Boat Registration Numbers for Any Boat, Legal in All 50 States
What do you need?
What should it say?
How should it look?
Checkout
Legal 3-inch block numbers for both sides of the hull. Pre-spaced on one sheet so you apply them in a single pass.
The federal rule, in full. Under 33 CFR 173.27, a registration number must:
- be painted on or permanently attached to each side of the forward half of the vessel;
- be in plain vertical block characters of not less than 3 inches in height;
- contrast with the colour of the background and be distinctly visible and legible;
- have spaces or hyphens between the letter and number groupings equal to the width of a letter other than “I” or a number other than “1” — so TX 1234 AB, not TX1234AB;
- read from left to right.
The rule most people miss is contrast. There is no required colour — but white numbers on a white hull are not “distinctly visible and legible,” and that is a failed inspection. Dark hull, light numbers. Light hull, dark numbers. Our order form flags the combination before it gets cut.
What you actually receive
One sheet, not a bag of loose letters. Your full number is cut from a single piece of coloured vinyl, already spaced to the federal rule, with clear application tape laid over the top holding every character in position. You get two of them — one for each side — plus a squeegee and written instructions.
That matters more than it sounds. The most common way a home install goes wrong is not a torn letter, it is spacing: loose characters placed by eye end up uneven, drifting uphill, or packed too tight to meet the spacing rule. Pre-spaced removes the only hard part of the job.
Sizing it to your hull
Three inches is the legal floor, and it is what most people order. Go taller if your hull has the run for it — 4 inches reads noticeably better from a distance and costs $4 more. A six-character number at 3 inches finishes roughly 13–15 inches wide. At 4 inches, about 18 inches. Measure the flat run on the forward half of your hull above the waterline before you commit, and use our layout checker to see the finished width.
Where they go
Forward half of the boat, both sides, reading left to right. In practice that means as far forward as you can get them while staying on a flat panel above the waterline, and high enough that they are not permanently under spray. The validation decal — the little sticker with your expiry — sits near the number, and exactly where varies by state. Full placement guide.
How it works
Four steps, about a minute.
Type what it should say
Straight off your registration card for numbers, or whatever you have picked for a name.
Pick height, font and colour
The form only offers block faces once you choose registration numbers, because the law requires them.
Check the preview
It shows your exact lettering, at your height, in your colour. We cut what is on that screen - so read it twice.
We cut it and ship it
Next business day, free, pre-spaced with application tape over the top.
Questions people actually ask
How fast will I get it?
Cut and shipped the next business day, free. Standard post is 3-6 days in transit after that.
Can I see it before it is made?
Yes - the preview in the order form shows your exact lettering, at your chosen height, in your chosen colour. That is what gets cut, so read it twice before you pay.
What if I ruin it putting it on?
A replacement set is a new order. The install is the part we cannot do for you, which is why everything ships pre-spaced on one sheet with application tape over the top - it goes on in one pass rather than character by character. Read the install guide before you start and take the twenty minutes.
How long will it last?
Years, not seasons - it is marine-grade film, not craft vinyl, and it is the same stock sign shops put on vehicles. A dark colour in southern sun fades soonest. If one of ours fails on a hull you prepared properly, tell us.