Sail Optimist

Sequentially numbered boat stickers

Identification stickers for Sail Optimist

Sail Optimist is the International Optimist Dinghy Association, with members all around the world. The Optimist boat is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy, mostly used by young people up to the age of 15. There are over 150,000 Optimist boats officially registered, each boat needs to be identified by a unique number, which is displayed on the side.

Create durable ocean-proof stickers

Sail Optimist approached us to solve a boat numbering problem for them. They needed sequentially numbered labels to go on each of their boats but didn’t want rigid panels fixed to the craft.

Past experience of poor adhesive label solutions made them nervous about outdoor stickers. The boats are used predominately in tough marine environments, so ‘normal’ stickers won’t last. Sail Optimist needed a supplier with extensive knowledge of the right product for the right environment and we were happy to oblige!

Rigorously tested materials for the best boat stickers

The obvious material manufacturer for the outdoor stickers was 3M. They have an extensive range of rigorously tested products for all environments. We have a long-standing established relationship with 3M, so we spoke to their technical team and supplied them with the details of the conditions the stickers would be subject to. We also outlined what type of plastic they would be stuck to, and what lifespan they needed.

After testing samples on the boats we settled on IJ3650 with paired laminate 8518. It was chosen because it would be the most durable material for the environment.

It’s a premium cast digital printable film designed to withstand extreme conditions. Because it’s a fuel and weather-resistant solvent-based acrylic adhesive, it’s ideal for tankers, petrol stations, pumps and marine applications.

Persuading our customer, who had experienced many problems with poor quality outdoor stickers in the past, that this solution was right, hinged on our exceptional relationship with 3M.

The established reputation and expertise of 3M, alongside their product testing and warranties gave the customer the reassurance they needed that the suggested solution would stand up to the test of time.

What we did

Numbered stickers

Marine environment labels

Printed labels