Since we are talking about wood rather than GRP,  as many and as varied as today.   Including,  of course,  white.

One that I recall seeing in the late sixties,  at a West Lancs 24-hour race,  was dayglo orange,  and emblazoned with the boat’s name in large italic block lettering  –  UZKANOPIT.   Clearly “clever” names are not a new phenomenon.

One colour scheme amongst the many that greatly attracted me when I bought my second GP (white when I bought her) was navy blue,  with white bottom.   See photo attached.   That was an idea shamelessly borrowed from one or two other boats,  and I thought she looked superb.   See photo attached.

However the gloss was taken off that idea when I saw an even better one,  on an advertising picture (for sailing clothing;   all white hull except for two stripes of varnish,  the upper one broad and the lower one narrow.   That was so stunning that I lost no time when next convenient in refinishing my then boat to this fresh idea,  using 3″ width for the top varnish stripe,  then 1″ white,  1″ varnish,  and the rest white.    See photo,  albeit that this is half-coloured from a monochrome photo.   I then made that my personal colour scheme for each of my subsequent GPs,  culminating in A Capella.    See photos attached of Strait Laced and A Capella.

Oliver

My own GP. #5942 and built in 1964 was a rather uninspired shade of green. Not light green, not dark green.. just green

Currently I have her painted a rather fetching shade of dark Red. “See red” on Kirby’s Pallet