1925 classic colours?

[johnforster]

Nowadays 90% of boats are white. Was this always so? There is a current trend towards painting classic hulls a deep cream, which gives a distinctive, nice old character, but is it authentic? And what about inside? The saloon of my [just acquired] 1925 Hillyard motor yacht is white, yet at that time domestic decor used an exciting range of gentle, contrasting art deco colours; wouldn't it have been natural to use these aboard pleasure boats? The current white in my saloon is garish and cold; it feels neither classic, luxurious nor cosy. Is this because it's a modern 'brilliant white' - might pre-war whites have been softer, creamier, more ivory? Can anyone remember, please?

 

[Mirelle]

Cannot remember, but can read about it

The elderly Claud Worth, the middle aged Francis B Cooke and the young Maurice Griffiths were all busy writing sailing books in 1925.

The great switch away from black as the only permitted hull colour had happened a few years earlier, and white was then common. However, none of the three writers listed liked white much.

Claud Worth favoured a dove grey for topsides; I assume that anything below deck was varnished or polished.

Francis Cooke makes an eloquent plea for "pastel colours" for topsides and likes white or cream painted cabins rather than the darkness of a varnished finish.

Ditto the young MG.

White paint would have been lead white, and would have ended the season rather yellow in any case.

 

[cliffordpope]

Re: Cannot remember, but can read about it

A previous owner of my boat was quoted in the 1920s as saying that a white hull was the only colour for a gentleman's yacht. He particularly objected to the cream that the next owner chose.
I've always had duck-egg blue, with the bulwark plank in contrasting dark blue.

 

[slowboat]

White reflects heat and therefore the seams move less. Personal dislike of mine, wooden boats painted cream with varnish work.

 

[grumpydog]

Well, David Hillyard himself painted his boats cream, at least until after the war.

 

[Seanick]

For topsides, my fave is Blakes Pearl White......especially at sunset..

 

[oldfrank]

Chap's yachts were either black, white or varnished. Old Frank