recommendation on size of letters for boat name

[ocean ozzie]

Question to all those 25 cruiser owners.

We are putting the name on our 25 cruiser and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on what the hight and length of the letters should be. We are putting the name on both sides of the boat right below the windows.

thanks
ozzie

[thataway]

I like to have boat names "readable"--especially when you are approaching one and have to make radio contact. Coast Guard documentation requires at least 4" letters. States requre at least 3" letters and numbers. A lot depends on how long the name is. You might pluck a photo of a C Dory 25 and experiment with some scripts in your photo manipulation program (I use photoshop)--but there are lots of others available.

[JamesTXSD]

When we were designing a name style, I figured we had about 7.5 - 8" to work with on the name and still have a little white space above and below. Depending on whether you want the name all on one line (we wanted "Wild" to be above and smaller than "Blue" to fit the flow), your sizing will vary. We decided to go with two different type fonts and a "wave" type of line... this made the actual type size smaller. I printed it out on plain paper to see how it fit the area. Then I took the design to a local sign shop on a flash card... no layout work for them and exactly what I wanted. Other things to keep in mind: do you want the letters to slant, outline or shadow, graphic?

The CG requirements are only for documented boats. State registration size only pertains to your #s. It's your name, you get to have it the way you want - loud and proud or subtle! HTH

Best wishes,
Jim B.

[ocean ozzie]

Thank you for your reply.
ozzie

[hardee]

I don't have a 25, but just finished putting the name on Sleepy C, and it went well. The hardest, longest part of the job was picking the name. (6 months) The next hardest was finding the dealer, (several evenings on the net, because I knew what I wanted for a font. It needed to be large enought to read from a ways away. The space available is 8" plus the radius above and below. The third was getting the old name off, (couple hours) and then putting on the new name was relatively easy. the font had to be readable, and without sharp points, for less chance of catching a tip and peeling it. We both had to like it, and it had to have a sleepy slant. I like the simple fonts, easier to read. Larger the better, as long as it fits into the space available.
Sleepy C

[Alyssa Jean]

Try this site out. You can type in your boats name, change the font, color, add shading, slant it right or left, etc.

https://www.myboatsign.com/

[Nan-C]

David,

Thank you for the link for boat name graphics. This is just what we have been looking for.

Greg

[bonnieinmd]

The BoatUS website also has a boat lettering section where you can try out different fonts, effects, etc.

I just tried out the one we are planning to order on the other site and the BoatUS site was significantly less costly.

Good luck!
Bonnie

[thataway]

Another technnique is to print out the letters on a sheet of paper using the computer, cut them out and tape them in place (the letters do not have to be solid, just an outline will work--and you can color them if you wish".

We have always used a local sign shop--it may be slightly more expensive than an internet provider, but there is a lot of lattitude in graphic design. (The fingers pointing opposite way's in the "thataway" logo for example. )

[Adeline]

I stumbled onto a real cool boat name HERE. I pm'ed him. He gathered several images online and took them to "Signs Now" in Beaverton, Oregon where they photoshopped them into the "Nookie Monster." Sorta the Sesame Street Character holding a chinook. It is a "mirror image" vinyl applique, sticky side out nested beneath an acrylic platter and siliconed to the side of his boat.

[denny48]

We just received our boat letters today from BoatUS. We had never applied any decals before, but the company's website videos and printed instructions with the lettering made it an easy job. Our letters were limited to 5" in height because of our hull configuration and placement preference.

Two sets of vinyl letters were delivered in about 10 days from order date and cost $142.00 including background shadow and outline effects.

We posted a 4 picture album so you can see the procedure. If we can do it, anybody can!

[Sneaks]

[denny48]

Don,

We used BoatUS because they were recommended here. Wish I had been able to read your thread before ordering our lettering. I would have given that a try.

Looks like we bought ourselves a nice little $100 applicator. And here I thought they threw that in for free!

Denny

[snal]

Our letters are 5" tall for the boat name, and 2" tall for the home port. 2 each, 2-line decals (37" x 8.5") were $40, complete with applicator, at the local Kinkos, and same day service!

[Jack in Alaska]

The name/port was hand painted on my boat in my father-in-laws driveway in Puyallup, Wash in 1983 when we purchased the boat at the factory. It was done one bright Sunday afternoon by his 80 yr. old brother-in-law who was a retired artist/sign painter for Nordstroms in Seattle.
I gave him the names I wanted and location on the boat and he did the rest. We kept him in gin & tonics while doing it. All went perfectly well until the last name on the transom. He spelled Alaska wrong (Alaksa)so we had to scrub it off with solvent and he did it again.
Too many G & T's maybe.
The only surviving hand painted one is on the transom and we take good care of it and still laugh at his mistake.