[caption id="attachment_413" align="alignnone" width="300"] Starfish Signs and Graphics can help you get the required hull marking on your boat AND add a touch of style![/caption] Boating off the coast of Southern California is an experience second to none, especially when you are on your own boat. Making sure you boat’s hull markings are in compliance with United States Coast Guard regulations is crucial to ensuring your time spent on the water is safe and hassle-free. The following discussion contains some helpful information regarding hull markings.

Hull Registration Number

When you register your boat with the state, your vessel will be issued a Certificate of Number that will need to be carried whenever the boat is in use. The number assigned to your vessel must be displayed on each side of the forward half of your boat. The number can either be painted onto your boat or permanently attached, usually with a vinyl graphic. This number must be readable from left to right in a color that contrasts with the background color of your boat.  Additionally, you will receive a validation sticker upon registering your boat and this sticker must be attached within six inches of the number on the front of your craft. No letter or numbers aside from your boat’s registration number can be displayed nearby. Finally, the height of the characters of the registration number may be no less than 3 inches.

Exterior Hull Display

The other type of vessel marking that the Coast Guard requires is the hull display. The hull display consists of the name of your boat and its home port. These two items need to be displayed together and they are be most often found on the stern, or rear, of the ship. The name may not exceed 33 characters in length and, along with the home port, must be composed of characters in the Latin alphabet and/or Arabic or Roman numerals. Similar to the registration numbers, the hull display characters must be at least 4 inches in height and must be a color that contrasts with the background color of the vessel.

Interior Display

The interior of you boat must also be marked to satisfy the Coast Guard’s requirements. The boat must have the registration number permanently installed on the inside at a height of no less than 3 inches, preceded by the letters “NO.”   These vehicle display requirements are intended to make sure your boat is readily identifiable and while these are the base requirements, you have plenty of room to make these marking decorative and styled to your boat. A great way to do this is using vinyl graphics installed on your boat. They present a cost-effective and long-lasting option to give your boat the marking it needs.   Starfish Signs and Graphics specializes in installing vinyl graphics on boats and other watercraft for decorative and official purposes. We are intimately familiar with all of the boat marking requirements for both the U.S. Coast Guard as well as the State of California. Contact us to learn more about what options we can offer you to bring your boat up to code and give it a custom look that will make it Stand Out. Be Noticed. Get Results.