Boat name and cove stripe lettering and decal question

Submitted by Spooty on Sun, 03/05/2017 - 19:21
Forums: 
Maintenance, Repairs, Changes, and Upgrades

All, my question certainly has a large degree of subjectivity and personal preference, but if I want to put the name of my boat on the side of the hull, back towards the stern (or maybe mid-way?), what's a recommended height range for the letters?  The name would be bi-sected by the cove stripe, which I will also be applying. So it occurs to me...how far down should the cove stripe be?  New owner as of Nov 2016.  1990 FS #4655.

Silvertop's picture

Silvertop

Mon, 03/06/2017 - 21:32

I put Cove Stripes on my boat (which I picked up used in early 2016 myself), and used the distance from the bottom edge of my deck molding to the bottom of my State of Minnesota Registration numbers on the side of the hull as the distance for the placement of the bottom edge of my cove stripes so they would align with my boat numbers.  This came out to 5 1/4 inches below the bottom edge of the deck molding, which became my benchmark for the stripe from end to end.  I don't know how close that is to the Flying Scot spec, but it looks about right compared to the pictures on their website.
Whatever distance you pick, you will want to measure down to whatever distance below the deck molding you select every six inches or so of lateral distance, making a pencil mark at each spot.  I laid blue painter's tape along the line made by all the pencil marks, and then stepped back to see how it looked.  When I was satisfied, I laid my cove striping following the top edge of the tape.  I don't know if that is the prescribed method, but it worked.
For a definitive answer, call Flying Scot at 301-334-4848 or 800-864-7208.  They will almost certainly have a recommended specification for cove stripe heights, and I can guarantee they will be happy to talk to you.  From my experience, they are about as nice (and helpful) a bunch of folks as you will find anywhere.  
Good luck on your striping project.  Due to the compound curves of the hull, it's a little tricky, but it's fun to do.
Jim, 1973 FS2447

Spooty

Mon, 03/20/2017 - 18:55

Thanks so much for the response...very helpful!  The method you described is exactly the method I had thought about, so good to know it works.  My question, too, was around "at what height", and you answered that, too.  Yes, the folks at FS are about as friendly and helpful as you can get!  I pester them regularly!