Cost of Boat Name Vinyl?

Hotel Guy

New Member
Nov 15, 2018
19
Chicago, IL
Boat Info
2001 Sundancer 260
Engines
350 Mercruiser 5.7L w/Bravo III
Hello,
I’m wondering if anybody had any insight as to the cost of a vinyl boat name/graphic printing as well as installation. A good friend of the family is designing my decal/graphic. I got one bid from a local Chicago sign printer and was surprised at how high it was. Approximately $500 total for printing and installation (installation was a little more than half of the total). I have a Sundancer 260, so the transom is a little choppy between the latches/handle/transom door, so installation might be a little tricky when going over gaps, etc.

Looking for a little advice and potential recommendations, as well as cost expectations. Thank you!
 
My local sign shop does them and AL letters for 20-50 bucks. and normally does spares. that's normally 2 colors and overlayed so I can stick them on at one time.

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There are plenty of online sites that you can use for pricing. I did this last year - installation is easy but takes a bit of attention to detail.

For the sign guy you are paying for labor and travel, and it's fair for him to charge for his time, but this is definately a DIY project.
 
The key to installing it is prep. Measure, and measure again.. mark with tape outside the placement area both center up and sideways..

can also tape it in place to step back and make sure you like the look...

then hold up your peace that's still in the wax paper and mark bottom edge with tape again when all level and centered. mark bottom edge (or top) both on left and right so you have no guessing on the level or angle of intent.

also mark one side so you have a left or right mark to line up with and 2 points on bottom edge to line up with..... and then you know when you slap it up there for real its level/ or exactly how you liked it in place and at the correct angle, where you like it.

wet it a lot, wet boat a lot, with some soapy water. and then get lined up.. a hair dryer and credit card and work it dry and on.. and it will be done and no bubbles in no time. work water and bubbles out at a corner and dry it and work your way the other way small sections at a time.
 
I paid $80 a few years ago from BoatUs for name and registration number. They keep the design on file so you can reorder if any part gets damaged. Very easy to put.
 
The above install suggestion will work, however, there is a much easier way. Find the location by taping the lettering on with masking tape. Make some pencil reference marks, especially at the very center top and bottom. Remove the lettering and pull the backing off halfway. Now take your scissors and cut out a 1/4" to 1/2" of the backing and reapply it to the letters. Now place the lettering back on the boat mactching up your reference marks. The lettering will only be sticking to 1/4" wide portion which makes placement MUCH easier. Work that cut strip down with your squeegee and verify your end marks are good on either side. When you're golden, peel one side slowly from the center and begin to squeegee outwards. Once complete, move over to the other side. Done.
 
when its all wet and soapy its will move around for 5-10 min before stuck. or until you flatten it out with a CC.


Either way the quote for 500 is ridiculous ha
 
My local sign shop does them and AL letters for 20-50 bucks. and normally does spares. that's normally 2 colors and overlayed so I can stick them on at one time.

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Which local sign shop did you use? I need to update No Regrets! Hope to see you on the water this summer.
 
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I paid $600 for ours. Gold overlaid on black to create a shadow effect. The quality varies by the guage of the material. You will see some boats with a thin name on the transom of new boats for advertising purposes. Might say the style of the boat such as Tiara 3200. This material is designed for easy removal when the boat sells. It is more of an interior sign material. The heavy duty material lasts for years with no visible degradation. It costs more. The labor represents the majority of the cost unless you go with real gold leaf. This is a pic of the $600 job.
 
when its all wet and soapy its will move around for 5-10 min before stuck. or until you flatten it out with a CC.


Either way the quote for 500 is ridiculous ha

For vinyl decals, the wet method is the way to go!
 
That price might be high. The graphics themselves can be relatively inexpensive. Checkout namemyboat.com. They are fast and reliable - I am not affiliated with them but encourage our customers to use them. Installation costs depend on the condition of the transom gelcoat, whether there is a shadow of an old name to remove, and local market rates.
 
Having 20+ years in the sign business and owner of a sign company I can say that $500 for boat graphics is not ridiculous. I have lettered up hundreds vehicles/boats where the bill was well over $1000,it depends on the grade of vinyl, number of colors, complexity of the graphic etc, etc. When lettering up a 1M + yacht with digital printed UV laminated graphics and 24k gold leaf (real gold) with faded drop shadow on a 18'x4' transom it's very easy for my cost of material to exceed $500. I can also say the owners very seldom ask what the price is, they just want to know if it can be done in the next couple of days. When I am spending 2-5 hours on graphic design, one hour drive time and 1-2 hour installation time its not going to be cheap. However if you walk in the front door and ask for blue intermediate vinyl 6" block lettering that says "Getting Wet" I can probably hand it to you in 10 minutes for about $35.00. It's all in what your looking for. I also hardly ever do wet applications, your just killing the life of the adhesive, unless your using a commercial grade application spray like "Rapid Tac" etc.
 
I have used Boatus several times for myself, family and dock mates. Easy to use design set up right on their website, they are usually shipped in a day or two, the oops guarantee covers a mistake during install and they also supply DIY instruction videos for dry and wet install. If you are looking for special decal like bbwhitejr mermaid then you will have to look someplace else.
 
View attachment 70265 View attachment 70264 I paid $600 for ours. Gold overlaid on black to create a shadow effect. The quality varies by the guage of the material. You will see some boats with a thin name on the transom of new boats for advertising purposes. Might say the style of the boat such as Tiara 3200. This material is designed for easy removal when the boat sells. It is more of an interior sign material. The heavy duty material lasts for years with no visible degradation. It costs more. The labor represents the majority of the cost unless you go with real gold leaf. This is a pic of the $600 job.

SteamBoat Willie? SBW1? After all these years? I finally cracked the code! Miss seeing your Tiarra. How are you adjusting to boatlessness? I think I just made up a word but,,,
 
Which local sign shop did you use? I need to update No Regrets! Hope to see you on the water this summer.

Tom Jeffery’s Sign.

Tammy is awesome.

Looking forward to the year! Come say hi.
 
Have owned and operated a print and sign shop since 1978. $500 is ridiculous. I do boats to include name and a graphic for $75. Installation is by the hour. Having to go around hinges etc does take some time. The average charge for the production and install is $150.00 + travel (.25 per mile).
 

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