Boat Names & Decals
Custom-cut vinyl names, hailing ports, registration numbers, and stripes — designed against a photo of your own transom, then applied on the boat so the edges are straight and the letters stay put.
A boat name is the one piece of customising everyone sees and nobody forgets. It is also the one that looks worst when it's done badly: crooked, bubbled, or lifting at the corners after a single summer. We design it over a photo of your actual transom so you can see it before anything is cut, then apply it wet so it goes on flat and stays flat.
What's included
- Design proofs laid over a photo of your own boat, at true scale
- Cast marine vinyl rated for seven years or more outdoors
- Boat names, hailing ports, and custom script lettering
- California CF registration numbers placed to spec
- Cove stripes, sheer stripes, and accent graphics
- Metallic, gold-leaf effect, and shadowed or outlined lettering
- Old vinyl removed and adhesive residue cleaned off
- Applied on the boat, wet method, warranted against lifting
Getting the name right
Font and size
What looks generous on a phone screen is usually too small on a transom read from forty feet away across the water. We mock it up at true scale on your boat's own photo, which settles the argument fast.
Placement
Duffy transoms curve, and they sit at an angle. Lettering that's perfectly level on a flat drawing reads as tilted once it's on the boat, unless it's set to the sheer line rather than to gravity. This is the single most common thing we're called out to fix after a DIY install.
Colour
Gold and deep navy read best against a cream Duffy hull, and black reads well against white. White lettering on a light hull disappears at exactly the distance you most want it to be legible.
California registration numbers
CF numbers have to be plain block characters at least three inches high, in a colour that contrasts with the hull, placed on both sides of the forward half of the boat, with the validation sticker in the right relationship to them. We cut and place them to spec, so a lettering detail isn't what costs you an inspection.
Removing an old name
Sun-baked vinyl comes off in flakes and leaves a ghost outline where the gelcoat underneath hasn't faded at the same rate. We remove it, clean off the adhesive, and compound the area so your new name isn't sitting inside a faint rectangle of darker gelcoat.
Renaming a boat? Plenty of owners like to do the ceremony properly. We'll time the install for the day you want it and keep the new name covered until you're ready.
Typical pricing
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Boat name, single colour, up to 18″ | $180–280 |
| Boat name with shadow or outline | $260–420 |
| Name plus hailing port | $290–480 |
| CF registration numbers, both sides | $95 |
| Cove or sheer stripe, per side | $140–260 |
| Custom graphics or logo | Quoted from artwork |
| Old vinyl removal and clean-up | $60–180 |
Prices include design proofs, cutting, and installation on the boat anywhere in our service area. Gold leaf and speciality films are quoted separately.
How it works
Four steps, no surprises on the invoice
Design
Send us a photo of the transom and we'll come back with two or three layouts, drawn at true scale on your own boat.
Approve
Pick the layout, font, colour, and finish. Changes at this stage cost nothing — changes after cutting cost a new set of vinyl.
Cut
Plotted in cast marine vinyl and weeded by hand, with the application tape laid over the top.
Apply
Installed on the boat by the wet method, squeegeed out, edges sealed, and the tape pulled once it has set.
Common questions
Boat Names & Decals, answered
How long does the vinyl last?
Seven to ten years for the cast marine vinyl we use. The cheaper calendered film sold for signage shrinks and cracks in about three years on a boat, which is why we don't use it.
Can you match a logo I already have?
Yes. Send vector artwork if you have it, or a clean straight-on photo if you don't — we'll redraw it for cutting and show you the proof before anything is cut.
Do you apply it at my slip?
Yes, weather permitting. Vinyl needs a dry surface, temperatures above about 55°F, and not much wind, so we pick the day rather than forcing it.
Can I apply it myself?
We'll ship it pre-masked with instructions if you'd rather, and plenty of people do it well. We just can't warrant against lifting on an install we didn't do.
What about real gold leaf?
We do it, and on a classic Duffy it looks superb. There's also a gold vinyl that gets remarkably close for a fraction of the cost — worth seeing both samples on the boat before you decide.
How soon can it go on?
Three to seven days from proof approval, most of which is the cutting queue rather than the work itself.
Ready when you are
Tell us your boat and your harbor, and we'll come back with a free written estimate — usually within one business day.