Unsure on which colour scheme to use for your narrowboat?
You’re not alone. It’s one of the most difficult decisions that narrowboaters face, especially since a paint job is hard work, not to mention expensive. It’s not exactly something you can change every couple of months unless you have a huge budget.
We’ve put together a complete guide to narrowboat paint designs, including what to consider when choosing one and some colour scheme examples. That way, you can make an informed decision before customising your boat.
Traditional narrowboat paint designs
Before choosing a colour scheme for your narrowboat, it’s good to discover what’s already out there. You can then decide whether you want to go down the traditional route or try something a little more unique.
Better still, you could take inspiration from traditional narrowboat colour schemes and create something entirely new!
The most common colours seen on traditional narrowboats include:
- red
- burgundy
- dark green
- dark blue
- gold
- yellow
- white
- black
Usually, there’s a combination of three of these colours, with one on the body, one on the roof, and one providing accents of colour across the stern.
Other traditional narrowboat paint designs are elaborate, with patterns dotted around the boat’s sides.
Lighter colours such as white or gold are typically used for hand-painted signwriting, another common feature on traditional narrowboats. It’s used to display:
- the owner’s name
- the owner’s hometown
- the boat’s name
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Modern narrowboat owners will sometimes opt for vinyl lettering to save time and effort or achieve a more contemporary look.
Tips for choosing a narrowboat paint design
1. Know your budget
Cost is the first thing to consider. By knowing how much you’re prepared to spend, you’ll have a good starting point for deciding your colour scheme and overall design.
There are two options when it comes to painting your narrowboat. You can either pay a specialist trader to complete the work or have a stab at it yourself.
Paying a trader is more expensive, but you may want to enlist the help of a professional if you have a specific look or finish in mind yet have no prior experience painting narrowboats.
If you’re handy with a paintbrush and want to give it a go, you’ll need to create a budget for paint, equipment, and dock hire.
Since the boat must be lifted out of the water to be painted, hiring a dock space to carry out the work is necessary. This can be anywhere from £150-£1000 per week, so opting for a cheaper space is wise.
As far as paint goes, block colours will be less expensive since less paint is required. An overall paint job will cost £3,000-£4,000.
Related: How to paint a narrowboat step-by-step
2. Aim for longevity
Choosing colours that withstand the test of time is important.
Longevity influences cost, as going for a colour scheme that requires heavy maintenance to stay looking good will cost you more in the long run.
Of all the colours, red is one of the most problematic. While it’s popular in many traditional narrowboat paint designs, it tends to fade when exposed to the elements. Sunlight could lift it to a worn shade of pink if it’s not topped up after a few years.
White is best avoided when it comes to choosing block colours. Thanks to its heat-deflecting abilities, it’s a great choice for your roof, but it’s the worst shade for picking up every piece of dust or dirt you encounter on the canals.
For a paint job that lasts, experiment with colour schemes on the medium-dark spectrum.
3. Avoid heat-retaining roof colours
Colours such as black or darker shades of blue or green could massively increase the temperature of your cabin in the summer months, especially if used on the roof.
When the sunlight hits darker surfaces, its wavelengths are absorbed and converted into heat, which is then trapped within these surfaces.
This is why solar panels have a dark surface, as they convert the heat radiated from the sun into energy.
If a dark narrowboat roof is exposed to sunlight for a prolonged period, it transfers the heat into the cabin below as it continues to absorb it. This is how it can become unbearably hot in there.
You could go for a narrowboat colour scheme that includes a light-coloured roof to avoid this. For example, this could be:
- white
- cream
- beige
- light blue
- light green
- light grey
Related: Funny narrowboat names to inspire you
4. Research existing narrowboat colour schemes
Without knowing what’s out there already, it isn’t easy to envision what you want.
Whether you’ve got a traditional or more modern narrowboat paint design in mind, research is key to unlocking your imagination and deciding on a colour scheme that works for you.
We’ve put together some real-life examples below, but for now, you may find these paint scheme examples from The Fitout Pontoon helpful.
As you’ll see, they follow most of the rules we’ve laid out above.
5. Decide on your aesthetic
Many owners see their narrowboat’s paint design as a way of expressing themselves on the waterways.
Since the gongoozler community is so quirky, it can be fun to brainstorm ways to breathe life into your boat’s design and make it your own.
A great way to decide on the aesthetic you want to go for is by taking inspiration from other narrowboat owners and combining this with your unique interests and tastes.
But where can you get access to a range of narrowboat designs without cruising the canals for weeks?
Try browsing Instagram using #narrowboat specific hashtags or skip to our narrowboat paint design ideas section below.
Related: Complete guide to fitting out a narrowboat
6. Don’t forget about resale value
If you’re thinking about trading in or selling your boat in the future, it could be better to steer clear of going for an extravagant narrowboat colour scheme.
Potential buyers will need to consider how much work renovating your boat would entail, especially if they’re also considering purchasing a sailaway narrowboat.
You want them to take one look at your boat and see it as almost finished.
No matter how great your narrowboat’s interior is, an over-the-top paint scheme that requires hours of scraping to remove could scupper its chances of selling.
Narrowboat paint design ideas
We’ve put together some examples of real-life narrowboat exteriors to unlock your creative spark.
The Instagram narrowboat community is thriving, and there’s no better place to go for inspiration than the waterways themselves. After looking through the designs below, you’ll hopefully have a stronger idea of what you want for your boat.
1.
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Blue is calming by nature, and this shade is reminiscent of clear skies.
The pink accent provides a lovely pop of colour whilst paying homage to traditional narrowboat paint design. It creates the illusion of panels but adds a real modern flair.
The signwriting and decal are unique and set a lovely tone for the theme of this narrowboat.
2.
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This gorgeous semi-traditional narrowboat is painted midnight blue and jade, giving it a modern twist. However, the intricate design on the hull draws inspiration from times gone by.
It also has a white roof that blends nicely with the rest of the design and certainly helps to reflect the sun’s heat in the warmer months!
3.
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As far as modern narrowboat paint designs go, this deviates heavily from the traditional.
If you’re looking for a bright and cheerful colour scheme, this one will certainly provide some inspiration.
Lime green, sky blue, and white blend together to create a fresh finish that will stand out from the crowd in every marina and blend in nicely with the backdrop of the greenery along the waterways.
4.
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We had to include an ultra-traditional narrowboat paint design as part of our list. The staple red, black and cream colour scheme is timeless and works well on any narrowboat.
It does have a red roof, but this is mainly covered with solar panels—a mod-con that makes living aboard cheaper and more environmentally friendly. They also give the overall design a modern touch.
5.
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Our final example is this stunning and ultra-modern narrowboat paint design.
The colour scheme of light grey and black creates an incredibly sleek appearance. It also requires little maintenance compared to those with intricate designs, especially since the colours are much less likely to fade over the years.
Specialist narrowboat insurance from Insure4Boats
Since you put so much effort into designing and maintaining your narrowboat, you need to make sure it’s protected through the right insurance.
At Insure4Sport, our specialist narrowboat insurance protects your boat against theft, accidental damage, malicious damage, and salvage charges.
Our policies also include £3m Third Party Liability as standard, so you’re covered if you’re involved in an accident on the waterways and cause damage to another boat or injure another person.
Click the button below to discover how we can help and get an instant online quote today.
Please note the information provided on this page should not be taken as advice and has been written as a matter of opinion. For more on insurance cover and policy wording, see our homepage.
