[Happy Gourmand]

Originally Posted by jmen24

Use a long thin piece of painters tape as your line. Determine where you want the decals to be. Measure down from the rub rail (keeping in mind the size of your decals and how much space you want between the decal and rub rail) and set a long stretch of the painters tape. This will be your line, similar to when you hand write a note, keeps everything on the same plane.

Now pick a measurement reference at the point of the bow. Choose something that you can go back too time and time again, from both sides. Now determine where you want your decals to start back from the bow. Put a small vertical piece of tape here. Keep in mind that nobody is going to ever measure the placement of these decals, so if your sides are off a 1/4" one way or the other, no one will care or likely know.

Now with your reference marks set you no longer have to use a measurement devise and can put that away. Armed with your roll of tape, assemble your lettering for each side using a small piece of tape at the top of each decal to "place" it. This will allow you to see if you want to move the decal set before the point of no return. If you don't like where they are, start from the beginning and place them somewhere else or in a different orientation all together.

Once you have determined where you want to place them, you have two options:

1. You can move down the line and place each one individually and depending on the curve of the location, may be the easiest option, as you only ruin one decal if a mistake is made. This is my preferred method for a curved application.

2. You place two horizontal strips over the top of the entire decal set and remove all of them, peel all of them and then reset them as a whole. This typically takes two people and depending on the curve of the location, might even be impossible.

Edit: And option 3, Chipj29's custom lettering approach. Just remember to spray the area with soapy water and have a small squeegee to remove the water under the decal with this method. Let it dry (within a few minutes) then rinse the area using a cloth to stimulate the dried soapy solution and help it off.

Just remember to use a wax prep on the area before you place the decals. This removes the existing layer of wax and will allow for better adhesion to the hull. The boat will always have these numbers (if the ownership does not change or the registration lapses) and for the install to look good for years, this is necessary. The next owner can figure out how to change them! After you place all the decals, you need to wax this area again with a few coats to get caught back up to the rest of the boat. I would then apply a coat over the whole boat and give it a good buff to blend everything back together.

If you still have questions, Youtube is your friend.

Or, go to BoatUS.com and have them made in your choice of font and color. It will come as one strip, so you can't get it crooked.