Registration Numbers on a Dinghy

[StillaThrill]

I just ordered a set of registration numbers for the dinghy from this company: http://www.boatnumberplate.com/ . I've had problems keeping the numbers and stickers on my dinghy. I tried the plastic plates, magic marker on the tubes and placing the stickers on the transom. But the plastic breaks if it is hit and the stickers on the transsom causes a lot of explaining to the boat police.

This company makes a Hypalon or PVC plate that is glued to the dinghy and there is a place for the stickers in the correct place. I saw this on a dinghy and decided to give it a try. The process of ordering is a little odd, you order and pay for the plate at an authorized reseller. The reseller sends you a 'token' and then you go back to the original site to use the token.

It took less than a week to get the plates and they look great. I'll be installing them next week and will send pictures. The cost was $45.00. I'm not associated with company.

[gforaker]

I have used the boards method for many years, but they keep on breaking or the holding point keeps coming lose.

I bought the new lettering kit over a month ago, but haven't put it on yet. I had to wait to buy the out of stock hypalon glue. Make sure you have plenty on hand, those letters cover a big area.

[bboggs]

Now I'll admit to being a bit of a miser, but almost $50 for dingy numbers is beyond me.

I had plastic plates attached to the dingy by glue on attachments, but they were ripped off when the dink flipped while being towed in a big following sea. I haven't replaced them yet, but after looking at several dinks at a recent anchor out, I'm going to go with a homemade set of number boards that I'll bungee to points built in to the dingy. They should stay put even in the dink is flipped again.

I know they will not look as good as the glue on professionally made ones, there are just too many other places where $50 will go further on my boat.

[caprice 1050]

Being a frugal sailboater, after trying glue on numbers which came off the dinghy when I added some air in the tubes, I went to buy a stencil to spray paint my numers onto my inflatable. I met a sailing buddy on the way into the store and I told him the reason I was at the store. He said he had a complete stencil number set and I could use his. I went to Home Depot and bought a can of black spry paint and sprayed the numers on the dink with the stencils.

I cut off a piece of old Marine Plywood I had in the garage, drilled a couple of holes in it, spry painted it a couple of times with the left over can of spray paint, glued on the State decal and hang it over the port side of the inflatable next to the numbers when I put her in the water.

[mutualfun]

A couple of years ago we were at the strickly Sail show in Chicago and bought the same number plates. Getting the proper glue and ruffing up the area where the numbers went on the dink. They have come off. The only thing as I think back I did not do is to ruff up the back of the number plate. After ruffing it up I used alcohol as a wipe to clean the area before the glue. These were on a Zodiac FR285. Hope this is of some help in what to look out for.

Randy