Great names for your boat 2026

[WinSome]

Being it’s sorta snow stormy here in Ontario again today, how’s about coming up with great boat names. We all see amazing examples while we’re touring around. Care to share some stand-out names, and a back story if it’s known. He’s my start:

Ol’Baggawind: last spring while trailering home my latest rescue project my loving family came up with the name Ol’Baggawind. I know it was inspired by my frequent musings, but like it. Painted it on the 1980 Bayliner Buccaneer 180. And added this boat to our fleet, at least for now.

[NiceAft]

Well, I once saw a boat being trailered with “Mom’s Piano” on the stern. There must be a good story behind it.

Related to that, I named my boat for my wife of 51 years (31 at the time)….Nice Aft.

[Strange]

Once bought a boat I thought had a Hawaiian name … The Kathymayi. The previous owner stated that his wife, Kathy, would say, “You go out and buy stuff for that boat without so much as a ‘Kathy, may I …’!”

[Russ]

Boat names and stories are always fun.

Of course the most popular name is probably "The Office". As in, "I had to spend all day at the office today".

Once we came upon a powerboat with a bunch of kids hanging all over it in life vests acting crazy. As we got closer could make out the boat name "African Queen". Upon getting even closer we saw those "kids" that were hanging off all different places were chimpanzees in life vests. Made the name of the boat relevant.

[OverEasy]

There was the cruiser owned by a rabidly Irish Cop whose boat is named ‘Paddy Wagon’.

Then there is the motor cruising sailboat owned by a retired couple named ‘End Game’.

Came across one named ‘My Other Wife’ that was a beautiful restoration project.

The longest boat name that took up the entire stern was ‘ Better Here Than There’ which leaves one wondering where ‘There’ is….

[WinSome]

Our Now 80 year old Friends, have a 30’ Aloha which they purchased, thinking it would be their last sailboat. Named it ‘Finale’.
And they are still sailing Lake Erie regularly. That couple also belong to our canoe club. They have paddled at least monthly (and documented) 250 consecutive months of paddling. They now aiming for 300 months.

[45Plus+]

I am ashamed to say my boat is still nameless. I have been waiting for something to really appeal before committing to painting it on the sides of my Mac 26M. That said, my wife likes "Selkie" as is a Celtic word for some sort of hybrid human and seal - which speaks to the Scottish nature of the MacGregor name and the hybrid nature of our boats. We both like "Meand'er" to reflect toodling around in the boat, my wife and I, or, me and the boat (or all of the forgoing). "Merry-Mac" has a cheerful ring to it despite being associated with an earlier boat of the near same name that was sunk by the Monitor (though not too many Canadians would know that). Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic" makes me think Mystic would be another good candidate.

A pilot at my club named his boat "Airplane Mode" to reflect the disconnection it brings.

[NiceAft]

You could always plaster on the side, in bold letter, APPLY HERE TO NAME IT.

[Russ]

I like "Selkie". It has a ring to it with some mystery about what it means.

I have a friend who is a TV News reporter in NYC who named his boat "On the Air".

My dad's first boat was named "Mistress". He kept the name, and as time went on, it fit.

[Strange]

Tempted to change the name of my boat due to the new stairway . . .

[Strange]

Oh, and ‘Welcome to my boatyard!’ (To the tune of ‘Welcome to my Nightare!’)

[Strange]

Oops.

[Starscream]

When we did our mini-triangle loop tour this summer we were behind a large cabin cruiser who was doing a Great Loop. The boat name was "Job Site", so the owner could then say "I'm on the Job Site" on the phone and not be lying.

Funny story, one of their bilge pumps engaged and didn't cut off, ran dry and started smoking in one of the Rideau Locks. Stuck in the chamber with the boat beside us starting to pour smoke: I was about 30 seconds from getting the fam overboard towards the lock escape ladder when they were able to extinguish it. I had them briefed on the procedure about 5 seconds after we first smelled the smoke.

My advice for those looking to name their boats, depending on their usage of it of course, is to choose something easy to "catch" on the radio. It really helps when the hail-ee gets the boat name on the first try and doesn't have to respond with "Vessel hailing the Xstreet bridge...etc."

[JotaErre]

My wife is in the canned fish business, so my 26X is called "Seitó" ("Anxove" in Catalan).

[NiceAft]

Anchovy !

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