Sailor-shirt stone: navy stripes, a wide neck, short sleevesWhite, navy. A blocky stone as the body; thin level stripes across it; a curved neckline at the top edge.
Foggy lighthouse: pale tower on a gray stone, a yellow lampGray, pale gray, yellow. The tower one shade lighter than the stone; soft edges; the lamp is the only bright dot.
Upturned dinghy on a domed stone, the keel along the topWhite, blue, brown. Plank lines running end to end down both sides; one brown keel stripe over the dome.
Cargo ship along a long stone, colored boxes stacked on deckDark blue, red, orange, green, white. A low hull; three rows of small rectangles above it; a bridge at one end.
Catamaran of three stones: two long hulls, one sail acrossWhite, blue, yellow. Two long pebbles side by side a little apart; a triangle stone laid over both as the sail.
Fishing boat on a one-bump stone, the bump its wheelhouseBlue, white, orange. A window on the bump; a mast and a net line behind it; a number painted at the bow.
Harbor set: six hull pebbles moored along a long quay stoneSix bright colors, gray, white. A number on each small hull; chalk a rope from each to the long gray stone.
Sailboat leaning with a slanted stone, spray at the low endWhite, navy, pale blue. Mast and sails follow the slope of the stone; swab-dab spray where the bow meets the water.
Stern board stone lettered with a boat name of your ownNavy, white, gold. A wide stone as the flat back of a boat: a made-up name in an arc, a home port in small capitals.
Tall ship's mast up a tall stone, three square sails stackedCream, brown, black. One mast from base to tip; three sails, each smaller than the one below; rope lines to the edges.
Tugboat on a blocky stone, a fat funnel and a row of fendersRed, black, white, yellow. A tall wheelhouse and one wide funnel; black rings along the side as the fenders.
Two-masted schooner along a long stone, sails overlappingCream, brown, navy. A dark hull along the base; two masts, the front one shorter; a sail behind each, jibs ahead.
Two-sided sailboat: sails up on the front, furled behindWhite, navy, red. The same hull on both faces; full sails on one; on the other a bare mast and a rolled sail.
Two-stone sailboat: a half-moon hull under a triangle sailNavy, white, red. Flat side up on the hull stone, one red stripe along it; a mast line on the sail stone above.
Upturned dinghy on a domed stone, the keel along the topWhite, blue, brown. Plank lines running end to end down both sides; one brown keel stripe over the dome.
Anchors and knots 12
Anchor down a tall stone, ring on top, arms to both edgesNavy, white. A ring, a crossbar under it, one straight shank; two curved arms at the base ending in pointed flukes.
Anchor left as bare stone, navy painted all around itNavy only. Draw the anchor in pencil, then paint everything outside the line; the stone itself is the anchor.
Anchor on the front, its rope over the edge to a coil behindWhite, tan, navy. A rope from the ring runs off the top, over the edge, and ends in a flat coil on the back.
Chain of oval link pebbles running from one anchor stoneGray, black, white. A pen oval on each small pebble; lay them end to end, every second one turned on its side.
Clove hitch around a tall stone standing in as the dock postGray, tan, brown. Stand the stone on end; two turns of rope painted right around it with one slanted crossing.
Figure-eight knot on a two-lobed stone, a loop in each lobeTan, brown, white. One thick rope line crossing itself at the waist of the stone; twist marks along it.
Flat round stone as a coiled rope mat, a frayed tail endTan, brown. One rope line spiraling from the center to the edge with short twist marks; fray the last end.
Name in one line of painted rope along a long stoneTan, brown, white. Joined-up letters as a single rope with twist marks; a small knot at the start and the end.
Reef knot split across two stones that meet in the middleTwo rope colors, tan. Half the knot on each stone, one rope color to a side; push them together to finish it.
Rope twist border around the rim, one small anchor insideNavy, tan, white. A navy stone; slanted tan dashes side by side all the way around the edge; a white anchor.
Round pebble as a glass float in a painted rope netSea green, white, tan. Green all over with one white shine; a net of tan diamonds knotted where the lines cross.
Round pebble as a monkey's fist knot, rope woven all aroundTan, brown. Rope strands woven over and under each other right around the pebble, like a ball of rope.
Lighthouses 12
Foggy lighthouse: pale tower on a gray stone, a yellow lampGray, pale gray, yellow. The tower one shade lighter than the stone; soft edges; the lamp is the only bright dot.
House on stilts with a lamp on its roof, on a blocky stoneWhite, red, brown, yellow. A small square house on four crossed legs over water; a lamp room in the middle of the roof.
Island set: a tower stone stood among gray rock pebblesWhite, red, gray. One upright lighthouse stone; a ring of bare pebbles around its foot, three with a white foam line.
Lantern room pebble, panes all around, for a tall bare stoneBlack, yellow, red. Two stones: yellow panes between black bars around a small pebble, a red roof; rest it on top.
Lighthouse on its cliff: tower on top, the lower half bareWhite, red, green. A short tower and a strip of grass on the upper half; the rough bare stone below is the rock.
Lighthouse stone with three yellow wedge pebbles as its beamWhite, red, yellow. Four stones: stand the tower; lay the wedges in a line from the lamp, the smallest nearest.
Night lighthouse on a black stone, only lit parts paintedBare dark stone, yellow, white. No tower outline: a lamp, two small windows and one pale beam out to the rim.
Stacked lighthouse: four flat stones, a lamp pebble on topRed, white, yellow. Paint two stones red and two white, the edges too; stack them by turns; the lamp is yellow.
Storm wave up the back of a lighthouse stone, over its topWhite, red, deep blue, turquoise. The tower on the front; a wave painted up the back, foam spilling over the edge.
Tapered stone as a tower: wide base, red cap on the pointWhite, red, black, yellow. White all over; a red roof on the tip; a yellow band of windows under it; a door at the base.
Three tower stones, short to tall, a different pattern eachWhite, red, black. Three upright stones: red bands on one, black diamonds on one, the third white with a red roof.
Two-sided lighthouse: day in front, night and a beam behindWhite, red, blue, navy, yellow. The same tower on each face; blue sky on one; a dark sky and a yellow beam on the other.
Flags and stripes 12
Channel buoy on a cone-shaped stone, a number in whiteRed or green, white, pale blue. One solid color; a white numeral on the side; a waterline of pale blue at the base.
Code flag Lima on a square stone, yellow and black quartersYellow, black. Cross the face once each way; yellow in two opposite quarters, black in the other two.
Code flag November on a square stone, blue and white checksBlue, white. Rule the face into four rows of four squares and fill every second one, like a small checkerboard.
Dressed mast up a tall stone, flags strung to both edgesBrown, mixed flag colors. One mast up the middle; a line from its top down to each side, hung with small squares.
Hull stone: red below a taped waterline, navy above itRed, navy, white. Tape a level line around the stone; paint each side; peel, and fill the gap with a white stripe.
Life ring on a round stone: four red bands, a bare middleWhite, red, tan. A wide white ring at the rim crossed by four red bands; a rope line looped between them.
PORT and STARBOARD pair: a red pebble and a green oneRed, green, white. The word in white capitals on each; red for port, the left side, green for starboard, the right.
Sailor collar on a round stone: navy square, white stripesNavy, white, red. A wide collar shape across the upper half with two white lines near its edge; a red knot below.
Sailor-shirt stone: navy stripes, a wide neck, short sleevesWhite, navy. A blocky stone as the body; thin level stripes across it; a curved neckline at the top edge.
Three lobster buoys on long pebbles, each banded differentlyAny six colors. Two or three wide bands on each pebble, no two alike; a thin stick painted at one end.
WELCOME ABOARD lettered between two navy stripesWhite, navy, red. White base; a navy band along the top and bottom edges; capitals in red across the middle.
Your name in signal flags, one square pebble for each letterFlag colors as a code chart shows them. Find the flag for each letter; paint one to a blocky pebble; lay them in order.
How it works
Boats, anchors, knots and lighthouses, with the sea creatures left to the ocean list: these 48 nautical painted rock ideas come 12 to a group, and half of the boats carry sails.
Read the full guide
Sail boat painted rock ideas
Two stones make the simplest boat in Two-stone sailboat: a half-moon hull under a triangle sail. A stone that will not sit level is a boat in a breeze in Sailboat leaning with a slanted stone, spray at the low end. A long one carries Two-masted schooner along a long stone, sails overlapping.
Knots a stone can hold
A round pebble is the right shape for Round pebble as a monkey's fist knot, rope woven all around. Stand a tall stone on end and it becomes the post in Clove hitch around a tall stone standing in as the dock post.
Questions and answers
What are easy nautical rocks to paint?
One color is enough for Anchor left as bare stone, navy painted all around it. Two colors and a ruler make Code flag Lima on a square stone, yellow and black quarters.
How do you paint a lighthouse on a rock?
Use the stone as the tower. A tapered one takes a roof, windows and a door in Tapered stone as a tower: wide base, red cap on the point. Flat ones pile into Stacked lighthouse: four flat stones, a lamp pebble on top.
What colors are nautical?
White, red and navy are the colors this list names most, with tan for the rope and yellow for the lamps. Red also stands for port and green for starboard, as on PORT and STARBOARD pair: a red pebble and a green one.