Anchor patch: navy and whiteNavy cloth, white anchor, scarlet border, gold thread, khaki backing.
Awning stripes: navy and creamNavy stripes, cream stripes, red sign, tan door, pale blue sky.
Bunting on deck: navy and redNavy flag, white flag, red flag, yellow flag, cobalt blue flag.
Ferry funnel: red and navyRed funnel, cream cabin, navy hull, gray smoke, sky blue sky.
Harbor tug: scarlet and navyScarlet hull, navy waterline, cream wheelhouse, charcoal tires, khaki rope.
Lifebuoy: white and redWhite ring, red bands, navy rail, sand deck, sky blue sky.
Lighthouse bands: red and whiteRed bands, white tower, navy sea, gray rocks, pale blue sky.
Red rowboat: scarlet and navyScarlet hull, white trim, navy water, tan oars, cobalt blue ripples.
Regatta day: white and navyWhite sails, navy sea, scarlet spinnaker, sky blue sky, yellow buoy.
Sailor stripes: navy and whiteNavy stripes, white jersey, red scarf, gold buttons, tan rope belt.
Show all 40 palettes (30 more)
Rope, sail and wood 10
Brass compass: gold and sandGold case, sand dial, navy needle, scarlet north point, dark brown box.
Canvas hammock: sand and dark brownSand canvas, tan ropes, dark brown beams, navy blanket, white pillow.
Canvas sail: cream and brownCream sail, brown mast, khaki seams, sky blue sky, cobalt blue sea.
Chart table: cream and brownCream chart, sand coast, brown table, gold dividers, navy ink.
Coiled rope: tan and brownTan rope, brown deck, cream highlights, dark brown gaps, navy shade.
Deck planks: sand and dark brownSand planks, dark brown seams, brown rail, gold cleat, white rope.
Model ship: pale blue and brownPale blue glass case, brown hull, white sails, tan deck, khaki stand.
Net and corks: khaki and tanKhaki net, tan corks, sand quay, dark teal water, brown post.
Sea chest: dark brown and goldDark brown wood, gold hinges, tan rope handles, black lock, sand canvas lining.
Ship wheel: brown and goldBrown spokes, gold hub, dark brown shade, cream wall, khaki rope.
Harbor 10
Buoy wall: orange and yellowOrange buoy, yellow buoy, green buoy, gray wall, dark teal water.
Container stack: orange and cobalt blueOrange box, cobalt blue box, red box, gray crane, dark teal water.
Fish market: silver and pale blueSilver fish, pale blue ice, scarlet crates, yellow aprons, teal water.
Fishing fleet: teal and redTeal water, red hull, yellow hull, green hull, white cabins.
Gulls on the pier: white and yellowWhite gulls, silver wings, yellow beaks, tan pier, teal water.
Lobster pots: orange and dark tealTan pots, orange floats, turquoise rope, charcoal quay, dark teal water.
Low tide: brown and greenBrown mud, green weed, gray wall, white hull, turquoise water.
Net mending: green and orangeGreen net, orange floats, gray quay, cream twine, teal water.
Port and starboard: red and greenNavy water, red port light, green starboard light, white stern light, charcoal hull.
Quay cottages: butter yellow and coralButter yellow house, coral house, sky blue house, white trim, teal water.
Storm 10
Beam in the rain: butter yellow on navyNavy sky, dark gray cloud, denim blue sea, silver rain, butter yellow beam.
Bell buoy: red on charcoalCharcoal sky, gray cloud, dark teal swell, pale gray foam, red buoy.
Boots on deck: yellow on dark grayDark gray sky, charcoal deck, dusty blue puddles, silver rail, yellow boots.
Flare over the swell: scarlet on blackBlack sky, navy sea, dusty blue crests, pale gray smoke, scarlet flare.
Harbor mouth: green on dark grayDark gray sky, navy sea, gray breakwater, pale gray spray, green starboard light.
Lifeboat launch: orange on dark grayDark gray sky, dusty blue rain, navy sea, white spray, orange lifeboat.
Oilskin coat: yellow on charcoalCharcoal sky, dark gray cloud, dark teal sea, pale gray foam, yellow oilskin.
Red pennant: red on charcoalCharcoal sky, denim blue sea, dusty blue troughs, white caps, red pennant.
Storm lantern: amber on blackBlack sky, charcoal deck, denim blue sea, gray rain, amber lantern.
Wheelhouse glow: amber on navyNavy sky, charcoal hull, dusty blue waves, silver spray, amber window.
How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-08: palettes of five colors for boats and harbors, sorted by scene (navy, white and red; rope, sail and wood; harbor; storm). Every palette, name, color word, hex code and part is our own choice; none is sampled from a photograph or taken from a uniform, a flag code, a brand or a published palette. How a strip is ordered: each color is named for its part; a storm strip starts with the sky and ends with its one signal. Our own tests, not a standard: a Navy, white and red strip holds navy, a white or cream and a red or scarlet; a Rope, sail and wood strip holds three or more of tan, sand, cream, khaki, brown, dark brown and gold; a Harbor strip names its water and holds a bright color; in a Storm strip only the last color is strong (HSL saturation over 55 percent at a middle lightness) and it contrasts with the sky by 3 to 1 or more (the WCAG contrast ratio formula, https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html, used as our own threshold); no two colors of a palette are closer than 8 in CIE Lab; no two palettes share four codes. Facts in the page copy, checked on 2026-10-08 against English Wikipedia. Navigation light, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navigation_light: sailing vessels are in general required to carry a green light on the starboard side (the right side for a person aboard who faces the bow), a red one on the port side (the left) and a white one shining from the stern. Navy blue, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_blue: navy blue was first the name for the color of Royal Navy officers' uniforms. Which codes stand for these colors is our own choice. Color names are plain English words with no paint maker, pencil brand or color-matching system, and one word is one code everywhere on this list. Checked on 2026-10-08: every code is #RRGGBB, each color word fits the hue and lightness of its code, no palette, name or line repeats, and no palette is on another palette list of this site or of its sister sites. The hex codes are for a screen; with paint or pencils, take the nearest color. Licence: own work
How it works
These nautical color palettes come from boats and working harbors: striped jerseys, rope and sailcloth, painted hulls, a storm with one bright signal.
Read the full guide
Four scenes
The menu under the button keeps to one. Navy, white and red has navy, white or cream, and a red in every strip, as in Sailor stripes. Rope, sail and wood is mostly tan, sand, cream, khaki, brown and brass gold, often with a navy or a blue. Storm starts with the sky, keeps to grays, white and dark or dull sea colors, and ends on one signal: a yellow oilskin, an orange lifeboat, a red buoy.
A marine color palette, for the water
Choose Harbor. Its strips name their water, mostly in teal, dark teal or turquoise, and add bright hulls, buoys and floats: Fishing fleet puts a red, a yellow and a green hull on teal.
Questions and answers
What colors are in a nautical colour palette?
Navy, white and red first. Then the colors of rope, sailcloth and wood: tan, sand, cream and brown, with brass gold. Then the sea: teal, turquoise, dusty blue and the grays of a storm.
Why is navy blue called navy?
The name first meant the color of the uniforms of officers in Britain's Royal Navy. On this list navy is #172852, and it stands in every strip of the Navy, white and red group.
What do the red and green lights on a boat mean?
They mark its sides. A sailing vessel carries a red light on its port side, the left, a green light on its starboard side, the right, and a white light astern. The Port and starboard palette holds all three.
Is a nautical palette the same as a beach palette?
No. These are boats, rope and working harbors. Sand, shells and surf are on the page of beach color combinations.