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Naming a boat

3K views 25 replies 23 participants last post by  One 
#1 ·
Is it customary for when someone buys a used boat to rename it? Or do most keep the name it comes with?
 
#3 ·
The first boat I bought didn't have a name. I didn't name it either before I sold it a year later. My second boat was named 'Electrowax'. That name had to go so we renamed the boat Noble Prize. Third, and current boat was named Curragh. Not a bad name, but I didn't like it so we renamed her Day To Remember.

Barry
 
#4 ·
Do what makes you happy... The only time we've retained an old name was when we had partners and agreeing on a new name wasn't easy and none of us minded the original. We've renamed all the other boats we've had.
 
#5 ·
You can re-name it without incurring the wrath of the gods if you strictly follow Vigor's re-naming ceremony rules. No cheap champagne and a liberal dose to appease said gods. I've followed the steps to the letter and re-named several boats and haven't lost one yet:))

Denaming
 
#23 ·
You can re-name it without incurring the wrath of the gods if you strictly follow Vigor's re-naming ceremony rules. No cheap champagne and a liberal dose to appease said gods. I've followed the steps to the letter and re-named several boats and haven't lost one yet:))

Denaming
I can't figure out if you ARE superstitious or not. :p Personally I think it is bad luck to be superstitious, but then again, sacrificing a few small animals to pagan gods might be a good idea.

I changed the name of my last boat without any ceremony or superstition and was even lame and lazy about getting the new name painted on the side. My history with my first boat is a tale of worry and woe that more resembles the book "The Boat Who Wouldn't Float" by Farley Mowat (bet book ever) than not. ;)

MedSailor
 
#6 ·
Boat was named "OM", that's Sanskrit for "humankind" for those who don't speak it.
That was way too obtuse to explain over the radio. I've found it's good luck to rename the boat for the Chief Financial Officer of the vessel. Hence I now sail the S/V NancyB, and no expense is too great for HER boat.;)
 
#7 ·
"Om" is also "about", "regarding", and "around" (yes, all three) in Danish/Swedish, and I suspect also in Norwegian.


Personally, I have always had a weird fondness of the name Molly, so several of my boats have carried that name, officially or unofficially. Never bothered with the I, II, III, IV etc., although Molly B, Molly X, or Molly G doesn't sound too bad.

One of my boats was named "Ox", because I thought the stem looked like a bull scull from the front.
 
#8 ·
In the last 10 years we have bought and renamed 2 boats...

The first was named 'Big Fat Fun' and my wife refused to make VHF calls. The second was called 'Upside Down' and SeaTow kept trying to rescue us...

Boat names should make sense in English, be easy to pronounce and not confuse the Coast Guard or make them laugh!
 
#18 ·
Boat names should make sense in English, be easy to pronounce and not confuse the Coast Guard or make them laugh!
I agree. We named our boat Ilya after a manatee we adopted through the Save the Manatee Club (our daughter is nuts about manatees). I worry a bit about the coast guard thing because it's not a common name, but at least I can spell it to them in only four letters!
 
#17 ·
There is nothing wrong with being lazy...it is not a bad name. Unfortunately my boat's name is a play on the previous owners last name and it is the 4th at that so he already has his new boat lettered with a "5". I have no choice but to rename as a courtesy.
 
#14 ·
My boat was named BOLERO. Umm. no.

Dianthus was on the short list w/ a few other names. Had meaning b/c I gave the Admiral a potted Dianthus for her house she bought right after we started dating. Broke up a year later. Got back together. Plant kept coming back. 3rd year it did that I said "I thought they were an ANNUAL". She said, "yeah, I was supposed to be an annual too". Great sense of humor she has.

So, when I was trying to decide I checked to see if there was ever a Navy boat named Dianthus. Turns out there was. During WWI the Navy took over a private Motorboat and used it as a section patrol boat (SP639) It was a Herreshoff design/built boat from Bristol RI ..... which is where I bought my boat.
After that it was pretty easy to name her DIANTHUS

And yes, we "de-named" her and "renamed" her.

Long answer to your ? is: do what you want.
 
#15 ·
I am battling with this now myself. Boat is currently named Endurance. Not bad, perhaps a bit pretentious..... This is way tougher than naming kids that's for sure....Wait, I think I have it: "For Sure"!

On second thought- no.....reminds me too much of foreclosure...

Hmmmm.....
 
#19 ·
I didn't rename my boat because I didn't want to cough up the $80+ bucks to re-file the documentation. The name of the boat Philyria is an absolute PITA to convey over radio. I'll eventually change to something like BOB so that at least I can be understood via radio contact. Advice: make it easily legible over airwaves.
 
#20 ·
We just went through this whole rigamarole

We have a boat in charter...so we wanted to mess with them :)

There was a place in Santorini we sailed to and stayed overnight...Iliovasilema. Still cannot pronounce the F'in word :)

Then there was "BOB", my name is Robert :), and thats what boats do!

My wife wanted "Cheese-Burger" (in paradise). We chartered a boat a while back that was called "FRUITCAKES" some SOB removed the "S". Phuque.

Settled on naming out Vision 46...Hallucinations. previous name was too disney, Doubloon.

We are NOT Disney people
 
#21 ·
We're going to do the full ceremony in a few weeks with a few friends in attendance. For those of you who have done the dename/naming... Did you wait 24 hours in between? And almost as importantly... Is that a bottle on the bow for each part of the ceremony?
 
#24 ·
Our boats have named themselves. Events involving each one resulted in their picking up a moniker. Their stories are interesting and fun. Not secrets but too long for this post. We just purchased a beautiful 18' runabout for lakes here in Maine. It is a vintage E.M White in perfect condition except the po knocked its mahogany framed windshield off. I am building a replacement. It has 2 40 hp Johnson obms that are 49 years old. Fun. That name must be replaced! VER JEN. For the po's daughters Verginia and Jeniffer. Fortunately the name is plastic letters affixed with brass nails. It hasn't had time to "discover" its new name. It shall go nameless until then!

The other three are: Sea Mouse, Tundra Down and Drinking Bird! All with worthy stories to go with each one.

A good boat name should be unique, easily heard and understood over the radio and memorable.

Down
 
#25 ·
Our boats have named themselves. ...

A good boat name should be unique, easily heard and understood over the radio and memorable.

Down
Agreed, and agreed again. If you don't have a burning desire to use one particular name, that you are sure is just right, let the boat name herself. This story from SmackDaddy's naming of his catamaran for example is classic! (long and laugh out loud funny)

The naming of SmackDaddy's catamaran

MedSailor
 
#26 ·
I'm not superstitious one bit, nor do I believe in any gods whatsoever. With that said, I do understand the lure of going through a ceremony (even if it is invented for the occasion). It's the same sort of thing as funerals: To allow the people attending to get closure - or in the event of renaming a boat: To allow for the people to feel as if the boat is now really theirs and it bears their name.

I have even had my then gf to ask me if we should do a ceremony to name my (open water) rowing boats. So it matters to some. I get a boat to become "mine" by going through every detail and altering what I see fit. It can be as simple as removing ridiculous brand name stickers.
 
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