Help finding the best location for boat name and graphic.

Hey gents,

My boat has finally let me know what she wants to be called, now I just need to know where to put her rightful name...hopefully ya'll can give me some ideas that would lend a clean look, allow me to get good size lettering/graphics, and all that whatnot. I'm open to all thoughts/suggestions.

First off, I'm going to apologize up front for not telling you her name, her story, or the graphic that will adorn her hull. It's a long story, personal, and hard to share. I've been waiting for the right time to do it, and I'm almost there. I figured that once I get the vinyls on the boat, I'll post pictures and give a proper introduction...she's a lady, and deserves nothing bet the best, lady-like treatment. :wink:

1) Her name. Well, just about every boat I see has the name on the rear of the transom (stern). Makes sense, but I have a problem...I don't really have that much space there for her name. Her name is two words, the first is 5 letters, the second 4, and a small "The" at the beginning would make sense, but doesn't have to be there/as big as the name. Here's my rear end, whatja think?



I can't put it in the center, because of the motor(s). On the upward-sloping 'wings' might work, but I don't really want to separate the words. I could move my 'Tempe Town Lake' decal, angle the 1st word, then have the 2nd one horizontal, but there might be a better option. Below the handle doesn't work to well as that's right at the water line...perhaps below if I'm loaded.

2) Her name alternate location? Ok, since the back isn't an easy option, I'm guessing the port/starboard sides are the next logical choices, right? Here's a pic of my Ouachita logo...maybe in front or below that? How'dja think that'd look?



Here's port/starboard side views. Maybe putting her name somewhere on the same level as the Ouachita logo & hull ID...center? Right behind the ID, like a foot or so behind it? Thoughts?





3) I'm also wanting a graphic image (again, vinyl) that goes with her name. What I'm kind of after is the old WWII bomber nosecone art look. That said, if money was no object, I've have the entire boat painted and a full-color image painted on the bow...but...money is an object. So, I'm going with vinyl decal, similar to what you see for car windows, and want to put it somewhere clean, logical, nice. I think the best spot would be foremost on the bow, both starboard and port sides, in front of the ID numbers. If that doesn't seem to be the best option, I might just put it on the transom, in the raised wing-section that I mentioned in #1. Thoughts?



***Please keep in mind that I'm looking for a nice clean look, not too much 'stuff'.***

Thank you all so much!!!

I'm thinking that it would look good on the sides about 2-3 feet behind the registration numbers, in the open spot on the hull between the numbers and the side spray rail. That should give a good open space for the name and the graphics.

p.s. ... Where did you get your Ouachita decal. I am going to either put on a set or paint the design on my 16'er.

Ringo Steele said:

Where did you get your Ouachita decal. I am going to either put on a set or paint the design on my 16'er.

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Believe it or not, that's the original decal. If you look closely at the pic that shows the decal the best you can see the original paint (cream or eggshell) is different from the rest of the boat (white).

The boat's original owner was a gentleman who brought it from the midwest to Arizona. He used it, but took very good care of it (barn kept, covered, etc.). About 10-15 years ago his two son's decided to restore it for him so the three of them could use it, doing what they loved, in his last few years. Unfortunately, just after they finished the restoration, he passed away. Understandably, the two brothers didn't want to use it without their father, so they put it in the barn and forgot about it for a decade or so. About three years ago, out of my need for a boat (yes, NEED, not just WANT, but that part of her story will have to wait for a little bit) we struck a deal trading my two quads for their boat/trailer.

I don't know much about the Ouachita brand, and it's hard to find info as their company closed in, I believe, the mid-late 1970s. About a year ago I ran into a guy working in the Wal-Mart sporting goods section (of all odd places) and we chatted about fishing stuff. Without knowing what kind of boat I had, he reminisced about growing up down the street from the main Ouachita production facility and his dad's Ouachita. He told me that most of the Ouachitas were built as "small, commercial grade fishing boats", hence the solid construction (although riveted, not welded) and wide beams (I've always thought it odd that I have a 12' boat with a 64" beam, kinda wide compared to today's standard 12-36 or 12-48, or even the boats from the 1980s-present).

I'll keep my eyes peeled for a decal, and let you know if I come across one...please do the same for me, someday I'm going to need to repaint my tinny too.

Ok, so I went in the back yard and stared at the boat or a while, walked around it a few times, and had myself a pipe contemplating the issue...here's my thoughts:



I marked the rivets with pieces pink post-it notes so they'd show up in the picture a little better. On the side of the hull, between the two main rivets, I have 46" of space. If I consider the rivet for the oarlock, I still have 34.5". From the bottom of the gunwale to the rivets for the middle seat I have a height of 6". If I was to draw a line between the longest distance (46") and the top of the middle seat rivets, I still have 5".

So, I think I could easily use 4" or 5" tall lettering and get her name between the 34.5"-46" space. Maybe even room for the graphic, as long as I don't get to carried away with size. What do ya'll think? I could even do the name between the rivets, and do the graphic in front of the foremost rivet, so it doesn't eat up my space. I thought about doing the graphic behind the aftmost rivet, but then things get cluttered between the name, graphic, and Ouachita logo...I don't want cluttered, I want a clean look.

I took a quick look at my state regulations for hull ID #'s, and they don't seem to specify a minimum size...but most letters/numbers I see for sale are 3-4". What do ya'll commonly use and/or what are the Coast Guard regulations/regulations in you state?

Thanks guys!

hows this?

aeviaanah said:

hows this?

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Awesome!

Believe it or not, that's the original decal. If you look closely at the pic that shows the decal the best you can see the original paint (cream or eggshell) is different from the rest of the boat (white).

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Hi again Azekologi
https://www.vinylapproach.com/replacementboatlogos.htm has the Ouachita logos. Not cheap, but they do look like the originals.

My Ouachita 16 was also a cream color originally.

azekologi said:

I marked the rivets with pieces pink post-it notes so they'd show up in the picture a little better. On the side of the hull, between the two main rivets, I have 46" of space. If I consider the rivet for the oarlock, I still have 34.5". From the bottom of the gunwale to the rivets for the middle seat I have a height of 6". If I was to draw a line between the longest distance (46") and the top of the middle seat rivets, I still have 5".
I don't want cluttered, I want a clean look.

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I had the same problem, no space in the back, but with 20 ft of length on the side, it's big enough for a sentence.
If you have a word processor, you can try the various fonts to get one that's readable or to your liking. Your measurements
indicate a 5-6" pitch with a max length of 46". I contacted our Site Sponsor Bulldog at Vinyl Images and gave him my specs,(6"pitch) and he came up with a length of 44" which is near your measurements. Here are the results.

i am having the same issues. i finally decided on a name but not enough room on the stern. so i am thinking of putting the name down the side. cant decide on "the dog house", "in the dog house" or "dog house"