37 replies to this topic

[niels550]

Thinking of renaming our new-to-us boat.:

"K"

Yup, thats it, short and sweet. The choice is not entirely random, it means something to me.

Are there any technical or otherwise good reasons why one cannot (should not) have a boat name thats a single letter?

[Jim in Halifax]

As long as you don't mind random people engaging you in discussions about the writings of Franz Kafka, it should work....

[wick]

Is that special?

I can hear the hail on VHF, "KKK, this is ...."

[niels550]

Is that special?

I can hear the hail on VHF, "KKK, this is ...."

Hilarious!!...I never thought about it from the hailing angle.

memo to self... be sure to stay out of Southern Waters.

you may have convinced me to reconsider.. this brainwave has the potential of turning into a brain fart.

[Gatekeeper]

Ohhhhhhhh...the whole KKK thing might be a good reason to reconsider. After a few years of people bringing that to your attention you may wish you had opted for your second choice.

Practical Sailor had a really good article yours ago about naming a boat. I'll see if I can scare it up.

[crash]

I might also wonder how many times "K" will sound like a partially cut off "OK" on the VHF and cause confusion...

[bugger]

My response to reading "K" is to pronounce "kilo".

Is that what you want?

Bravo Uniform Golf Golf Echo Romeo

[niels550]

Yes, "K" can and is used as a diminutive for OK.. a rather nice side effect methinks.

Kilo.. hey ho.. not that bad in the grand scheme of things.. certainly not a sleep deprivator for me.

On the plus side, the cost of boat name graphics are now "optimized" and can be changed annualy to reflect the mood for the year.

There are worse names out there.... "Aft-a-Berth" being my favorite in poor taste, unless of course, its a center cockpit, owned by the the Octomom

So it seems that technically / legally, there is no reason why one can't have a boat name with a single character?.. Standing by for that article, Gatekeeper!

[floating dutchman]

What about Hoteltangofoxtrotuniform

There is a boat in aussie called Q.

[Mung Breath]

Yeah, gotta agree on testing the 'communications' factor. Name her anything you like but be prepared to repeat the name often....and hopefully be understood the first time.

[Gatekeeper]

Standing by for that article, Gatekeeper!

I looked....looked hard!! They have changed their format and they don't have an archive of past articles. I'm not done yet!!

This is a good start.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Explanation Test

How often do you want to explain what the name of your boat means? Bizarre Greek gods, in-jokes, and foreign words usually fail this test. Boat names that are difficult to spell also fall into this category.


The Non-cute Test

How sappy is the name? Puns, childhood nicknames, and in-jokes usually fail this test.


The Brevity Test

"Brevity is the soul of wit" and the soul of boat names. Repeat your boat name 3 times, preceded by a "Mayday". Still sound like a good boat name?


The Hubris Test

If you're racing, try not to pick boat names like "Magic Bullet", unless you feel you can live up to them.


The Embarrassment Factor

Imagine explaining your boat's name to someone you don't like, and who doesn't like you. If grudging respect is not a possible outcome, you may wish to reconsider.


The Corruption Test

What will your friends call your boat? For example: Serenity => Senility.


The Radio Test

One of the most important.. 'Over' or 'Over & Out' would be a bad name. ... "This is xxx calling Over ... Over.... Do you copy?"

[Tucky]

One of the most important.. 'Over' or 'Over & Out' would be a bad name. ... "This is xxx calling Over ... Over.... Do you copy?"

Sort of the marine version of "who's on first?".

Imagine boats called "Loud and Clear", "Roger", "Over", and "K" . And let the owner of "Roger" be named Kay, and the owner of "Loud and Clear" be named Roger.

"This is Loud and Clear calling K. Do you read me, over". You get the rest.

[GnarlyItWas]

There is large motor yacht called A

[floating dutchman]

One of the most important.. 'Over' or 'Over & Out' would be a bad name. ... "This is xxx calling Over ... Over.... Do you copy?"

Sort of the marine version of "who's on first?".

Imagine boats called "Loud and Clear", "Roger", "Over", and "K" . And let the owner of "Roger" be named Kay, and the owner of "Loud and Clear" be named Roger.

"This is Loud and Clear calling K. Do you read me, over". You get the rest.

[Ishmael]

There is large motor yacht called A

Must be Canadian.

[Keith]

There is large motor yacht called A

Must be Canadian.

Actually its spelled "eh" right there in the ah, Canadian dictionary....

[rattus32]

...

you may have convinced me to reconsider.. this brainwave has the potential of turning into a brain fart.

side effect of peristalsis; wave -> output. ;-)

[D.M.D.]

"K" sounds like a tenny bopper, gum chewing, hair twirling twit.....Just what comes to mind.....

[niels550]

"K" sounds like a tenny bopper, gum chewing, hair twirling twit.....Just what comes to mind.....

Ah ha.. I sense an air of disapproval.

I like Gatekeepers checklist. That makes sense.

Anyhow, this thread has run its course and its time to be euthanized. Cheers everyone.

[Keith]

How about " Agent K"

[alx]

Standing by for that article, Gatekeeper!

I looked....looked hard!! They have changed their format and they don't have an archive of past articles. I'm not done yet!!

This is a good start.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Explanation Test

How often do you want to explain what the name of your boat means? Bizarre Greek gods, in-jokes, and foreign words usually fail this test. Boat names that are difficult to spell also fall into this category.


The Non-cute Test

How sappy is the name? Puns, childhood nicknames, and in-jokes usually fail this test.


The Brevity Test

"Brevity is the soul of wit" and the soul of boat names. Repeat your boat name 3 times, preceded by a "Mayday". Still sound like a good boat name?


The Hubris Test

If you're racing, try not to pick boat names like "Magic Bullet", unless you feel you can live up to them.


The Embarrassment Factor

Imagine explaining your boat's name to someone you don't like, and who doesn't like you. If grudging respect is not a possible outcome, you may wish to reconsider.


The Corruption Test

What will your friends call your boat? For example: Serenity => Senility.


The Radio Test

One of the most important.. 'Over' or 'Over & Out' would be a bad name. ... "This is xxx calling Over ... Over.... Do you copy?"

Agreed. Great checklist! A friend of mine put this as "seamanship before showmanship."

Yeah, having a witty, fun name is nice, but first make sure it's intelligible on the radio during an emergency. I was considering the name "L'appel du Vide" for my boat, but it fails this test badly. (For the curious, the expression refers to the feeling you get when you gaze over the edge of a tall precipice, and a little part of you feels a compulsion to jump... the "call of the void".)

[hedglin]

The Coast Guard will love the call sign "Kilo". Imagine your delivery captain phoning his wife from Columbia saying "I have to deliver Kilo to Miami on the fourth". The NSA/DEA will flag that one - make sure you are the the dock in Miami when he arrives!

[Ishmael]

Standing by for that article, Gatekeeper!

I looked....looked hard!! They have changed their format and they don't have an archive of past articles. I'm not done yet!!

This is a good start.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Explanation Test

How often do you want to explain what the name of your boat means? Bizarre Greek gods, in-jokes, and foreign words usually fail this test. Boat names that are difficult to spell also fall into this category.


The Non-cute Test

How sappy is the name? Puns, childhood nicknames, and in-jokes usually fail this test.


The Brevity Test

"Brevity is the soul of wit" and the soul of boat names. Repeat your boat name 3 times, preceded by a "Mayday". Still sound like a good boat name?


The Hubris Test

If you're racing, try not to pick boat names like "Magic Bullet", unless you feel you can live up to them.


The Embarrassment Factor

Imagine explaining your boat's name to someone you don't like, and who doesn't like you. If grudging respect is not a possible outcome, you may wish to reconsider.


The Corruption Test

What will your friends call your boat? For example: Serenity => Senility.


The Radio Test

One of the most important.. 'Over' or 'Over & Out' would be a bad name. ... "This is xxx calling Over ... Over.... Do you copy?"

Agreed. Great checklist! A friend of mine put this as "seamanship before showmanship."

Yeah, having a witty, fun name is nice, but first make sure it's intelligible on the radio during an emergency. I was considering the name "L'appel du Vide" for my boat, but it fails this test badly. (For the curious, the expression refers to the feeling you get when you gaze over the edge of a tall precipice, and a little part of you feels a compulsion to jump... the "call of the void".)

So what's wrong with "Vertigo"? Something about the English language you don't like?

[alx]

Standing by for that article, Gatekeeper!

I looked....looked hard!! They have changed their format and they don't have an archive of past articles. I'm not done yet!!

This is a good start.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Explanation Test

How often do you want to explain what the name of your boat means? Bizarre Greek gods, in-jokes, and foreign words usually fail this test. Boat names that are difficult to spell also fall into this category.


The Non-cute Test

How sappy is the name? Puns, childhood nicknames, and in-jokes usually fail this test.


The Brevity Test

"Brevity is the soul of wit" and the soul of boat names. Repeat your boat name 3 times, preceded by a "Mayday". Still sound like a good boat name?


The Hubris Test

If you're racing, try not to pick boat names like "Magic Bullet", unless you feel you can live up to them.


The Embarrassment Factor

Imagine explaining your boat's name to someone you don't like, and who doesn't like you. If grudging respect is not a possible outcome, you may wish to reconsider.


The Corruption Test

What will your friends call your boat? For example: Serenity => Senility.


The Radio Test

One of the most important.. 'Over' or 'Over & Out' would be a bad name. ... "This is xxx calling Over ... Over.... Do you copy?"

Agreed. Great checklist! A friend of mine put this as "seamanship before showmanship."

Yeah, having a witty, fun name is nice, but first make sure it's intelligible on the radio during an emergency. I was considering the name "L'appel du Vide" for my boat, but it fails this test badly. (For the curious, the expression refers to the feeling you get when you gaze over the edge of a tall precipice, and a little part of you feels a compulsion to jump... the "call of the void".)

So what's wrong with "Vertigo"? Something about the English language you don't like?

Completely different meanings! Vertigo is a form of dizziness, a sudden falling or moving sensation. L'appel du Vide has no direct translation, and refers to the slightly insane urge some people get to jump off of cliffs. More figuratively, it's the feeling or "pull" to do something just a little crazy... like take off in a sailboat.

[floating dutchman]

That is kind of cool alx, but yea. fails the test bigtime. What is the boat called now?

[alx]

Ananda!

That is kind of cool alx, but yea. fails the test bigtime. What is the boat called now?

Attached Files

•  ananda_crop.jpg   89.47K   0 downloads

[Tim042]

Hey Alx, you could name the boat Void Ho...





















Hat, coat, door...

[alx]

One of the best boat names I've seen was when a group of Canadians were coming into South Beach harbor in SF. Their vessel was named "Out In Eh Boat"

[slap]

I knew an Italian who named his boat "Atsa My Boat"

[Soñadora]

We had this discussion a while back regarding a boat whose written name looked nothing like it's pronounced name: Cielydh or something like that. It's prnounced 'Shilo' I believe. After beating the guy up, he ultimately made the point that rarely in a tense situation does the Coast Guard go off of the vessel's name. Instead it's 'the white 35' cutter off our port bow'.

Made sense to me. After that conversation I figured what the hell, name your boat whatever you want, mm k?

[SpongeDeckSquareFoil]

Overheard on the vhf a discussion when a boat called the CG to notify them of a certain situation. The boats name was Dirty Dog or Dirty Bird, something like that. The CG seems to have heard it as Dirty Boat and continued to call them Dirty Boat upon each exchange. Several times the owner said that the name was Dirty Dog, but it was like the CG had Dirty Boat written down and that was going to be it for the remainder of the conversation.


Anyway, here's an interesting addition to the Keep Calm series.

 LSWN.jpg   34.89K   23 downloads

[judge]

Used to know a oat called "Song of Solveig". Obvious derivation for all you opera buffs out there, but a hell of a name to put over the coms, even in phonetics.

[Tucky]

At this point I always bring up the motor vessel "Blind Guy" which went up on the rocks in Portland Harbor a few years ago. You can imagine the radio traffic.

[baccara]

Why people do not use more names that are similar to what we see/used to see in large commercial ships ? I think for example 'Epic Colocotronis' would make awesome name... I do not know how if that would pass any of the previous tests, but it certainly has sense of grandeur in it.

[VALIS]

Large commercial ships? Like "TITAN URANUS"? I can imagine the radio traffic for that one -- kind of like the scene in "The Life of Brian" where the guards are trying not to laugh at the name "Biggus Dickus".

[baccara]

Large commercial ships? Like "TITAN URANUS"? I can imagine the radio traffic for that one -- kind of like the scene in "The Life of Brian" where the guards are trying not to laugh at the name "Biggus Dickus".

Oh yes - i think TITAN URANUS would be perfect for eg. 20' Pacific Seacraft Flicka. It would have to be written in capitals, in merchant marine style, of course.

BTW 'Holy Grail' and 'Life of Brian' were truly great comedies. So many memorable quotes...

Brian: I'm not the Messiah!
Arthur: I say you are, lord, and I should know... I've followed a few.

[Tucky]

Blessed are the cheese makers?

[baccara]

Blessed are the cheese makers?

Or, apparently, any makers of diary products.