Boat Lettering
& Numbers
Boat names, hailing ports, Texas registration numbers and validation decals — cut, laid out and applied properly.
Registration numbers are regulated, not decorative. We cut them to the state's rules and design the name around them instead of the other way round.
Lettering, Names & Numbers
The smallest marine job we do, and the one most often done badly.
Cut vinyl is unforgiving — spacing, scale and placement are the whole job, and none of it can be fudged once it is on the hull.
Registration numbers
TX numbers cut to the state's rules and placed where they are required.
What it covers+
Texas sets minimums on character height, style and contrast, and specifies placement on the forward half of both sides. Get any of that wrong and you are looking at a correction notice. We cut plain block characters at the required height in a colour that genuinely contrasts with your hull.
Boat names
The transom name, in a typeface and layout that suits the boat.
What it covers+
This is the piece owners care most about and the one most likely to be done badly. Scale, spacing and where it sits relative to the transom shape matter more than the font choice.
Hailing ports
The port of registry beneath the name, where you want or need it.
What it covers+
Documented vessels have requirements about this. We lay it out with the name as one considered block rather than bolting it on afterwards.
Shadowed & layered lettering
Drop shadows, outlines and multi-colour builds.
What it covers+
Layered vinyl is what separates lettering that looks applied from lettering that looks painted on. It is cut and weeded as separate layers and aligned on the hull.
Validation decals
The annual registration stickers, placed correctly alongside the numbers.
What it covers+
Small thing, easy to get wrong, and it is what an officer looks at first.
Removal & replacement
Taking off the previous owner's name cleanly.
What it covers+
Old lettering leaves shadowed gelcoat and adhesive behind. Removing it properly and prepping the area is most of the work in a rename — the new lettering is the easy part.
What Texas Actually Requires
Registration numbers are a compliance item, and the rules are specific.
This is the part owners most often get wrong when they buy letters online and apply them themselves.
| Requirement | What it means | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Plain block characters | No script, no heavy stylisation | Has to be readable at distance by an officer |
| Minimum character height | Set by the state, not by taste | Undersized numbers are the most common violation |
| Contrasting colour | Must stand out against the hull | Dark numbers on a dark hull will not pass |
| Forward half, both sides | Placement is specified, not optional | Numbers on the transom do not satisfy it |
| Separated hyphen or space | Between the letter and number groups | Small detail, still part of the spec |
| Validation decals alongside | Current stickers, correctly positioned | Checked together with the numbers |
Straight Talk
Three things we would rather say up front than after you have paid a deposit.
The first one is the most important thing on this page.
We are an automotive shop moving into marine
Say it plainly: we built our reputation on cars, not boats.
What to know+
The films, the tools and the install skill transfer directly — a compound curve is a compound curve. What we do not have is years of marine-specific history, and we will not pretend otherwise. If you want a shop with a decade of hulls behind it, that is fair. If you want a very good film shop applying the same standard to your boat, that is what this is.
We cut to spec, you confirm the number
We apply exactly the registration you give us.
What to know+
Transposed characters on a hull are an expensive mistake and an avoidable one. You sign off the exact string on the proof before anything is cut, and we recommend checking it against your certificate rather than from memory.
A rename is mostly removal
Taking off the old name properly is most of the labour.
What to know+
Years of sun leave a shadow in the gelcoat where the old lettering sat, plus adhesive residue. Sometimes the shadow needs correction work before new lettering looks right, and we will tell you at the inspection rather than applying over it.
How It Runs
Nothing gets quoted off a photograph.
Condition and access vary enormously between boats, and both move the number.
Send the details
The registration string, the name and hailing port you want, and a photo of the hull side and transom.
Layout proof
We lay the lettering on a photo of your actual boat at true scale, so you can see the size and position before anything is cut.
You confirm the string
You check the registration characters against your certificate and sign off.
Cut & weed
Cut from marine-grade vinyl, layered where the design calls for it.
Apply
At our shop or at your slip — lettering is one of the few jobs that goes fine dockside.
Care sheet
How to wash around fresh vinyl and when it is fully cured.
We are in EaDo, about an hour from Kemah, Seabrook and Clear Lake and a straight run to Galveston. Tell us where the boat sits and we will say honestly whether a slip visit makes sense or whether trailering it in gives a better result.
Boat Lettering, Names and Registration Numbers FAQ
Can I just buy registration numbers online and apply them myself?+
You can, and it is where most of the non-compliant numbers on the water come from. The common failures are undersized characters, a stylised font, and a colour that does not genuinely contrast with the hull.
If you do it yourself, check the height and contrast requirements carefully. The numbers are the thing an officer looks at first.
What font should my boat name be?+
Whatever suits the boat — names are not regulated the way registration numbers are. What matters far more than the typeface is scale and placement relative to the transom shape.
We proof it on a photo of your actual boat so you are judging the real thing rather than a font sample.
Can you remove the previous owner's name?+
Yes, and that is usually most of the job. Old lettering leaves adhesive and a sun shadow in the gelcoat where it sat.
Sometimes the shadow needs correction before new lettering looks right. We assess that at the inspection rather than applying over it and hoping.
Do you come to the boat for lettering?+
Yes. Lettering is one of the few marine jobs that goes perfectly well dockside, because the areas are small and the application is quick.
Larger wrap work is better done at the shop, but numbers and names we are happy to do at your slip.
How long does boat lettering last?+
Longer than a full wrap, because the areas are small and can be replaced cheaply when they fade.
Cut vinyl on a transom takes serious UV, so expect to refresh it well before you would on a car. It is an inexpensive job to redo.
Tell Us About the Boat
Make, length, where it sits and what you are after. Send a few photos and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth us coming to look.