glom or jail?

[SurryMark]

USCG regs on documentation require boat and port names be 4" high. That can be a bit glommy for the port name, and I've seen documented boats with smaller lettering. Has anybody been hassled on this?
Also, they require the boat number to be fixed inside "in a way that removing the number would show." Right. As if none of us have ever stolen a police car and filed and filled and buffed the VIN number off, invisibly. I'm assuming they don't bother with this, so decals would be fine. Anyone know otherwise?

[Doug Jesseman]

Mark, you need to affix the coast guard assigned documentation number inside of your boat. You can apply decals and then slap over a layer of thin fiberglass cloth with resin to make it rather permanent. It has been done in foreberth storage areas on the hull, in the sail lockers in the cockpit on the hull and other areas on the inside of the hull. One friend engraved the number on a piece of wood and fiberglassed that to the fiberglass bulk head. Have fun.

[Russell]

No one ever gets hassled about letter size, dont worry about it. Put the name and hailing port on in a way that looks good to you.

For doc #s, get a nice peice of teak, use a router to put the numbers in that board, then epoxy it inside the boat (mine is under the nav table).

[Neil Gordon]

I applied stick on numbers and put a layer of clear epoxy over them. It's on the hull under one of the settees.

Lots of people cheat on the size and style of name/hailing port. I'd go with the block letters, as required, and go as large as you can without destroying the aesthetics. You're not likely to be cited unless you're otherwise misbehaving.

[JimMc]

Also- for smaller text it is a good idea to use a sans serif font. It is much easier to read at a distance.

Jim.
------------

[Neil Gordon]

Mine are just plain block letters... pretty easy to read. http://bostonsailors.blogspot.com/ LIQUIDITY is in 4' letters, I think. The hailing port is 3".

[Joe Myerson]

My hailing port is in sans-serif type, black and easy to read. A neighbor, who is somewhat of a stickler, commented that the letters didn't look 4 inches tall to him. He was right, of course. But that was 9 years ago. My boat's doc. number is routed to a piece of teak that's attached to a bulkhead with something indestructible. I'm not sure what it is ... 5200 perhaps?
Anyhow, it seems to work.
--Joe

[SurryMark]

My hailing port is in sans-serif type, black and easy to read. A neighbor, who is somewhat of a stickler, commented that the letters didn't look 4 inches tall to him. He was right, of course. But that was 9 years ago. My boat's doc. number is routed to a piece of teak that's attached to a bulkhead with something indestructible. I'm not sure what it is ... 5200 perhaps?
Anyhow, it seems to work.
--Joe

Sequeteague Harbor, MA in 4" letters would be quite a display on your 25's transom.

[Joe Myerson]

Sequeteague Harbor, MA in 4" letters would be quite a display on your 25's transom.

True, Mark. But I list my hailing port as "Cataumet, MA," which is the village name. It's a lot shorter.

[Neil Gordon]

My hailing port is in sans-serif type, black and easy to read. A neighbor, who is somewhat of a stickler, commented that the letters didn't look 4 inches tall to him. He was right, of course. But that was 9 years ago. My boat's doc. number is routed to a piece of teak that's attached to a bulkhead with something indestructible. I'm not sure what it is ... 5200 perhaps?
Anyhow, it seems to work.
--Joe

FYI, the interior marking needs to be affixed to a structural component of the hull.

[CD_Sailor]

... My boat's doc. number is routed to a piece of teak that's attached to a bulkhead ...

FYI, the interior marking needs to be affixed to a structural component of the hull.

Most folks would categorize a ship's bulkhead as a (vital) structural component. C.f.,

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bulkhead

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulkhead_(partition)

[Neil Gordon]

Most folks would categorize a ship's bulkhead as a (vital) structural component.

As would I.

I'm just saying that the rule is specific to "hull." That said, I'm not seeing incarceration or forfeiture of the vessel as a likely outcome of the rules infraction.

[CD_Sailor]

... I'm not seeing incarceration or forfeiture of the vessel as a likely outcome of the rules infraction.

I wouldn't bet the family farm these days.

[Russell]

... I'm not seeing incarceration or forfeiture of the vessel as a likely outcome of the rules infraction.

I wouldn't bet the family farm these days.

I am not sure what that means. Personally I have never heard of anyone being checked for things like this, much less being cited. I have been boarded by the coast guard a few times and their focus is on safety gear, they have looked at the documentation paperwork, but never once cared to look at how the doc# was affixed to the hull or if it even was present. Now I am not suggesting one should blatently violate any of the rules, but I highly doubt anyone is ever going to care if hailing port letters are 1/2" too small (other then the random marina neighbor who likes to show off his knowledge). An inspected vessel for commercial use would be an entire different story, but an uninspected pleasure vessel, the USCG simply has no reason to care and they dont.

[CD_Sailor]

... I'm not seeing incarceration or forfeiture of the vessel as a likely outcome of the rules infraction.

I wouldn't bet the family farm these days.

I am not sure what that means ...

It's called irony. Hope that helps (I don't do smileys).