Officially Renamed

Honoring Zeke

We always knew that we were going to rename the boat. It was only earlier this year that our beloved Zeke passed away.  We wanted his spirit to live on through our adventures on the water, so we named our boat, Zeke E Boy, after him.  He had many pet names, but this was his most popular one.

Is it bad luck?

Sailors are notoriously superstitious.  And after our journey home, I can understand why.  We are tempting ‘fate’ and it’s only a matter of time before bad things happen on the water.  It’s a good thing we don’t believe in fate!

It was bad luck to have women on board, because they were a distraction to the crew.  Ironically, boats are typically referred to as a ‘she’ because a female figure such as a mother is more likely to guide and protect, which is needed at sea.

Apparently, it’s also bad luck to rename a boat – bad things would happen to it.  This is actually because a ship’s name was carved into the mast, and each time the boat was renamed, the mast had to be sanded down and re-carved.  Well, over time, the mast was weakened and was more likely to break causing big problems – especially in bad weather!

God is in control

When changing a boat name, there is supposedly a specific ceremony to follow in order to appease Poseidon, the mythical ancient Greek god of the sea. 

Kyle and I are not superstitious. We serve God – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Creator of heaven and earth, who controls everything – even “the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:35 – 41 We completely trust Him with our lives and our boat – no renaming ceremony for us.

The Letters

Sizing

When our boat was ‘on the hard’ this May, we took a peek at it and other boats of similar size in the marina and measured the height of their names.  Most boats had between 12″ – 14″ letters depending on how long the names are.  Our boat is registered with the US Coast Guard so we needed to have her name and location on the back of the boat.  And the letters needed to be at least 4”.

Fonts

All of these sizes factored into which fonts we wanted to use for the letters.  Given that our boat name is pretty long, and our location is very long – and we had a small space for where we wanted the letters to appear on the back, we were somewhat limited with font choices to use.  Plus we needed it to be legible for it to be considered US Coast Guard compliant.

Vinyl Letters

I researched several suppliers for boat letters and found Lettering.com for several reasons.  Their UI was mobile-friendly, it had similar fonts that we used in our logo and the color options were good.  The application would also estimate the length based on the height of the letters and fonts used, which was very helpful in determining what to order.  

I played around with this for a while testing different fonts, sizes, colors, spacing, etc.  We measured and re-measured – just to make extra sure it would fit where we wanted it to go.  Finally, we bought the letters.

What did we buy?

Application Process

This project was primarily done by Kyle, but I provided moral support, encouragement and helped to get the new letters on. He broke the project up into 3 steps but completed it in 1 long day:

1. Remove old letters
2. Clean the boat
3. Add the new letters

It was a stressful project because we spent a few hundred dollars on the letters and we want them to last a long time!

Step-by-step Guide

What you Need

• Flat razor
• Scissors
• White Vinegar 
• Goo Gone
• Mean Green Cleaner & Degreaser
• Rag
• Kitchen Brush
• ENEACRO Polisher, Rotary Car Buffer Polisher Waxer
• menzerna Heavy Cut Polishing Compound 400
• Jescar Power Lock Polymer Paint Sealant
• Boat Letters
• Blue Painters Tape

Steps

Remove Old Letters 

1. Soak a rag with white vinegar and place on old letters for an hour
2. Remove rag and scrap letters off using a flat razor blade
3. Clean off remaining residue with goo gone

Clean Boat

4. Clean boat hull with Mean Green Cleaner & Degreaser with kitchen brush and allow to completely dry
5. Using a buffer and Heavy Cut Polishing Compound 400 to deoxidize the gel-coat
6. Apply a new gel coat protector using the Power Lock Polymer Paint Sealant
7. Wash again with degreaser and allow to completely dry

Add New Letters

8. Following the instructions that came with the letters, we cut the sides into 3 separate sections
9. Positioned and secured the letters with tape
10. Removed the liner and applied the letters to the boat
11. Carefully removed the transfer tape

We may need to fix some of the letters with a Sealit! Pen so we purchased it just in case.

Estimated Time

~ 8 hours

🙏Thanksgiving & Petition 🙏

We did not participate in any boat renaming ceremony.  Instead, we said a prayer of thanksgiving and asked for God’s protection on the water, which happens every time we leave the dock.

We took SV Zeke E Boy out for a sail to celebrate the name change.  It was completely satisfying to pass a jet skier in the harbor, who I overheard say “Zeke E Boy” … NOW, we’re official!

Tell us what you think

How did you rename your boat?  Do you have any other suggestions?  Please share your feedback in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!

– Kara from Zeke Life

Live like Zeke
You’re such a good boy!