Tag: Boat Name

Boat Lettering Fonts Should Relate to Your Boat Name Theme

What Font to use makes or breaks the Boat Name!

It all depends on what your boat name is. If your boat name is “Wet Wind”, you probably don’t want to see the name in a block letter. But it sure would look good if the word wind was in a whispering font and the Wet word looked like the word was wet in the wind. That is why boat lettering fonts should relate to your boat name theme

Wet-Wind

So before I start proofing a boat name, I first go through some fonts that look good. I pick fonts that either looks wet or windy. Latter on I can make changes to each letter if need be. I throw in a couple of plain ones just to help with the visual of the name. Sometimes names get to fancy or are flooded with graphics and the name is hard to see from a distant. Or even as far as the dock.

I did a simple search in google and came across a font website that had the look I was thinking of. The font is called wet dream. With some changes to the font I made it look the way I wanted it. Also notice the opening in the “e”.

Wet Wind

So this would be the first proof I would send a customer that picked this name. It is sometimes overwhelming to see so many fonts and graphics. You may sometimes feel like you want to see it all. Maybe in the near future we will have motion graphics.

Another boat owner wanted to have the name Aqua Marie. The theme of this particular boat had to be about the owner’s daughter and a Disney character.

Aqua-marie-ProofAqua-marie-Sail-Boat

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every boat name that has been thought of usually comes with the work of picking the right boat lettering. Sometimes a font will scream your boat name and then you just know they were meant to be together. Out of a lineup of ten fonts the boat owner knew that font #1 was the right feel for his marine identity.

Aqua-marie

Picking the right boat lettering fonts for your boat is crucial. Some believe of just having their name in just a basic traditional font. Then later decide that there boat name had no spark.

When you have a graphic artist create your name it is important to explain exactly what you are looking for. The boat name guys form is a great place to start. Then leave the rest to a creative artist to do the rest.

There are some boat owners that make the mistake of ordering from those websites that the customer designs themselves. But always comes up short with a lack of options to change anything. You are basically stuck using only a few font selections and minimum of graphics. So if you need some boat lettering done to your boat be sure to have the Boat Name Guy help you!

Boat Name Graphic Design Concepts, Proofs and Marine Identity for Knot On Call

How I Gave “Knot On Call” A Boat Name Design Theme

My favorite part of the boat name process is designing it to customer’s ideas. When I first sit with a new customer I can usually tell the kind of boat name they are looking for. After some brainstorming I write down all the ideas and graphics that they may want to see.

When I begin the Boat Name Graphic Design Concepts and Proofs I collect all the pieces of clip art, fonts and background theme ideas all on one canvas. I then put together a collage of fonts with and without drop shadows.

I put the name of the boat that the customer asked for and dress it up with theme related objects to tie the name together and make it their own marine identity.

Next I tie in all the fonts. I first ask how the customer how they imagined their boat name to look like. Then I bring to the table at least 10-12 different fonts that are pleasant to the eye. I pick fonts that are designed for certain themes. In this case a nautical theme.

         KNOT-ON-CALL-FontsKNOT-ON-CALL-FishKNOT-ON-CALL-Parts

It is now time to send the first proof! I send the customer a proof that looks like a canvas KNOT-ON-CALLConcept-Designswith every part of the theme they imagined. I also put together right off the bat one to two designs that I believe the customer would like.

In this case I designed four concepts. This starts the ball rolling. I reply back to customers emails immediately to continue the momentum. I mark the proof by number so not to confuse the direction the design process is taking. The customer asked for some final changes. I show eaxct dementions and photoshop it to look like it is already on their boat.

Approved Boat Name Proof Design Concept

Approved Boat Name Design Concept

Off to the printing process. I break the drawing up in three colors, Grey, Blue and Black. Each color will overlap to show a three color logo. Each color is printed on a separate roll of that color. I will install the blue and black at the studio and add the black graphics later on in the install. The vinyl I use is an 8yr, 3M product. 3M seems to be the best because of the durability compared to other brands. But not always necessarily used.

KNOT-ON-CALL-Prep

The install was on an early Thursday morning. Sunrise at 6:49. Temperature 73°, clear skies with a light breeze from the east. Perfect weather for a boat name install. I first cleaned the back of the boat with a little bit if acetone to remove any dirt particles. But because this was a brand new boat, there was not much to clean.

Install

The Boat Name Install at 6:30 AM at Marina 1, Dunedin

The Finished product came out perfect.  The product is exactly what the proofs showed. I really work hard when producing design proofs. I love to show a boat name on a boat like it was already finished.

KNOT-ON-CALL-Marina-1

A Welch Boat Name Called Naid Taid From Indian Shores

Sometimes a nationality gets in to a theme of a boats name.

The boat owner and I had many options on what dragon was going to be used for this

Naid Taid Boat Name Proofs

Naid Taid Boat Name Proofs

boat name project. The Welch dragon is well known symbol that are on Welch flags.

I gave the customer many designs to choose from. Most of the time I create a design that the customer likes within the first 3-5 designs. I tried to incorporate the dragon as best I could with the font my customer liked.

Naid Taid means “Mother’s Tide”.

The boat owner decided he loved proof #4 and told me to move forward!

I printed the Nain Taid boat name in two sepperate colors and placed one on top of the other to create a shadow effect.

In this caseit would be black lettering and a red dragon with a grey shadow. This is concidered a 3 colored boat name job.

Nain-Taid-Graphics

 

Contact the boat Name Guy for a free consultation. He will come out to your boat andNain-Taid-Boat-Name brainstorm some ideas with you. Will take precise measurements and photographs to help with the proofing process. He will continue the momentum till your boat name is installed.

 

How a Dogs Name “Stew Canoe” was Turned into a Boat Name

Caricature of Dog Used for Boat Name

I really enjoyed working with John and his dog “Stew Canoe”. John said he wanted to put his dog’s caricature on his boat. And call it the Stew Canoe. His dog took over Stew-Canoeeverything. Cute little dog, unless you got close to him. Then the growling started.Stew-Canoe-Caricature

John supplied me with a photo to go by so I could draw Stew. I started with some light pencil outlines and then re drew the drawing in pen and ink. After I had the drawing approved I went to my scanner to scan the caricature. I needed to digitize the drawing so I could get vectored art lines so I can make detailed changes. I need vector art work to do most of my boat names.

Stew-Canoe-ScanStew-Canoe-Pc

Next the proof was sent to John and his wife for the final proofing.

The next day the Boat Name Guy had the graphics installed.

Stew-Canoe

Contact the boat Name Guy for a free consultation. He will come out to your boat and brainstorm some ideas with you. Will take precise measurements and photographs to help with the proofing process. He will continue the momentum till your boat name is installed.

 

Treasure Island Boat Name Arrr… Wet Dream

Some Boat Names are wetter than others

A Nice couple from Treasure Island had me do there boat name after they did an exstensive search on boat names and how to go about it. They found my Craigslist wet-dreamadvertisment first and was please of the designs I had done in the past.

They texted me and explainded there idea of what they wanted. I replied back asked for there email so I could send them my guaranteed first proof at no charge. They were impressed by what I designed for them so far and they gave me the deposit to move forward on there design. The deposit also goes to the materials needed. In this case 10 yrds for each color. Red, blue and black.

Arrr-wet-dream-Proof

As I continued the unlimited proofs, we finally came to the look they wanted. They asked Wet-Dream-Fabricatethat the name be curved like it was on two waves. They asked that the blue letters be outlined in red with a cast shadow of black. It was the final proof. It was all good to go to print.

For me to apply graphics it isn’t always the most comfortable areas, not to mention I have to work around the hot extremes and rain. New graphics before they are installed and heat or water does not mix.  In some cases I need to actually get in the water to put the boat names in the right spot. The area we planned for the boat name lays right on the water line. So we needed to get to a sand bar at high tide so I was able to reach this area. Slowly and carefully each color was placed on the boat to make the name complete.

Sand-Bar-Install

 

 

Boat Name Installation instructions

Doing Your Boat Name Yourself Can Be Easy

Weather you buy your boat name through a online sign shop or your local sign guy. It should be close to the same material.

You want to make sure who ever prints your graphics they are using the correct material that will sustain under harsh outside elements.

There is a difference!

A 3 year calendared, Averey vinyl will not last as long as an 8 year, 3M premium vinyl. They will both look the same when you first apply it, but after a few years you will see your graphics shrink up to a half inch or more. If when you are installing and you need to pop any persistent holes… Those pin point holes will open up. That is why it is important NOT to pop any bubbles for the first week.

Make sure you have all the tools you will need before you start the install.

You will need the following:
Acetone or Ammonia, Rapid Tac Installation Spray Liquid, and a Squeegee.
Application should not be attempted if temperature is below 55° Fahrenheit. Or hotter than 80 ° Fahrenheit.  Also a windy day is not recommended.
The area must be cleaned using Acetone to remove all wax and dirt.

Your Boat Name Installation Instructions:

1. Once area has been cleaned use the Rapid Tac Spray (shake well before use) and generously spray the area where the lettering is to be applied.  Do not wipe off this solution.

2. Place the lettering face down on a clean, flat surface.  Peel away the protective wax paper backing.  The lettering will remain adhered to the application tape with the sticky side of the lettering now exposed.  Be very careful not to allow the lettering to flip over onto itself as this will cause your sign to be damaged. Generously spray the sticky side of the lettering with the Rapid Tac spray this will stop the lettering from sticking.

3. While the area is still wet, place the lettering in the desired location. The Rapid Tac spray will allow you to move the lettering around until you get it into place.

4. Starting from the center, using the squeegee provided, gently rub the lettering from the center out and in all directions. Continue to squeegee until all liquid and air is removed from underneath lettering.

5. Wait 1 minute and spray the Rapid Tac over the application tape and squeegee again. Allow lettering to dry completely (approx. 30 minutes).

6. Slowly peel off the translucent application tape starting from the upper corner and pull down at a angle. The vinyl lettering will stay adhered to the surface. Note: If the lettering is not sticking to surface, repeat the squeegee process and let dry longer.

If you don’t think that these boat name installation instructions are easy it is OK! I can help you with any part of these instructions. Please contact me if you have any questions or if you would like me to come out and install for you.

HINTS:

*Easy-Off oven cleaner removes old painted letters, followed by white vinegar to remove any yellowing.
*Heat gun and a rubber scraper removes old vinyl letters.
*Any leftover air bubbles may be remedied by exposure to the sun, and if not they can be popped with a pin

Buzz Mobile, The Perfect Boat Name on sixty foot Yacht

Buzz Mobile Boat Name Shows A Bit of Owners Business Logo

A Large 63 foot yacht was just purchased and the owner of this beauty called me to get the ball rolling on some design ideas. The owner and I made an appointment to meet at the boat. I got there a little earlier to get on top of the photographs and measurements that I would need later to create proofs for the owner to see the boat name on his yacht before I go to print. After meeting with Paul the owner, I felt more confident on what exactly he was looking for. Paul wanted me to incorporate his bee hive that was in his work logo. It is a well known marking with all that he does at Blue Hive. With some other things he mentioned was a certain bumblebee that he won out of a toy crane at an amusement park had to be part of the theme to.

Buzz-Time-Design

This is another look of a proof from the Boat Name Guy

Paul and I agreed on my estimate. A small deposit and a hand shake I went to work. Paul had to leave for thirty days out of town but he wanted me to have the name up before he got back. I went right to work to show him several proofs. I laid it all out to show exactly how it would look.

 

Buzz-Mobile-Proof

This was not on the boat yet. This was what a proof looks like.

I sent Paul about 7 proofs before he choose the one he wanted. He was concerned withBuzz-Time-Color my proofs that the color of the hive would be too much. So I sent him a photograph of how the two colors complimented each other.

He trusted my judgment and told me to go to print.

I started putting all the graphics together at the studio. After cutting each set of colors, I put them together as one boat name decal. I placed the yellow over the black shadow and then applied the transfer paper. All my graphics were ready for install. I left for the boat at 6am to beat the Florida heat. Also because graphics do not like the heast either. They are much harder to work with when hot.

I laid all the graphics out with tape before I applied any graphics to make sure they all

Boat name Graphics laid out before applied.

Boat name Graphics laid out before applied.

have the exact placement I showed on the proofs. I then take a step back to make sure all is correct one more time. And also to take this photo!

I continued with the install now that I know that the boat name is correct.

 

Paul was very happy with the end product. He is now asking me to continue his boat name identity by having personalized flags, cups, cozies, Marine Identity cards and Buzz Mobile graphics on the coolers and storage bins at the dock.

The Completed Buzz Mobile Boat Name

The Completed Buzz Mobile Boat Name

 

Boat Names can be shipped worldwide to any marina, business or home. Doug Rohloff the Boat Name Guy will insure delivery and help you step by step if you decide to DIY. (do it yourself) Otherwise will personally come to you to do the full installation!

The Boat Name Guy Serves the Florida’s Tampa Bay/Clearwater and Sarasota / Bradenton Area. Including: Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa, New Port Richey, Sarasota, Bradenton and Palmetto.

 

Boat Names in the Tampabay/Clearwater Area

Doug Rohloff from Dunedin, Florida has been producing boat names in the Tampabay/Clearwater are for over 15 years.

Doug the “boat name guy” will help you design your unique boat name. Just tell him the name, style, size and how big. The brand boat and the size of the boat.

The boat name guy will come out to look at your boat, take measurements and photographs of where you would like the boat name. He will then design proofs to give you ideas of how you dreamed the boat name would look like. He will then give you a final proof for you to approve.

Next is the printing process where he uses a proffessional grade plotter to cut out each color of 8 year, 3M vinyl graphics. Placing the graphics on top of each other to make a full color image or wording with optional shadows and images.

Boat Names can be shipped worldwide to any marina, business or home. Doug Rohloff the Boat Name Guy will insure delivery and help you step by step if you decide to DIY. (do it yourself) Otherwise will personally come to you to do the full installation!

The Boat Name Guy Serves the Florida’s Tampa Bay/Clearwater and Sarasota / Bradenton Area. Including: Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa, New Port Richey, Sarasota, Bradenton and Palmetto.

 

The Boat Name Guy LLC Design Delivered Installed Tampa Clearwater © 2024 Frontier Theme