Documented Vessel Name & Hailing Port Requirements
If your vessel is documented with the US Coast Guard rather than registered with a state, you are in a different ruleset — and the most important part is what you do not display.
A documented vessel does not display state registration numbers on the bow. Instead it must be marked with its name and hailing port, in clearly legible characters not less than 4 inches in height, together on some clearly visible exterior part of the hull — in practice, the transom. The official number is separately marked in the interior of the hull in 3-inch characters, permanently affixed.
The hailing port
It has to include a place and a state — spelled out or properly abbreviated. Galveston, TX works. Galveston alone does not. It must match the hailing port on your Certificate of Documentation, and it does not have to be where you keep the boat or where you live.
Typical layout
Name on the upper line, usually 6 to 8 inches tall. Hailing port centred beneath it at 4 inches. If your transom is curved, send a straight-on photo with a tape measure and we will lay the name out to the actual curve.
Boats that are both
Some owners document federally and register with a state for tax or launch-permit purposes. If that is you, you still do not display the state number on the bow — you display the state validation decal, and keep the name and hailing port on the transom. Your state will tell you exactly where it wants the decal.
We cut the name and the hailing port line as lettering — order the name and tell us in the notes what the hailing port should read and how tall you need it.
Ready to order?
$19 a pair, free shipping, cut and shipped the next business day. The preview shows your exact lettering before you pay.
Questions people actually ask
Does a USCG documented vessel display state registration numbers?
No. A documented vessel does not carry state registration numbers on the bow. It is marked with its name and hailing port instead, and the official number is marked separately inside the hull.
How tall must the name on a documented vessel be?
At least 4 inches. The name and hailing port must be in clearly legible characters not less than four inches in height, together on a clearly visible exterior part of the hull - in practice the transom.
Where does the hailing port go on a documented vessel?
With the name, on a clearly visible exterior part of the hull, and it must include a place and a state. City and state, spelled out or with the standard state abbreviation.
How big must the official number inside a documented vessel be?
3 inches, permanently affixed to an integral part of the hull's interior structure, in a way that alteration or removal would be obvious. It is not the same thing as the hull identification number.
Can two boats have the same name?
On state-registered boats, yes - names are not registered or protected and there are hundreds of boats called Serenity. The Coast Guard will not document two vessels with the same name and the same hailing port.
Do you ship boat lettering to my state?
All 50 states and DC, free. We cut for every state's registration number format and ship the next business day.