Aluminum boat decals
Aluminum Boat Registration Numbers
Short answer
Aluminum boats display the same 3-inch contrasting block characters on the forward half of both sides. What changes is preparation and placement: bare aluminum oxidizes into a chalky layer that adhesive cannot grip, and riveted hulls have raised rivet lines and ribs that lettering must be routed around.
Jon boats, riveted fishing boats and welded aluminum hulls are the most forgiving boats to letter as long as the surface prep is done properly — and the least forgiving if it isn't.
Every set is cut as pre-spaced individual characters, which is what makes it possible to place a number between rivet lines rather than over them.
Design your aluminum boat numbers
Tap the decal and type your assigned number exactly as it appears on your certificate of number.
Tap the decal to edit
Color on this hull: Black on bare, brushed or light-painted aluminum. White on a dark green, dark blue or camo painted hull.
Oxidation, paint and rivets
Bare aluminum forms a dull oxide film continuously. That film is powdery, and vinyl stuck to it peels in sheets weeks later. Clean it back to bright metal, rinse, dry, then wipe with alcohol immediately before applying.
Older painted aluminum has a second failure mode: the vinyl can bond better than the paint does. If the paint chalks onto your hand, the decal will eventually take the paint with it — repaint before lettering.
On riveted hulls, a character sitting on a rivet head only touches the hull at that point. Move the set up or down into a clear band between rivet rows rather than trying to squeegee a character down over one.
Where the numbers go on an aluminum boat
Forward half of both sides, above the waterline, in a clear band of hull with no rivet row, rib or seam running through it.
- Keep the whole set between rivet lines, not across them.
- Stay off welded seams and stiffening ribs.
- On a low-freeboard jon boat, keep the set high enough to stay out of constant spray.
- Leave room for the validation decal in the position your state specifies.
Character height, spacing, prefix format and validation-decal position are set by your state. Check your state's requirements.
Installing on aluminum
- 1Scrub the area; use a marine aluminum cleaner if the surface is chalky, then rinse thoroughly.
- 2Dry completely and wipe with isopropyl alcohol right before application.
- 3Apply above 50°F — aluminum draws heat out of the adhesive quickly.
- 4Squeegee firmly, then re-squeegee each character after five minutes; thin aluminum flexes under pressure and springs back.
- 5Give it 24 hours before launching.
Terms used on this page
- Jon boat
- Flat-bottom aluminum utility boat — usually riveted, usually low freeboard.
- Oxidation
- The chalky film on bare aluminum. The single most common cause of decals failing on these hulls.
- Rib / stringer
- Raised structural member on the hull side; keep lettering off it.
Aluminum boat registration questions
Do decals stick to aluminum boats?
Yes. Marine-grade vinyl bonds well to clean aluminum. Failures on aluminum are nearly always oxidation or chalking paint left on the surface, not the vinyl.
How do I put registration numbers on a riveted hull?
Place the set in a clear band between rivet rows. Because the characters are pre-spaced and individual, you can move the whole line up or down without changing the spacing.
Do small aluminum jon boats need registration numbers?
If the boat is registered in your state — which it generally must be once it is motorized — it must display the assigned number and validation decal. Requirements for unpowered small craft vary by state; check your state guide.
Order your aluminum boat numbers
Matched port-and-starboard set in marine-grade vinyl, produced in Marble Falls, Texas.