Meet our sponsors · Boat lettering
Boat Names Australia replaces faded cruiser names and hull graphics
The engine survey is done, the keys have changed hands and the boat still carries the previous owner's lettering. Boat Names Australia lets you design a replacement name, coordinate the home port and order ready-to-fit graphics. It's a particularly satisfying job on an older cruiser whose original cove stripe still looks good but whose letters have lost their edges.
Design around the boat's best line
Stand broadside to the hull and photograph the quarter, then take a straight-on photo of the transom. Try picking up the stripe colour in the name. A long hull panel may suit a sweeping script, while a short transom above a swim platform may read better with fewer flourishes. The online designer lets you try both using the actual name and a background close to the gelcoat colour.
Measure where the letters finish
Check the full usable width with the ladder, fenders and any davit hardware in their usual positions. Set the maximum length in the designer and try a paper print at that size. We like this simple trial because you can see whether a visitor on the pontoon can read the name before you've ordered anything.
For an emblem that belongs with the boat, send the design team a good original file or the clearest photograph available. Ask about reproducing it alongside the new lettering. Matching rego characters come aligned on application paper, and a separate tender design can identify the parent yacht without cramming the full transom artwork onto a small inflatable.