Naming Your First Boat
Once you’ve come to a decision upon and purchased your first boat, you’ll need to make another decision. You’ve got to give your boat a name! While you aren’t legally required to, there’s a long-storied tradition behind boat names that might convince you to. And if you are sure that you do, then there are several strategies you can use to come up with the perfect marine moniker.
L&M Marine, LLC in Stapleton, Alabama, is proud to be your Southern boat dealer. To help you make your new vessel your own, here are some of our top tips for naming your first boat, as well as some of the history behind this tradition.
Why Name a Boat?
Since boats were first developed in antiquity, their owners have named them. It’s pretty much a human trait to ascribe names to everything around us, from our children to our pets to inanimate objects. Boat names have a significance beyond this tendency, though.
Back before GPS navigation and cell phones made it easy to stay in touch with someone who’s in the middle of the ocean, people felt more trepidation about going out into the open water on a vessel. So they would do whatever they could to feel protected and to bring their voyage good luck. Part of that was the tradition of naming their vessels after gods, goddesses and Christian saints, in hopes of gaining those deities’ favor and blessing. Wine or champagne would be poured upon the boat as an offering, too.
Renaming your boat was considered to be very bad luck, because it would be defying the very deity your named it after. In order to rechristen a craft, sailors had to remove all traces of the original name and undergo a process of cleansing before choosing a new name. So you wanted to make sure your name is a good one!
Choosing a Name: What To Consider
When selecting a name for your boat, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind. These aren’t hard and fast rules, of course, but they may prove helpful to you in your decision.
1. Is It Pronounceable?
You don’t want to choose a name that no one can say. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t name your craft in a language you’re familiar with or after a tradition from your ancestors’ culture, but it does mean you should stay away from tongue-twisters, obscene names and really convoluted names that can easily be miscommunicated. Your boat’s name will help to identify it, which can be very important in a crisis.
2. Will It Stand the Test of Time?
Trendy boat names based on pop culture may seem tempting, but these ephemeral names may not mean much to you in the future. Choose a timeless name that doesn’t involve a complex explanation of some obscure meme or indie film.
3. Is It Internet-Friendly?
Most modern mariners are going to be online in some form and that means sharing photos and information about their boats. You’ll want to choose a name that works for your blog or website, as a hashtag on social media and even as a handle for an Instagram account about your cruises. So think about whether your name will meet these criteria.
When naming your boat, you should take your time and think of something that’s unique without being obscure or unsuitable. After all, it’s a huge investment and your boat is going to be a big part of your life! If you still don’t have a boat, stop by our Stapleton dealership to take a gander at our full stock of new and used boats for sale. L&M Marine, LLC, proudly serves the cities of Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida.