Boat cards

[Calypso52]

I've decided to toss my boat cards that had full address, phone, etc.

Instead I will have our names, emails, perhaps MMSI# on one side and photo/description of boat on the other.

Any comments on the content and please recommend a card vendor that has produced good results at a fair price. Too many choices out there. Thanks.

[bvander]

we have boat name, our names, email, primary cell phone#, HAM Call Sign, pic of boat and small pic of us. fits nice on one side.

[Paul L]

Hailing port.

Vistaprint is very reasonable

[Laughing Buddha]

Having exchanged, collected, filed, misplaced 100's (1000's?) of boat cards since the early 90s, I'll add the following:

WATERPROOF- there are cards/cardstock that is worth the small extra fee.

Also, a blank back side can be used for a stick-on mailing address label. Some expense for labels - but useful for posting.

Spend the extra small bit of change for a better card.

We've settled on email addy - one HAM, and one land based. That gives call sign, useful for nets etc. A sketch of the boat under sail, makes for ID in the anchorage, and on the other side, our "mugs" so we can be ID'd in port - with names! So, maybe we won't be just; "Hey! Laughing Buddha..."

[I'll plop a pic in here once I find it on my desktop.]

Personally, we recommend SK Intertrade - but they are in Kuah, Langkawi, MY. Not only did they do a great job, they shipped a set to me stateside when we were away. And - They still recognize us on the street - but (alas) its; "Oh, you are Laughing Buddha!"

Cheers - Jim

[Orion Jim]

I have plain white cards with the boat name, hailing port, my name, cell number and email address, all on one half of the front side. I have an embosser which has the boat name, hailing port, document number, and gross tonnage. I emboss on the remaining half of the front side. The back side is left blank so I can personalize the card if necessary.

[Calypso52]

Thanks folks. I decided on Moo, easy to design, heavy stock, full photo of boat on back of card, reasonable price.

[1000 islands]

We had never heard of boat cards until last year while trying to get to the Finger Lakes, but stopped by the Sherrif in Baldwinsville.

As we began talking to the other stranded boaters many had boat cards and were exchanging the cards between each other.

We felt completely left out, but collected about 15 cards from boaters from many different places.

So now just reading this post has brought back the memories of being stranded for over 2 weeks in a small village......and all the new friends we met.

I think I'll get my a$$ in gear and have some printed.

[Sandero]

What are boat cards used for?

[barnakiel]

Remember to include home port.

I have seen cards where there was a motto / sentence on the reverse. I liked these very much. Things like "sail hard or stay home", etc.

Cheers,
b.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Vistaprint is very reasonable

Yep.

Think about what you put on the card. If you put your home address on it, you are giving away the information that you are away from home and won't be back for a while. You don't want this falling into the wrong hands.

[Prairie Chicken]

Originally Posted by Sandero

What are boat cards used for?

Same as business cards--to share your contact info with others in a neater way than scribbling it on a scrap of paper.

[Sandero]

Originally Posted by Prairie Chicken

Same as business cards--to share your contact info with others in a neater way than scribbling it on a scrap of paper.

Got it... thanks...
If I bothered... I would have the radio call sign, cell #, email, doc #, my name, boat's name, homeport.

I won't bother.

[jeremiason]

One thing I would suggest is a picture of you on the card.

Our cards include a picture of our faces on the back of the card in black and white.

We did this after pulling some old boat cards and not being able to put a face to the boat name, because there was no picture of the owners, just one of the boat.

We did it through Vista Print and I don't think it added much to the cost for a second side

[MarkJ]

Yep, your photo and email is all you need.
People remember your face no matter how ugly your dial is.

Phone numbers are superfluous unles your are just in one country.

Waterproofing means you can't write your local phone number on it.

And all the rest of the crap people squash on their cards is just clutter. Do people really nneed to know your past land address? Or your MMMMMSI?

But a nice piccy of you and the Missus, your boat name and your email if a nice thing to have

[LakeSuperior]

Interestingly, I/we met maybe a 100 to 200 of folks on our two year trip through Canada, Europe, and Caribbean. In all it was somewhat of a cross-section of personalities, politics, religion, and financial standings. Met lots of sincere, genuinely nice people. A number that had us to their homes.

We really only connected long term with a couple of folks.

Most memorable was on two independent meetings both the female side of the captain/crew vehemently advocated the British Government legislate how much a person could weight as overweight people were costing the government too much money via national health care.

Anyway, the point is the boat cards are mostly useless as on average no real connections are made. This could be just me but but the three others on the voyage did about the same.