a related question: have you written the name on the boat? if so, what did you use? considering a good old-fashioned laundry marker but wondering if there’s something better–paint, etc. (for a rotomolded plastic boat)
Only when I drop it on my foot.
@chad9477 said:
a related question: have you written the name on the boat? if so, what did you use? considering a good old-fashioned laundry marker but wondering if there’s something better–paint, etc. (for a rotomolded plastic boat)
Not mine but a friend’s. He buys letters (marine maybe?).
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I named my current boat, the “Natasha Ann”, after my mother. I bought it (a Sterling GI) with some inheritance money after she passed away a couple of years ago. She rarely ventured out. I think she was a bit scared of the world. But she liked that I enjoyed travel and paddling and adventure and so on. It seemed fitting.
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Find a shop that does vinyl stick on letters. I named a boat with about 12 characters. To have it cut from self adhesive black vinyl in wide block letters 3" high was about CAD$ 20. I marked out a slightly curved baseline on my bow and carefully installed it. I had them put it on a backing (for which I can’t remember the name) that’s low tack and is the ONLY way to apply vinyl letters with professional results.
I’ve had a few people confuse the custom name for a kayak make/model. I even had a guy insist he had seen another identical one, but pretty sure he was full of BS.
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Only had two professionally lettered with vinyl…
Ekimi… on a Pygmy Arctic Tern. Quiet/peaceful from the forest Pygmy language.
Misty “Bou”… on a CD Caribou…
I’ve ordered name labels from RapidVinyl on Ebay with good results. Their order process allows you to type whatever text you want and then test over 100 different fonts and scale it as you wish before placing the order. Quite cheap, just a few dollars per name if I recall correctly (I ordered 5 at once, 2 of each name so I could stick them fore and aft). The text comes pre-spaced (kerned) on easy peel-and-stick backing and so far the names I’ve stuck on the hardshell and the skin-on-frame have held up for several years of immersion and exposure. I also put them on a couple of my folding kayaks and overlaid clear nylon repair tape over the lettering to seal it against peeling on the flexible fabric. Photos below of a couple of them. The miscellaneous designs (peace dove on the Easky) are also vinyl stick-ons I got from HippieMotors.com.
Nope. I can only remember naming one of my solo canoes - a very ugly, multi paint layered and scratched up Curtis Lady Bug, which I named Ugly Bug.
Ugly has feelings too…
These are great ideas–thanks to everyone who has commented so far about how to actually put the name onto your boat.
I’m planning to use an Inuit word as my kayak’s name, and I’m wondering if any of the companies you’ve listed could do Inuktitut lettering. Long shot I expect, but in a world of a thousand fonts… 
@icetross911 said:
Do you name your kayak like people do with their boats? If so, what is the name?
Well! Thinking about it, its kinda good idea to name the kayak, what would be your guy’s suggestions?
I’ve said this elsewhere, but kayaks are people too. Mostly people don’t run around with name tags on. A proper introduction to our kayak should be all that is needed, rather than an overt label on the bow.
My kayaks have female names:
Sedna for the Explorer
Lucia for the Looksha IV
Salacia for the Capella 163
I often paddle solo i.e. just with the kayak … and talk to the kayak. It is more polite to address the kayak by name rather than saying “Hey you.”
Only when I am mad at it !
Yes I have:
The Sea Pig - Wilderness systems freedom, a previous Tarpon 160 had the same name
The fishing Pig - Native Redfish 14
Banana Lightening - Modified Cobra ExpeditMiion
White lightening - Epic V7 with outrigger
the touring barge - Mirage Sea Kayak
the surf smasher - Cobra Revision 133
We have two. Named 'The solo" and " the tandem". Heady stuff.
Don’t own a kayak, but I had one canoe I named.
It was a Mohawk Probe 12 II: I had loads of fun in that boat.
The “Purple Haze” is pictured…
BOB
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Of course, I had a Pink kayak, after 5 years, I gave ot away to some one who did not have one and was interested in joining the club, her name was “PInky” with Pinky from Pinky and the Brain stenciled on it, several member of the club said, The World was going to end!
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Mine is huge for a kayak so I named mine Britannia 
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Boat i built, Maid Maicelph