Should I name the boat?

[fishing_fanatic]

My 1968 20' SF Seacraft has been in the family for about 35 years and has never had a name. I inherited it in 1988 from my father but still didnt name it.

I have been thinking about naming it but a friend says its been so long I shouldnt now.

So am I tempting fate by not naming it?

[McGillicuddy]

Being somewhat traditional, I think every boat should be given a name, I even had one named Opos (old piece of s#!+)... I came across this a while back when I was considering renaming the pre-owed Seafari I bought.

http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/rename.htm

I prefer not being superstitious cause I think its bad luck

[BigLew]

fishing_fanatic,

Naming a boat is a very personal thing and does deserve one's careful attention.

Regarding whether or not you should name it, you seem to be referring to some of the mystique/superstition regarding the topic. To my knowledge, there is no "taboo" to giving a name to a boat that has never been named in the past regardless of the length of time of ownership of the boat.

I think what you are referring to is the superstition of changing a boat's name once it has been named. In that regard, the only superstition I am aware of is changing a boat's name from one name to an other name while still owning the boat.

[Fr. Frank]

In naming a boat that has been in the family for a long while, it's a sure bet that the boat already has a name, even if unofficially. When you refer to it, what do you call it, kindly, unkindly, or nonchalantly?

Back in '86, I had a '65 16' Boston Whaler that was just called "The Boat", and I even eventually had that name painted on the side.

Of course, the names of my boats that I have actually named myself have been pretty disparate:

• 8' wooden punt, 9.9hp Chrysler, "Jeepers" (yes, I'm that old)
• 15' Cacci Craft (V-mate clone), 1500XS Mercury - "Divine Wind" ("kamikaze" in Japanese)
• 25' Mako CC, t/ 105hp Chryslers, "Fishalot" (I was 16, and a commercial lobster fisherman in the Keys)
• 20' SeaCraft Seafari, 150 inline Merc, "Anytime"
• 17' Cruise Boat CC, Triumph 55hp Evinrude, "The Geek" (My employees at a marina had that name painted on there for me - I kept it.)
• 40' Matthews FDMY, t/ 160hp Chrysler Imperial straight 8's, "What Me Worry"
• 23' SeaCraft CC, t/140hp Mercury inlines, "Yellow Submarine" (it was mostly a dive boat, and fighting lady yellow)
• 23' Wellcraft Suncruiser, 260 Mercruiser "Roseanna" (worst boat I ever owned
• 16' Slickcraft SS160, Mercury 175, "Loafin'"
• 34' Wellcraft Scarab Raider, triple 275 Mercury 3.4L, "Redeemed" (purchased at seized drug boat auction in the Bahamas)
• 16' Blazer bassboat, 70hp Evinrude, "Crawdad"
• 24' T-Craft CC, 150 Evinrude, "Buffoon" (never should have bought it)
• 23' SeaCraft Tsunami, 225 Evinrude, "Phishy"

These don't count the boats I either never named, or that I kept the names they already had. I know that at times, I've owned as many as 7 or 8 boats at once. The only one I keep coming back to is SeaCraft.

My current boat is a 20' SeaCraft Seafari, 90 Mercury Opti, that was already named "Fishalot II" when I got it, and since I once owned a boat named "Fishalot", I kept the name.