Get Your Name On!


All of our boat have names, right? So how come only about HALF of us have our boats sporting their names on their hulls? Before launching this Spring, it is the PERFECT time to get your name on. Due to advances in technology, the cost of adding a quality lettered name to a boat is very low. Do you want to learn more? Follow the story after the break.


In the past, lettering was applied by hand with paint. This was a job for an artist, and the cost reflected that. Now, computer cut vinyl lettering has dropped the price to insanely cheap levels. There is NO reason not to have your boat's name proudly displayed!

My favorite supplier of lettering is DoItYourself Lettering.com. Beyond being very reasonable cost wise, they are very customer focused. The first time I used them, I made a mistake with the color of the lettering. I emailed them, and them sent me the correct color, FOR FREE. They made a customer for life.

The first thing you have to do is create your name on-line. That's easy with the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)  creation tool. As you can see in the screen shot below, the two prints of the lettering I had made cost less that $40. That's a great deal.


A few days later, your lettering arrives. I'll give you a brief introduction on how to apply it.



The first task is to mark off the top edge of where you want to name to go with painters tape. This will give you a guide to follow. In my example, I marked a line 8 inches below the toe rail.


Now, you start to apply the lettering, keeping the top edge of the roll aligned with the tape. One person can do this job, but having a helper to keep the roll going straight really is a plus. The goal is to keep wrinkles out of the letters. Wrinkles in the paper outside the lettering is OK. Often wrinkles in the letters can be smoothed with pressure after the roll is down. Press the letters in hard  to the hull to make sure they are secure. Then slowly peel off the backing. Done!



Perfect! Your boat will thank you. You still have time to do this BEFORE getting on the water. It is MUCH easier to do the lettering on the hard, as opposed to trying to do it from a tender on the water. I have no affiliation with DIY Lettering, besides being a satisfied customer. Their web site is HERE

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