Buying Guide

Burgee vs. owner flag

Two flags that look alike on the page and do very different jobs on the water. Here is which one you need.

The short answer

Order a burgee if the flag speaks for a club: it is the one flag on a boat that is purely identity, flown at the masthead or from the starboard spreader. Order an owner flag or boat name flag if the flag speaks for one boat or one skipper and has to be read from another boat at a distance. Customized Boat Flags makes both, and many boats fly one of each.

Side by side

	Burgee	Owner or boat name flag
What it is	A club’s flag, flown at the masthead or from the starboard spreader; purely identity	A personal flag or boat-name flag for one boat or one skipper
Shape	Traditional triangular or swallowtail	Laid out for legibility across water rather than for a set shape
Sizing	About half an inch of fly per foot of overall boat length; clubs usually need two or three sizes	Taken from the boat length
Design	Club emblem and colours, readable on both sides	Heavier letterforms, far fewer words and real contrast, reading correctly from both sides
Construction	Four rows of stitching at the fly, corner patch, rope-and-toggle or sleeve hoist	Four rows of stitching at the fly, corner patch
Fabric	Nylon or woven polyester	Nylon or woven polyester
Who buys it	Yacht clubs, sailing clubs and associations	Owners, charter fleets and boat builders
Minimum order	12 flags in total	12 flags in total

When a burgee is the right call

A burgee belongs to a club, a class association or a fleet, so the design matters less for reading at distance and more for looking right on every member boat. The convention is roughly half an inch of fly for every foot of overall length, which means a club usually needs two or three sizes rather than one. Choose the hoist, a rope and toggle or a sleeve, to match how members actually rig, or the burgee gets left in a locker. See custom yacht club burgees and our burgee sizing guide, and ask about a club and fleet flag programme if members will be reordering one flag at a time.

When an owner or name flag is the right call

An owner flag or a name flag is read from another boat, at distance, moving, usually against a bright sky. That is a much harder legibility problem than a printed sign, so the lettering is redrawn heavier with far fewer words and real contrast, rather than tone on tone. A name that looks beautiful on a screen can be illegible at fifty metres, and the free mockup shows both before you commit. See owner and boat name flags.

Fabric and wind

Either flag can be made in nylon or woven polyester. Nylon flies in very little air and takes colour beautifully but wears faster in sustained wind; heavy polyester needs real air to fly and lasts several times longer offshore or on an exposed mooring. Pick by where the boat sails: nylon and polyester flags explains the choice.

The verdict

Pick a burgee to show club or association membership at the masthead, in two or three sizes to suit the fleet.

Pick an owner or name flag to put your own name or boat name where other boats can read it.

Send your design and a spread of boat lengths for a free mockup: get a custom quote and we reply within one business day. The minimum order is 12 flags and standard turnaround is about 2 weeks.

Create your custom boat flags now.

Send your design, your boat or member lengths and where the boat sails — you’ll get a free mockup, a size recommendation and a quote within one business day.

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