Boat Name Transfers in the Ionian area

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WPotter1950

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I am purchasing a boat in Preveza this month and it is currently named (reputedly) after the floozie of the original owner. While I am sure she was a fine, exciting woman I have no desire to sail her. So I want to rename the boat with the change of national registration. My problem is finding someone in Corfu/Preveza/Lefkas who can remove the old name and print up a tranfer with the new name and registration number and apply it to the boat. Can any forum members offer advice?
 
WPotter1950 said:
I am purchasing a boat in Preveza this month and it is currently named (reputedly) after the floozie of the original owner. While I am sure she was a fine, exciting woman I have no desire to sail her. So I want to rename the boat with the change of national registration. My problem is finding someone in Corfu/Preveza/Lefkas who can remove the old name and print up a tranfer with the new name and registration number and apply it to the boat. Can any forum members offer advice?
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When I re-registered my boat from Croatia to UK SSR I just had the transfers made in the UK and took them down with me on my next visit to the boat and stuck them on myself.

Richard
 
If this is normal vinyl, then a hair dryer will be useful to soften the glue and peel it off. Follow up with (depending on the vinyl type and glue) either acetate or similar - or something like 3m glue remover.
Get a local to you sign shop to cut the name for you in 7 year cast vinyl - don't be tempted by cheap calendared short term vinyl as the glue is often short term too!.

I would suggest that you try and get a known brand of vinyl simply as in my experience the quality helps when applying. 3M, Mactac something like that.

You will normally get the cut vinyl supplied on its backing film with a transfer paper smoothed on top, using a couple of bits of masking tape - line up the vinyl where its supposed to be, then secure one end to the boat with a few strips of tape.
Folding the vinyl back about half way down the length, cut the backing film and remove - holding the vinyl and tape slightly off the boat hull. Now using a squeegee (or credit card) smooth down the vinyl from the fold outwards (in effect going backwards) easing out air bubbles as you go.

Once you've done that - remove the securing tapes, remove the backing film and apply the other half of the decal, the fact that you have secured the first bit complete with the transfer tape means that its really difficult not to get the text straight on the second bit!
There's heaps of you tube videos on vinyl application, but the above method served me well for 10 years of application on vans, lorries, billboards and so forth.

Finally - in my experience, there's no such thing as "marine"vinyl, there may be some exotic species but I was advised by the suppliers to use a standard 7 year permanent vinyl when I asked.
 
Removing the old name: easy enough mechanically. It'll probably be warm enough at mid-day not to need warming. The old vinyl adhesive may leave a residue: soluble in WD40 amongst other things. It may also leave a 'shadow' on the GRP, but barring fairly radical treatment, you're stuck with that.

There's a vinyl signwriter in Preveza, on the right on the main road out to the bus station. reasonable rates. Best to use a word-processing program to design your lettering, then hand it to him on a USB stick. Tip: get 2 sets: it will cost only a little bit more and may come in handy. This is also the time to consider whether you want the boat name on the boom or anywhere else, as well as the transom.
 
macd said:
Best to use a word-processing program to design your lettering, then hand it to him on a USB stick. .
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Oh please no. "Word" is the nemesis of the design world. I can almost guarantee that any sign writer would prefer you to choose a font and let them do the text, and if they do take a word doc - they are probably just being nice - they will undoubtedly bin it and start over.

If you want some artwork knocked up I'll do it for free for you if its basic lettering - you can take that into any sign shop and they will cut straight from it. Its something I can do to go towards paying back the endless hours spent by other people helping me on this forum.
 
SiteSurfer said:
Oh please no. "Word" is the nemesis of the design world. I can almost guarantee that any sign writer would prefer you to choose a font and let them do the text
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You're right to clarify but having worked in publishing for three decades I'm well aware that. But almost everyone has word processing software whilst many don't have design software. Most people would choose a font by looking at it in whatever they use for word processing.
The signwriter can look at the same thing on a USB, or on paper if the OP has a printer, and then send it to vinyl any way they choose.
 
My experience was that the sign maker gave me a print out of 50 fonts (with the threat of more if I turned out to be awkward). chose the font and size required and he laid out the design for my approval and made them on the spot.

IMG_20140101_014013.jpg


End result
 
Tranona said:
My experience was that the sign maker gave me a print out of 50 fonts (with the threat of more if I turned out to be awkward). chose the font and size required and he laid out the design for my approval and made them on the spot.
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That used to be my tactic, I usually had the first sheet with the fonts that cut well (and easy to weed) and 99/100 the user got bored after about 20 fonts :)
 
thanks to all contributors. I got no info about any Ionian signmakers so I am getting a local signmaker, they make similar for commerical vehicles, to make me a transfer with vinyl lettering. For the typographical geeks, it will be in Forte and RAL 5012 with black edging which expresses nicely how I feel about my boat. The challenge is going to be getting a hair-dryer to reach to the stern but it is not an insurmountable one.
 
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