a boat painter showed me some of those test cards and I chose it, he gave me the name of the colour and said it would have to be mixed specially, he said it was a colour that Queen Victoria liked (if that helps) well I forgot to write the info down, all the usual manufacturers do red and crimson, but it isn't quite the colour I wanted, maybe someone could guide me on this.

 

Thanks

Edited March 24 by Sid Charles

[matty40s]

Depends how deep a red.

You could be talking Ayers Ref, Alfa Red, or Post Office Red. Masons Middle Red is lovely...but has to be mixed to order.

 

...or you could be talking Bounty Red, Plum, Mercedes Red  etc...which are verging on the purple.

Edited March 24 by matty40s

[Rob-M]

We have Ferrari red from Symphony on our handrails.

[Sid Charles]

29 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Depends how deep a red.

You could be talking Ayers Ref, Alfa Red, or Post Office Red. Masons Middle Reed is lovely...but has to be mixed to order.

 

...or you could be talking Bounty Red, Plum, Mercedes Red  etc...which are verging on the purple.

Matty

It is a sort of plum colour, deffo not post office, what is Ayers?

[Lady M]

Why not have a browse of the colours on the Craftmaster website.  Also don't overlook that the colour you have seen may have weathered from the original.

[Tonka]

Manchester Red ? 

 

You do know that red paint fades more then other colours

[Sid Charles]

16 minutes ago, Lady M said:

Why not have a browse of the colours on the Craftmaster website.  Also don't overlook that the colour you have seen may have weathered from the original.

I have and it isn't any of them

[BEngo]

Have a Goigle for 'BS381C  colour chart'   These are specifically  for paint. Any paint mixer should be able to replicate them if given the reference.

 

You can also look at Pantone colours, but these are for printing inks so are more difficult to get mixed right as paints .

 

There are other standard colour ranges.

Edited March 24 by BEngo

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, Lady M said:

Why not have a browse of the colours on the Craftmaster website.  

But be aware that different screens render colours differently, so what you see on screen might not be that close to the actual paint colour. Better to get an actual paint card.

[PaulJ]

2 hours ago, matty40s said:

Depends how deep a red.

You could be talking Ayers Ref, Alfa Red, or Post Office Red. Masons Middle Reed is lovely...but has to be mixed to order.

 

...or you could be talking Bounty Red, Plum, Mercedes Red  etc...which are verging on the purple.

Sometimes being colour blind isnt so bad.

Its just Red -or is it green 😀

[PaulD]

Brewers have dozens of paint charts - I was able to find a perfect match for touching up. You can also choose from several solvent bases. My colour match with Craftmaster wasn’t good (some time ago) - I do like their paint but use standard colours.

[IanM]

So let me get this right.  You're asking people to name a shade of red that is popular but only you know for certain what it looks like?  Oh, apart from Queen Victoria. 🤣

 

A picture would probably help a great deal!

Edited March 24 by IanM

[IanD]

1 hour ago, BEngo said:

Have a Goigle for 'BS381C  colour chart'   These are specifically  for paint. Any paint mixer should be able to replicate them if given the reference.

 

You can also look at Pantone colours, but these are for printing inks so are more difficult to get mixed right as paints .

 

There are other standard colour ranges.

RAL is more common as a standard nowadays, and makes it easier to match paints/coatings from different suppliers -- for example I used it to get powder-coated portholes which matched the cabin sides (RAL7001 silver grey).

 

https://www.ralcolorchart.com/

 

 

Edited March 24 by IanD

[Tony Brooks]

1 hour ago, BEngo said:

Have a Goigle for 'BS381C  colour chart'   These are specifically  for paint. Any paint mixer should be able to replicate them if given the reference.

 

Or BS4880, or RAL Classic colours. There are several other ranges, but one in those three will be the most likely.

 

I noticed that BS4800 04D45 is named as dark Cherry, Russet, or Monarch, could this be it.

 

It and the other colour charts are here, but be aware the actual colour and screen colour are likely to be different (as said before).

 

https://www.e-paint.co.uk/BS-4800-colour-chart.asp

Edited March 24 by Tony Brooks

[matty40s]

3 hours ago, Sid Charles said:

Matty

It is a sort of plum colour, deffo not post office, what is Ayers?

Ayers is too light then.

This boat has Bounty red, very popular at present.

Any darker than that and you are in the Plum, Maroon, mercedes red territory.

Edited March 24 by matty40s

[system 4-50]

4 hours ago, Tonka said:

You do know that red paint fades more then other colours

This ^^^^

Whatever the shade you buy it won't be that shade for too long.  imho.

 

 

… I do still have quite a bit of Buckingham green available 😁😁😁

Edited March 24 by system 4-50

[zenataomm]

You can get too pedantic when it comes to introducing paint to boats.
Really it is all down to preparation.  It matters not a jot what overalls/gloves or masks you wear, you'll always end up adorning yourself more than the boat.

 

If you tend to tie your boat up facing the same way then the sun will bleach one side more than the other.  So plan to paint one side twice as much as the other.  As a boat approaches you it's easy to tell how recently they last painted it.  If the towpath is on their left they stay in the middle of the cut not wanting to move over into the bushes and twiggies to let you past.
 

However you approach painting your boat I recommend you view it as lending your craft a splash of pigment for a year perhaps two.
So far as I'm concerned my purpose is to slap on some protection and the thicker the better.  If it happens to look decorative too then it's a bonus. 

Although it is like weeding your garden and will need doing again sooner than you wanted.

[Sid Charles]

2 hours ago, system 4-50 said:

This ^^^^

Whatever the shade you buy it won't be that shade for too long.  imho.

 

 

… I do still have quite a bit of Buckingham green available 😁😁😁

I'm only painting the panels in this colour

2 hours ago, matty40s said:

Ayers is too light then.

This boat has Bounty red, very popular at present.

Any darker than that and you are in the Plum, Maroon, mercedes red territory.

Matty, that is close but like you say darker and you are into maroon, that paintwork is lovely

The charts which Tony Brooks sent are very helpful, I seem to be drawn to Deep Plum or Loganberry, but would love to see them in the flesh, so if I am using roller and laying off with a good brush is it a coach paint I'm looking for, do you think Craftmaster could mix me a colour, I like their paints.

[cuthound]

Red is very prone to fading to a pinky colour.

 

I've found International Paints Rochelle Red to be better at resisting fade than other reds, especially if it is waxed twice a year, but it has a slightly orange tint to it.

Edited March 25 by cuthound
Phat phingers

[Sid Charles]

Just had a chat with them at Craftmaster paints and I'm getting a small tin of Crimson Lake to test, I'm way off yet because I need to flatten my primer and apply undercoat etc before any finished colour goes on, and I am working outdoors (no polytunnel) I used to paint machinery either brush and roller or spray, so I'm fairly up to speed with paints, just need warm weather and a few less fly's.

[Tony Brooks]

34 minutes ago, Sid Charles said:

The charts which Tony Brooks sent are very helpful, I seem to be drawn to Deep Plum or Loganberry, but would love to see them in the flesh, so if I am using roller and laying off with a good brush is it a coach paint I'm looking for, do you think Craftmaster could mix me a colour, I like their paints.

 

I tried Masons (after their take-over), Craftmaster, a local trade pain supplier, a general paint supplier similar to Epaint, and finally Johnstons. All oil based gloss. I found the ease of application and finish from the Johnstons superior to the others, but I am no painter. I think oil based gloss is all you need, For inland use I would certainly not pay for a "marine" paint. Virtually any paint suppler who supplies the trade is likely to be able to mix to a BS or RAL colour.

[matty40s]

The fairly new Toplac Plus from International is very forgiving for outside painting...can be rolled and laid off very smoothly.

Downside is the 750ml tin size.

Edited March 24 by matty40s

[blackrose]

9 hours ago, IanM said:

 

A picture would probably help a great deal!

 

It might help a bit. It would at least be a reasonable starting point despite everyone's screen showing a slightly different colour. 

[Sid Charles]

On 24/03/2026 at 12:11, matty40s said:

Ayers is too light then.

This boat has Bounty red, very popular at present.

Any darker than that and you are in the Plum, Maroon, mercedes red territory.

Going back to paints, I decided on Crimson Lake and Graphite grey; however, today I did a test patch with the grey and it's far too dark, what is the grey on this boat, it looks a great job by the way.