The original McKenzie Oerting, Charles McKenzie Oerting, came to the New World from Denmark in 1863, and opened McKenzie Oerting Marine Supply & Ship's Chandlery in Pensacola, Florida - the nation's very first city- in 1886.
From then until now, a span of over 125 years, the Oerting family has had an ongoing involvement with yachting and things nautical. Charles McKenzie's son and grandson each took their turns at running the Marine Supply & Ship's Chandlery during the boom years, when Pensacola was gateway to Europe and a growing, bustling seaport. Finally, when John A. Oerting, Sr. retired in 1971, the old store was closed, although the building is still preserved as one of Pensacola's important historic sites. John A. Oerting, Jr. followed his seafaring instincts by participating in and helping to organize yacht races. He served as chairman of the Gulf Yachting Association's PHRF (Performance Handicap Rating Fleet) System, the rating system now used for most multi-class races, and as chairman of the GYA offshore council. He is past commodore of the Pensacola Yacht Club and of the GYA.
Today, the Oerting family continues to pursue nautical interests through participation in yacht cruising, sailboat racing (both one-design and offshore), and other watersports for recreation. They also own and operate the "new" McKenzie Oerting, which specializes in the design and manufacture of logos and boat names. Katherine McKenzie Oerting, part of the fifth generation of Oertings in America, is an award-winning graphic designer. Her work can be seen in several nationally-published design annuals, as well as boat hulls near and far.
First, let's talk about our custom-designed logos or graphics. Then we'll talk about how all of our decals (whether they include custom graphics or lettering alone) are put together, and why this sets them apart from others.
A custom-designed boat name is very much like a corporate logo: it does some of the same things for your boat's image that a corporate logo does for a company. It gives your boat personality, and it establishes an identity on which to begin building a reputation. A memorable name can add to the resale value of a company or a boat. Your boat's name might say something about you- what you do, or what matters to you.
No one else puts decals together the way we do. First, we use only high-performance, 2-mil thick (that's very thin) cast vinyl from reputable manufacturers. These films are recommended for an outdoor life of 5-7 years by their makers, however, we go even farther by guaranteeing them againgt fading or peeling for as long as you own your boat (with proper maintenance, of course).
When there is an outline around a letter or graphic, we put a solid piece down in the outline color (the first layer against the hull), followed by the same shape in the 'fill' color with just the thickness of the outline trimmed away, on top of the first layer. The reason we do this is so that a larger adhesive-coated surface of the outline color is in contact than would be the case if it was just the width of the outline and applied over the top of the fill color. More adhesive is in contact with the substrate, which better insures the sticking-power of all the colors, especially the outline.
When there is a shadow behind a letter or graphic, most companies will cut an exact duplicate of the lettering in the shadow color, and instruct you to put this down first, followed by the lettering or graphic itself, in a slightly offset position. This results in a telltale ridge on the letter or graphic where the underneath thickness of the shadow leaves off and only the hull continues. Often, it also results in a subtle color difference, especially in cases where the covering color isn't completely opaque.
That's not the way we do it here at McKenzie Oerting. The Shadow we cut is the united, or combined, shape of the letter and its shadow, and we assemble the entire decal into a single piece. You only install one layer, not two or more, thus saving you any problems with misregistration of the pieces. When you're finished, the letters or graphics will have no telltale ridges under them (provided the hull itself is free from surface imperfections), and they will be a smooth uniform color. This detail of construction also prevents air bubbles and, therefore, future problems with maladhesion.
Our plotting files (the digital templates for cutting the vinyl into letters and shapes) are made only from high-quality Postscript fonts and artwork, insuring that there are no jagged edges on the curves.
In addition, each custom plotting file is individually hand-kerned by professional graphic designers, after the automatic kerning built into the font is applied, to insure that letterspacing and the distances between words are aesthetically pleasing, as well as legible both close-up and at maximum distances. The same care goes into the centering and base-lining of the names and graphics (see below).
After we put the final layer of vinyl down, and cover it with our installation team-approved application tape (a.k.a. 'release liner'), we put the whole thing on a custom designed, industrial-size light table and find the true and optical centers (both vertical and horizontal). We draw them onto the liner, so that you can use these guides to mark the decal's proper position on your hull with just a few tiny pencil marks. Every extra step we take adds time to our assembly process but saves you time (and prevents installer accidents). We want to enable you to install your own decals with a minimum of trouble and expense.
We offer a wide selection of items, t-shirts, sweatshirts, polo shirts, golf towels, caps, mugs, mouse pads, etc., custom printed with your boat name and/or graphic! Silk screen, transfers, and embroidery are avaivable, most items without a minimun order! The perfect gifts for the boater who has or wants everything!
"We get lots of compliments, and once when
going through the Cape Cod Canal we got a perfect score of 6.0 from
the judges! (Note: there are people who sit on the side with numbers
ala figure skating.) The vessel is a 1978 Tartan 27. She is moored in
Plymouth not very far from "the rock" and the Mayflower II. Therefore
she does get a lot of visibility. Two summers now cruising
Massachusetts and Buzzards Bay and she is good as new! Again, Thanks
for a quality job, well done. We couldn't be more pleased with your
work. Name and hailing port are also your efforts. We always tell
interested parties who did the job."
Bill Farmer, 'Sea Waif', Plymouth, MA
"We are extremely happy with the quality
and the ease of application."
William Perkins, 'Gecko', Fairfield, CT
"We are so happy with J-Ronimo. So many
people love the name and graphics, we do too!"
Mary Roddy and Peter Donchick, 'J-Ronimo', Staten island, NY
"I can't begin to tell you how pleased we
are with the outcome. This product was everything promised and more.
The installation was a snap thanks to the easy-to-follow instruction
booklet. I am recommending your company to everyone. Keep up the
excellent work."
Ken Bustin, 'Bustin Loose', West Haven, CT
"We love it! Everyone who comes by makes a
comment! The crew loves their crew wear!"
Jessie and Glenda Mayo, 'Lun'r Sea', Pensacola, FL
"We love the custom design and the decals,
we get compliments everywhere we go!"
Barbara Braman, 'Sea Slug', Coconut Grove, FL
'We love it!! It's beautiful! Just what we
wanted, thank you so much.'
Judy and Dave Rising, 'Rising Sun', Sellersville, PA
"They are just what I wanted, and I swear
they make the boat go faster!"
Hugh Padrick, 'Sumo Toad', Coconut Grove, FL
"Perfect, absolutely perfect! We had
temporary tatoos made from the logo you designed! It's been wonderful
working with you."
Dianne McKeever, 'Swan', New Canaan, CT
E-mailBy far the easiest way to contact us. Since you're here already just click on our e-mail address, mckenzieo@aol.com and drop us a E-note with your name, address, & phone number. We'll send your kit out right away via USPS first class mail. If you know the name of your boat and would like to have a few color ideas sent via e-mail as a .gif, just ask!
Toll Free PhoneJust call us at 800-359-1423 with your name, address, and phone number, and we'll send your kit out right away via USPS first class mail. If you've chosen the name of your boat and would like to have a few laser print ideas enclosed with your kit, just ask!
FaxFax us at 850-932-1976 with your name, address, phone and the name of your boat (if you've decided) and we'll send your kit out right away via USPS first class mail. Also, if you fax us a design idea we can let you know the cost for producing your design! Unfortunately, we can't fax the brochure to you due to the lack of color and number of pages, but we'll be happy to fax you several type ideas using your name to get you started.
U.S MailJust drop a note with your name, address, phone number and the name of your boat (if you've decided) to:
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STUFF!!
