Naming a Boat? It May be Harder than You Think

Published: Sunday, June 12, 2011 3:00 pm
By: Van W. Snider Jr.

BoatU.S. recently unveiled its list of top boat names. Reading the list reminded me of my appetite for observing boat names over the years. It can be very entertaining and create some assumptions about the boat owner. Naming a new baby is a piece-of-cake compared to naming a boat. Think about it! When naming children, we tend to have a name already in mind or investigate historical "family" names. Web sites like Ancestry.com can help with a family name search. What the heck do you name the boat you just bought?

After an internet search, I easily found a number of sites to help in selecting boat names. First, www.firstboat.com has a section on "Boat Names" and an article on "Choosing a Boat Name." FirstBoat's 2011 list of top 10 boat names compiled in collaboration with CustomBoatNames.com and BoatNameGear.com were: Liberty, Serenity, Happy Ours, Feelin' Nauti, Family Time, Black Pearl, Andiano, Knot On Call, High Maintenance, and Just Chillin. BoatU.S.'s top boat names had a few of the same, but these additions: AguaHolic, La Belle Vita (The Beautful Life), Mojo, Island Time, Second Wind, No Worries and Blue Moon.

There are fantastic lists of boat names by categories at www.yachtsee.com. When you click on "Find a Boat Name" you'll see a list of boat name categories. There are fun and clever names such as Aloan Again, Screw Loose, Docked Wages, Harvey Dockbanger, Vitamin Sea, and Blood, Sweat & Beers. Some are named after critters: Monkey Sea, Chicken of the Sea, and Water Rat. Yet others are oriented toward men or women or romance and divorce, such as Cause For Divorce, Honey's Money, Dough Buoy, Current Wife, and Deep Devocean.

About fifty percent of the boats sold in Michigan are bought to go fishing. If you have spent any time on the water, you will already know that fishing is popular. Fishermen and women are creative with boat names: Reel Crazy, Chum Lord, Worm Dangler and Reel Obsession.

Some boat names relate to money, profession, or work. I thought these were creative: Recommended Dosage, Coin Operated, Recovery Room, Frequent Flyer, Attitude Adjustment, and Liquid Assets. We see names today that we didn't thirty years ago: Byte Me, Sea Drive and Shark Byte.

As far as name selection is concerned, I think a few boaters go a bit too far when they select risqué or suggestive names. Boating is a family activity and I don't think kids need to see those types of names on boats and parents don't need children asking what it means. I am not going to give you examples; there are plenty and I suspect you have seen a few yourselves over the years.

There are circumstances when a boat name needs to be changed. Many people believe changing a boat name brings bad luck. I recommend reading "How To Change your Boat Name Without incurring Bad Luck," a Boat Christening Ceremony by Commander Bob (www.commanderbob.com). You can read it at: www.yachtsee.com/helps/boatdenaming.php. Not that I'm superstitious, but better safe than sorry.

One of my favorite boat names is Makin' Memories. It summarizes the boating life-style experience. Naming your boat is a fun process; why not get the entire family involved? Once you've agreed on a name, go out and make fun family memories that last a lifetime.

Written By: Van W. Snider, Jr., CAE
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