What shade of red was used in the gun decks of 18th century British ships bulwarks?

[bear]

Ahoy Mates

 

I have heard conflicting views on the red that was used for the bulwarks of the gun decks on British ships. From bright red to a almost hull red. Which is the real color that was used?

 

Thanks Keith from Troutdale.

[mtaylor]

I think the answer is:  "depends".   Paints at that time were mixed by various folks and not pre-mixed like today so color would vary.  Aging of the paint after painting would also mean that it's varied dependent upon when was the last time it was painted.  

 

I think the answer is basically... use what looks good to your eye.

[vossiewulf]

My understanding was that they primarily used red ochre, which was about the cheapest paint color you could get. That's why I chose more of a brick red than a crimson red that you see on some ships. I don't understand the crimson reds, that would have been a pretty expensive paint at the time (as far as I know, which is admittedly not very far).

[Jsk]

I suspect that first coming out of the yard probably the cheapest paint had been used. But Captains had a lot of discretion when it came to maintenance. Some had more money to spend than others.