Getting a horseshoe buoy to accept a boat’s name
Issue 89 : Mar/Apr 2013
It was time to replace the ratty, decades-old yellow (now almost white) throwable horseshoe buoy on Wind-Borne, my 1985 Hunter 28.5. Off to West Marine I went and returned home soon afterward with a nice new shiny buoy with that “new buoy” smell. Terrific!
My wife suggested, “How about putting our boat name on it? That would add a nice touch.” I agreed, and headed to a local sign shop with a design in mind. No problem. With their computer-based sign maker, they could make the design in adhesive lettering. The owner suggested, however, that we try a sample to see how it sticks to the vinyl buoy. Problem. As it turns out, a vinyl sticker will peel right off the buoy’s surface. We tried cleaning the surface with various liquids . . . no good. We tried abrading it a bit . . . no luck.
My wife, the artist, suggested a stencil and paint. That sounded reasonable to me and off I went to the local art-supply shop. Yes, they have plastic stencils for decorative lettering in 2- and 3-inch heights. I selected the latter. I explained my purpose and a clerk suggested using permanent markers instead of paint. She said I should first trace around the stencil in pencil and then fill in the letters with the marker. By doing it this way, there would be no “bleeding” at the edges as there could be if I applied paint or marker right on the stencil.
With a little practice, I found this concept worked just fine. I purposely left a gap in the top middle section to accommodate the bracket that holds the buoy to the stern rail.
It looks great from a distance. Viewed from up close the results of my less-than-steady hand are apparent, but I figure, out on the stern, who’s looking up close?
Ferman Wardell began sailing an 11-foot Styrofoam Snark on a 30-acre lake in North Carolina. He cruises and races his current boat, Wind-Borne, a 1985 Hunter 28.5, on Lake Norman near Charlotte. He has sailed extensively in the Caribbean. Like most good old boaters, Ferman enjoys boat maintenance, repair, and “improvements.”
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
