boat graphics

[QuickMick]

my buddy is a graphic designer and is making me a boat name/design file to take to the sign makers. i was wondering if there is a rule of thumb as to how big it should be to look right, i dont want it too puny or to gargantuan.... its going to be on the stern transom..

[redline]

If yours is a documented vessel, there may be legal requirements on what size lettering. On my previous (Canadian) boat the smallest letters had to be 3" tall (which the signmaker just could not comprehend applied to the "i" on a mix of upper/lowercase ******), though in practice I don't think they're as fussy with recreational vessels. But it sure would be a pain to have to do it over for a half-inch or so.

[SecondWindNC]

Best thing to do would be to measure the space. There are requirements for letter height for CG documented vessels, but otherwise just go with what fits. Run a measuring tape across the stern, leaving some space on either side, and get an estimate of how wide you want it to be. Make sure to account for any obstacles like swim ladder mounts or exhaust outlets.

Don't know how your stern compares to this one, but here's a picture that shows the general proportions of the name on (formerly) my Pearson 30. Unfortunately I don't remember the height/width details.

[sailingfool]

Most names I see seem to go their own way, other than the hailing port is usually a block letter, four inches or more...the rule says simply "clearly legible" and at least 4 inches, here is the rule:
Justia :: 46 C.F.R. §*67.123***Name and hailing port marking requirements.

[BreakingWind2]

This is the graphic on my transom

[MJBrown]

When we did ours in 08 I did some estimates based on the area we had to work with. Then I went to the boat yard and measured some of the boats in our size. Once we settled on the size the sign shop cut us a quick sample for us to tape to the boat. We're more than happy with the final product.