A good cleaning and...some obstacles to deal with 

The working area.  First "tape up" look at the name and location

The boat was not exactly level on land so measurements were made

Tape the top of the fonts to the hull.  This acts like a hinge for the application

I used a soap/water spray to make the application easy

Ready to press down the letters

Using a kitchen squeegee, work down through each letter to remove the air bubbles

One last check for air bubbles

Off comes the top layer of paper

Boat registration is on

Vinyl Graphics came from Sign-A-Rama

Melbourne, FL  Very good group to work with.

Original graphic before hull painting

Same process as previously used

I cut out the problem areas to have better control

Working from right to left I used the sope/water spray and squeegeed it all even.  (Is squeegeed a word?)  The "h" on the standing rigging SS brace was a real challenge.

The finished product looked just right