Custom Sun Shirts and Boat Shirts for Life on the Water

What UPF Ratings Mean on a Sun Shirt

UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) measures how much UV radiation gets through a fabric. A UPF 50 shirt lets through about 1/50 of the sun's UV, or roughly 2%. SPF is the sunscreen version of the same idea, but it only lasts until you sweat or swim it off, while a shirt's protection stays put all day. Clothing is rated in bands:

Those bands come from clothing testing standards, summarized well by UCSF Health. The sun shirts in this collection are UPF-rated, and each product's details list its rating. A lightweight white cotton tee often rates only in the single digits, and less when it's wet.

Fabric matters as much as the label. Tight knits, darker or brighter colors and a looser fit all block more UV, and stretched fabric blocks less. For running, training and gym wear rather than days on the water, see our moisture-wicking athletic shirts.

Branded Fishing Shirts for Charters and Tournaments

A charter's shirt does two jobs: it marks the captain and mate as crew, and it walks off the dock as advertising on every client who buys one. Most charters put a branded logo on the left chest, a large back print with the boat or business name and a website or phone number down the sleeve, then sell the same shirt to clients after the trip.

Tournament shirts are built for sponsors. Typical layouts put the event logo on the front, the title sponsor across the back and supporting sponsors on the sleeves. When a shirt carries a dozen logos, sublimation prints the entire garment edge to edge in one pass, which keeps a crowded layout clean and avoids stacking separate prints on thin fabric. We don't offer sublimation, so we print custom fishing shirts with logo lineups from every sponsor using DTF.

Marina offices, bait shops and boat dealers often pair sun shirts for the dock crew with performance golf polos for the sales floor, using the same branded logo on both. Central Florida groups fishing the Kissimmee Chain, the St. Johns River or Mosquito Lagoon can pick up at our Orlando-area warehouse, and every order can ship anywhere in the US.

Boat and Yacht Crew Shirts

Custom boat shirts range from relaxed family tees for the sandbar to full uniforms for yacht crews. For owners and families, a personalized long sleeve sun shirt with the boat's name on the back is the classic, often with the hailing port underneath. Cotton boat t-shirts work for evenings at the marina, but performance fabric is the better choice for hours in the sun.

Yacht crews usually need a more polished, branded look. Stewards and deckhands often wear white or light-colored performance polos with the vessel's name embroidered on the left chest, plus matching sun shirts for deck work. Light colors stay cooler on deck, and embroidery holds up to the frequent washing a working crew demands. Embroidery carries a $35 digitizing fee per design. Setup fees are one-time per design: reorders, and the same design on other products, never pay them again; only a design change needs new setup. Outfitting a new crew member later, or adding the logo to a cap, adds no setup.

Crew Titles and Boat Names on Personalized Shirts

Personalized details make crew shirts feel like a team. Popular additions include:

• Crew titles: Captain, First Mate, Deckhand or Chief Bait Officer on the back or sleeve.
• Boat name and hailing port: across the upper back or under a chest logo.
• Individual names: on the sleeve or the back yoke, so guests know who's who.
• Trip details: a family reunion on the water, a bachelor fishing trip or a club outing with the date and location.

Names and titles are added shirt by shirt with DTF, which has no setup fee, so every crew member can have a different title without extra screens. You'll approve your design before anything is produced, so check every spelling there; bulk orders of 100+ pieces get a free mockup.

Hooded and Long Sleeve Sun Styles

Long sleeve crews are the workhorse: they protect arms, layer easily and give you a full sleeve for a printed logo or name. For crossover styles that work on land too, browse our custom long sleeve shirts.

Hooded sun shirts add coverage for the neck and ears, the spots most anglers miss with sunscreen, and they're the go-to choice for long days offshore. For warmer layers and outdoor patterns, see our custom sun hoodies. Short sleeve performance tees are an option for evening trips and tournament weigh-ins. Look for the features that suit your days on the water, such as a relaxed fit, thumbholes or vented panels; each product lists them. Finish the crew's look with matching fishing and boat hats.

Decorating Performance Fabric for Salt and Sun

Not every method suits polyester, and the right one depends on the shirt color and the design:

• Sublimation: dye goes into white or light polyester, so the print has no feel, doesn't crack and doesn't block the fabric's breathability. Best for all-over art, sponsor layouts and full-color fish graphics, though it's not a method we offer.
• DTF: a thin, flexible film that works on any shirt color, including dark navy and charcoal. Best for names, small runs and full-color logos.
• Embroidery: best for polos and heavier performance knits. A lightweight backing keeps the logo from stiffening thin fabric.
• Screen printing: works on performance fabric with low-bleed inks that stop polyester dye from tinting white ink pink or gray. Setup, for orders of 100+ pieces through our team, is quoted with the order, one time per design.

DTG, which prints best on cotton, isn't a good match for performance polyester.

To keep prints bright, rinse shirts in fresh water after a day in salt spray, wash cold and inside out, skip fabric softener (it clogs the wicking fibers) and hang to dry out of direct sun. Every print fades eventually under strong UV, but sublimated and DTF prints hold their color well with that kind of care.

Frequently Asked Questions

What UPF rating should custom sun shirts have?

Look for UPF 30 or higher, and UPF 50+ for long days on open water. UPF 50 lets through only about 2% of UV rays. Each shirt in this collection lists its UPF rating in the product details. Stretching, heavy wear and getting soaked can lower real-world protection.

Can you put our boat name on crew shirts?

Yes. Boat names, hailing ports and crew titles can go on the back, chest or sleeve. Names and titles are added shirt by shirt with DTF, which has no setup fee, so each crew member gets a personalized shirt. You'll see every name live in our 3D Custom Designer before production starts.

Do you make fishing tournament shirts with sponsor logos?

Yes. Send each sponsor's logo as an SVG or PDF file where possible, or a high-resolution PNG or JPG (AI and EPS files can be sent with a bulk quote), and tell us the placement priority. Sublimation prints full-coverage sponsor layouts in one pass, though we don't offer it; DTF suits a front and back layout on any shirt color. For a breakdown of what drives the price of decorated shirts, read How Much Do Custom T-Shirts Cost? A 2026 Price Breakdown.

Will prints fade in salt water and sun?

All prints fade slowly in strong sun, but sublimation, which dyes the fabric itself, and DTF hold up very well. Rinse salt out in fresh water after each trip, wash cold, skip fabric softener and hang dry out of direct sunlight. Those habits add far more life to a branded crew shirt than any single print method.

Is there a minimum order for UPF shirts?

No. You can order a single personalized shirt for your own boat or a full run for a tournament field. DTF suits small orders, with no setup fee. Rush orders are available for a fee quoted with your order; tell us your in-hand date and we'll confirm it before you approve.