Displaying Dinghy Bow Numbers?

ontherocks83

ontherocks83

.
Jun 7, 2016
315
Catalina C30 Warwick, RI
I have the federal documentation submitted for our sailboat but I still need to state register our dinghy. It is going to be registered in Rhode Island and my question is what do you all do for displaying the bow numbers on a dinghy? My primary concern is the stickers won't stay on especially after deflating it. The previous owner never displayed them and just always kept the current sticker and registration in a waterproof case in the dinghy in case he got stopped. Is this a normal/acceptable practice?
 
D

dlochner

.
Jan 11, 2014
12,113
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
The numbers are painted on where they are supposed to be, the bow. The stickers showing the annual/biannual registration are on the transom, one inside and one outside. Never been stopped. Probably not legal, figure I'll try to talk my way out of a ticket if I ever get stopped. Better to have the stickers improperly displayed than to be unregistered. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
 
Sailm8

Sailm8

.
Feb 21, 2008
1,747
Hunter 29.5 Punta Gorda
I use these: Boat Number Registration Plates for Inflatable Boats

I ordered without the space for the state sticker and put the sticker on the transom. I had the plastic plates attached to the dink with zip ties but someone stole the plate with the annual sticker. Tried painting them on but the Florida sun faded them off too quickly.
 
Rich Stidger

Rich Stidger

.
Feb 10, 2004
4,058
Hunter 40.5 Warwick, RI
I have painted and repainted every couple of years. Gets old. So I went for the Boat number plates with the decal space. I haven't had good luck with them either. Deflation and roll-up tends to lift the edges. And I had a set that discolored badly that they replaced. The self-stick version is really bad for sticking and I followed all the instructions to a "T". So I am going to try one more time with a hypalon 2-part glue for the number plates. If that fails again, I will skip the number display and just carry the registration papers and put the decal on the transom.

Bottom line- I have no good solution. YMMV.
 
Ted

Ted

.
Jan 26, 2005
1,260
C&C 110 Bay Shore, Long Island, NY
I made plaques out of weather resistant VHMW Polyethylene which doesn't yellow, is strong and flexible. The registration numbers and stickers are applied to them. Each plaque is attached to my inflatable with two stainless steel shackles. They can't be removed without using a tool but little can be done if someone really wants to steal them. I remove the plaques before storing the dink.
 
capta

capta

.
Jun 4, 2009
4,860
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Our last Zodiac had the RI numbers stenciled on either side of the front and they were quite legible for over 8 years, uncovered and unprotected in the Caribbean tropical sun, 24/7/365. I didn't put them on, but they seemed to be a regular enamel paint, probably spray.
After 40 odd years of owning inflatables (never a RIB) I have found that to paint or glue one, you must sand the sheen off the material and make absolutely positive that the areas to be worked on are perfectly clean, and this means of fingerprints as well. We wash the area with acetone before applying the paint or epoxy glue, and we get 4 years or more from glue jobs (mostly the lifting tangs) and the paint gets twice that.
Since we've never had a breakdown of the material or a leak due to construction (like at the seams), I can only assume it is because we only buy the best quality inflatables, French built Zodiacs or in the old days, English built Avons. You can really see the difference in quality when the Zodiac Mark II Classic is sitting at a dinghy dock surrounded by Highfields, Achilles, WM et al.
 
G

gettinthere

.
Nov 26, 2008
1,966
Endeavour 42 Cruisin
I use a permanent marker for the numbers, similar to a sharpie but a bigger tip and better ink. Fades after about a year but I've gone 2 years with faded but legible numbers.
My Fl reg sticker has no problem staying stuck on the bow.
 
  • Like
Likes: ToddS and jon hansen
Captain Larry-DH

Captain Larry-DH

.
Jun 14, 2010
2,188
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
ontherocks83 said:
leave it inflated for the season
Click to expand
I leave it inflated, but it does go through some big variations and becomes partially deflated over the winter. Those letters have thinner vinyl than others I've used and that might be helpful.
 
T

ToddS

.
Sep 11, 2017
248
Beneteau 373 Cape Cod
gettinthere said:
I use a permanent marker for the numbers, similar to a sharpie but a bigger tip and better ink. Fades after about a year but I've gone 2 years with faded but legible numbers.
My Fl reg sticker has no problem staying stuck on the bow.
Click to expand
Yup... I use sharpie as well (again, not "Sharpie brand... I think the brand is B.A.M. if I recall)... takes 3 minutes, and lasts for months... roughly one summer for me... no chance of peeling. Easy to write over it to darken when/if it fades. Cheap, easy, reliable. The registration sticker itself, I put on the transom even though I know that's technically against the rules... I asked a Harbor Master once about what to do about peeling stickers on inflatables, and he recommended the transom thing... while they could TECHNICALLY cite me for not having it at the bow, I've mentioned it to a few harbormasters and coast guard guys in the past and before I even get to the end of my sentence, they say "yeah, yeah, that's totally fine... happens all the time". The super-wide permanent marker tip is the key to writing it neatly... don't try to draw the numbers with a normal/large sharpie... it has to be EXTRA-wide to look good.
 
  • Like
Likes: ontherocks83 and jon hansen
jon hansen

jon hansen

.
May 25, 2012
4,338
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
me too. sharpie, stickers on transom

it is proof you payed your money. the key to what they want
 
Terry Cox

Terry Cox

.
Dec 25, 2000
5,841
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Different state here, but I have a dinghy for our boat with a five horsepower outboard and for the way we use it, no need to have it registered. What is it about your location, or intended use, that requires you to purchase numbers in the first place? No joke or sarcasm intended.
 
D

dlochner

.
Jan 11, 2014
12,113
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Terry Cox said:
Different state here, but I have a dinghy for our boat with a five horsepower outboard and for the way we use it, no need to have it registered. What is it about your location, or intended use, that requires you to purchase numbers in the first place? No joke or sarcasm intended.
Click to expand
Most states, including Washington require any powered vessel to have registration numbers.

  • Tenders 10 HP or less used for direct transportation between a registered vessel and the shore and for no other purpose. The tender must display the number of the registered vessel followed by the suffix "1".

WA State Licensing (DOL) Official Site: Register a boat in Washington state

www.dol.wa.gov www.dol.wa.gov
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Top Bottom