What's in a name?

[xeon_tsd]

Chapa'ai

This is the current front runner for our very probable, soon to be, new to us, Lafitte 44.

It is a word from a made up language, it means Stargate in the alien language from the book/movie/tv show. Considering this vessel would become our little gateway to our planet, it seems appropriate. It is also a show that the wife and I used to watch together when we first dated, so there is that.

What do ya'll think???


Chapa'ai


Here is a photoshop rendering of what it could look like, although I think I would make the font a bit larger and thus drop it below the line it is sitting on now.

[model 10]

Where are you sailing? How will you pronounce the name? Just say beautiful boat calling.

[xeon_tsd]

It is pronounced Cha-Pa-Eye.

We will start in the Caribbean and figure out life from there. Several options and depends if we want to head south before hurricanes to do some additional refits that would be very expensive in the US. ie the Deck.

Thanks! She is pretty... trying NOT to let that influence me tooo much. Survey is this Monday, and if all goes well, then my bank account goes numb.....

[robinco]

Reads a bit like a Polynesian name. Tongan, Samoan maybe Hawaiian or similar. Not Maori.

They were great navigators - Peter Buck's book on Vikings of the Sunrise etc - so some observers might consider that the origin of the name rather than a made-up language, and wonder its Polynesian meaning.

[Pblais]

What do ya'll think???

Change the name to something you like better. Short and easy to say to anyone that does not speak your language. Say it three times over the VHF to be sure.

In the end I would rename every boat I ever considered. It's sort of assumed. It's bad luck to rename a boat or come up with the name BEFORE you sign on the dotted. Each potential boat probably would have a different name. It's more theoretical than I can prove but it is what I think. Don't pick a name then look for a boat that matches. IT's hard enough as it is.

Basic truth for names:

The Admiral knows a crappy name when she sees it. "Ugly" works the same too

BTW, Nice looking boat! Crappy name! Could be a winner. It's easy - just do it.

[Crimea Cruiser]

Pretty name, but I have always been under the belief, as previously stated on other threads, that a boat's name should be easily pronounced and of no more than two syllables for easy aural recognition.

[Blue Crab]

Also, it's just a boat name. No magic. No your-life-in-three-syllables, no hippy-dippy required. Beautiful boat.

[nimblemotors]

Chop at it ? Chop it up ? Chap at Ease? could not pronounce it.
why not just "Stargate"?

btw, nice looking boat.

[JPA Cate]

Excellent for name recognition and pleasant connotations to you.
--Suggestion: Practice spelling it phonetically (Charley, Hotel, etc.) a few times, and time how long it takes you. Then time "Bob" or "Aka" -- this is what you're up against in an emergency, that it may take longer to get your name across. We have lived with that, anyhow, for the sake of consistency keeping our boat name, but I sometimes wonder if some poor soul might fall asleep waiting for me to finish. FWIW

PS, cruisers (as opposed to armchair sailors) tend to have a romantic streak. If you two love the name, I say use it. The ones around you who become your friends will learn to pronounce it well enough.

[xeon_tsd]

The boats current name is "SO". I have a feeling it meant Significant Other. That definitely wont stay.

Is Chapa'ai that hard to pronounce?

Charlie Hotel Alpha Papa Alpha Alpha India
7 letters... about as long as I would like to go.

[xeon_tsd]

Different Font... trying not to get tooo crazy with the fonts. I like large and legible, but I still hate arial, calibri, verdana, etc.

[JPA Cate]

Is Chapa'ai that hard to pronounce?

No, I don't think it is, but someone else did. For me, the problem with it is that there is a group of islands in Tonga called the Ha'apai, which made me want to not pronounce your boat name correctly. I imagine this will not be a problem for you because as people hear you say it, they will mimic the way you say it, and all will be well. Remember to say the apostrophe, too.

A

[Bash]

A good boat name needs no explanation.

Consider how many times over the next dozen years someone's going to ask, "Is that Eskimo or Hawaiian? What's it mean? Why'd you name it that?"

[nimblemotors]

Originally Posted by Bash

A good boat name needs no explanation.

Consider how many times over the next dozen years someone's going to ask, "Is that Eskimo or Hawaiian? What's it mean? Why'd you name it that?"

My sailboat was called "Attitude Adjustment"

Agree if you want a conversation piece in your name, Chapa'ai will work. If you like it, who cares what I or anyone else thinks.

[Dennis.G]

Originally Posted by Bash

A good boat name needs no explanation.

I guess I have never yet seen a good boat name in that case.