So you’re a DIY sort of person. That’s respectable, and it would be a sad world if no one wanted to do anything themselves. There are a few tricks to applying vinyl letters and boat decals, and you might watch a You-Tube video to see more about it. I will tell you this: Vinyl can be quite unforgiving, especially when applied in the heat of the Florida sun. When the vinyl is too warm, it gets quite soft and stretchy, and this makes application even more of a challenge.
Prepping the boat lettering area is key. You want to remove any dirt, wax or oxidation. Use a cleaner that has no oil in it, as any film left will cause the vinyl to lift. In most surface cleaning situations where alcohol is OK we use a 70% ISO alcohol cleaning solution.
The boat letters will have application tape over them; tape this against the area you wish to letter. When you have it in the proper position, put a piece of masking tape perpendicular and centered on the lettering. Lift one end of the lettering up, and peel back the application tape from the paper. The letters will now be on the application tape, with the sticky side exposed. Using a razor or scissors, cut the paper off close to that centered strip of masking tape. Using a hard squeegee (or a credit card will do), burnish the letters starting at the closest point to the masking tape and working your way outwards in an aggressive up and down motion. Now remove the masking tape, and peel the paper away from the remaining part of the letters. Again, burnish the letters with your squeegee in the same manner. Now you will have the letters as well as the application stuck to your boat. At a 45 degree angle, slowly and carefully peel back the application tape. Sometimes it will want to bring the vinyl letters up with it, but don’t let that happen.
Voila! You now qualify for a position in a sign shop!
Best of luck with this.
If you begin your boat lettering or boat decal project and feel as though you may need help please feel free to call us and get a FREE ESTIMATE for all your boat lettering needs.
Custom Boat Lettering Help Phone 772-281-4964
