To Rename a Boat

[Robert E]

A ceremony for renaming a boat is not necessary. Certainly pomp isn’t. However, renaming your new boat can be a grand time for a gathering of family and friends to share a tradition and your plans and dreams.

We have renamed five boats using one of the many common traditions; a special coin under the mast, calling on our sailing ancestors and Neptune for protection and, in our case, a splash of Irish whiskey on the bow.

All of this is not necessary of course. The protection we seek is from our own hands with careful preparation and our unerring respect for the majesty and the risks of seas on which we sail. Also its fun. Happy cruising.

Robert McCarthy, Skipper of S/V Shamrock

[JoeRobertJr]

Originally Posted by slfro85

We’re going to do the title registration tomorrow when he’s off work; I’ll look into whether we register the new name then or if it’s a separate process and expense.

I did just now Google the name and year on the name plate and now I’m wondering if we got a different boat than the paperwork and owner’s manual says we got. We were told it was a 1979 AMF Paceship PY23 but the name plate says Mariah 1979; when I looked it up I found that Mariah is a boat manufacturer. So now I’m less sure that’s the name of the boat after all.

The HIN will tell you the manufacturer and year. Trying plugging that number into a decoder like this: https://hindecoder.com/

If you are doing a state registration, the name does not matter for that paperwork.

[Captain Puget]

Celebrate the new boat!

I always thought some of them ceremony ceremony was to celebrate, commit to the vessel that you will be the best captains and stewards of her care as you can, and thank her for taking care of you in return.

[slfro85]

I looked up the HIN and this is the boat type all the paperwork says it is. But I didn’t find anything relating to its name in anything official, so I’m just going to assume it was named Mariah and go from there.

[JoeRobertJr]

I am sure Abby will be pleased with her new name as well as the attention of her new owners.

Capt. Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds: You know what the first rule of flying is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta' fall down, tells you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.

[Hardhead]

I had once heard that a proper renaming of a boat - requires the owner to melt a piece of gold, and place it within the mast... or bad juju would ensue.

Of course, I heard this while living in Colorado of all places. Proceed at your own risk.

[jmschmidt]

If this boat is in US Coast Guard documentation (doubtful) you can go to a website and enter the name to find out. This function was previously on the National Maritime Center's website but I believe it was transferred to another government agency, "Fisheries" something or other. Anyway it is easy to find. If state registered, as with USCG documentation, if it has not been renewed with fees paid for a few years it probably has fallen out of the system. In this case your can do what you want, USCG doc. (if over 5 gross tons) or state register, the old name has no effect.

[Belezar]

I renamed my boat. The previous and first owner had a sentimental name that seemed a dedication to someone lost. It had to go. It did require a couple hundred bucks. We would have had a party but Covid got in the way.

[Enfant Du Vent]

---appeasing Neptune---
"Just exactly how important is it to appease wind and sea gods you don’t really believe in when you aren’t very superstitious?"

Here's my answer to how important it is:
I was crew on the first offshore passage of a 49' sailboat--Newport, R.I. to Bermuda, in mid-December. As we cleared the last light house, I came up on deck with 4 glasses and a bottle of cognac. After filling the glasses I explained to the owner/captain that it was essential that he pour the first glass over the bow to appease Neptune. He was enthusiastic, but his techie friend/crew not so much.
We motor sailed the whole way. The passage was relatively uneventful--always lots of wind, but never ahead of the beam. At some point the engine quit and required attention by the techie guy; problem was resolved with only a burn to his forearm from falling against the hot engine when the boat rolled.


Once safely anchored in Bermuda the techie guy was not amused when I suggested he should have offered 3-fuses-and-a-pint-of-diesel-fuel to Neptune!

[slfro85]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

If this boat is in US Coast Guard documentation (doubtful) you can go to a website and enter the name to find out. This function was previously on the National Maritime Center's website but I believe it was transferred to another government agency, "Fisheries" something or other. Anyway it is easy to find. If state registered, as with USCG documentation, if it has not been renewed with fees paid for a few years it probably has fallen out of the system. In this case your can do what you want, USCG doc. (if over 5 gross tons) or state register, the old name has no effect.

I don’t think it is documented. It isn’t big enough to require USCG documentation (only 23’ and under 2500lb) and there was nothing about it in the paperwork. We have a title and registration for it; the sticker says it was valid till 5/2020 so it’s been unused for a while.

[Dogscout]

Oh for Christ's sake. Cowboy up and put a name on the dam thing. Just make sure that its non racial and gender neutral.

[rbrazil]

Oh you Millennials... You’re not going to do what anyone suggests anyway.
There is this little thing called “tradition” you may want to follow, so on the day something bad happens you don’t look at each other and say, “We should have done a proper ceremony.”

[Shrew]

This is just MY (our) opinion which means nothing......however, We look at it this way....

If you DO have a strong religious belief system, then I doubt it is bending knee to Poseidon. Therefore to follow the 'renaming ceremony' is blasphemy.

If you DO NOT have a strong religious belief system (such as atheists) then following the 'renaming ceremony is hypocrisy.

So, if you do perform the renaming ceremony, you have to ask yourself which applies to you???

We've simply stripped off the old name, and applied the new name, cracked a beer and toasted to the new name/vessel for every vessel we've owned.

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by rbrazil

There is this little thing called “tradition” you may want to follow

If you could point out where this 'Tradition' is a tradition, I'd appreciate it. I have found no historical reference to this ceremony anywhere. Just a large variety of various, overly wordy pomp nonsense.

[conchaway]

Considering everything that you stated, you should rename the boat "Me Hundo".