The Best Boat Names: Creative And Catchy Ideas

Choosing a boat name is a critical task, as the name will live on even if the boat is passed down or sold. Sailors have been naming their boats for thousands of years, initially naming ships after saints, gods, and goddesses, but today, boat owners name their vessels after anything that speaks to them or something that will make others chuckle. A boat name can reveal much about the personality of its owner, so it is important to choose wisely!

Nautical puns

Keeping it Clean

These names are playful without veering into cheeky territory:

• Knot-a-Care
• Lunasea
• Deck-a-Dence
• Costaplenty
• Ta-Keel-La
• Rufflife
• Devocean
• Bote Blong Me
• Waterfront Bar
• After Berth
• Sails Call
• Flounder Pounder
• Eggs-Ta-Sea
• Paci Fire
• Hydromaster
• Nauti-By-Nature
• Gypsea
• Sea Ya
• Knot-To-Know
• Bad to the Bow
• Costalotta
• Off Da Hook
• Knot 4 Sail
• Nice Aft
• Mako Wish
• Barely a Wake
• Buoys and Gills
• Brew-Ski
• Aquatherapy
• Daboystoyz
• Aquadesiac
• Para Docks
• Sin or Swim
• Sea for Two
• Clairebouyant
• Unorthodocks
• Weather Oar Knot
• Sea Sikh
• Plane Jane
• Dela-Ca-Seas
• Laundered Money
• Divorce Sail
• Marra-Tyme
• Let's Get Nauti-Call
• Aquaphile
• Wave Me Goodbye
• Sail La Vie
• Happy Daze
• Knot-A-Yacht
• Chicken Ship
• No Knotsense
• Courtship
• Liquid Limo
• Blew Bayou
• Dream 'N Scheme
• For Sail
• By Owner
• Reely Nauti
• Buoy Oh Buoy!

Cheeky Choices

These names are a bit more daring and risqué:

• Shipface
• To Sea or Knot to Sea
• Salty Dawg
• We'll Sea
• Lotayot
• O2Brief
• Moby Dept
• Mainstay
• Tomato Sloop
• Bail Me Out
• Crabby Lady
• A Wave From It All
• Dirty Oar
• Y Knot?
• In2stox-N-Blondes
• Toast of the Coast
• Fore Sail
• Blew By You
• Seaclusion
• Scene Ilse
• Seas the Moment
• Knot Sailors
• Bankbreaker
• My Lag
• Wet Dream
• N2 Deep
• Hunky Dory
• Sound Waves
• Fishy Buisiness
• Sea U Late
• Oar
• Current Sea
• Nausi VIII
• Moor Often Than Knot
• Nautibuoy
• Verboten
• Beeracuda
• Keel Over
• Master Baiter
• Court A Sea
• The Salty Swallow
• Pier Pressure
• Suck My Wake
• Sex Sea
• Marlin Monroe
• Chum Runner
• Piece of Ship
• The Codfather
• Ship for Brains
• Galaxsea
• Cirrhosis of the River
• License to Shill
• Whatever Floats Your Boat
• Fishcapades
• Vitamin Sea
• Fantasea
• Pair-A-Dice
• Knot Paid IV

Other Nautical Name Ideas

If you're looking for a name that's not necessarily a pun but still nautical-themed, here are some ideas:

• The Lady of the Lake
• Fishing for Compliments
• The Sailor Swift
• The Antelope
• Big Sloop
• Brass Leviathan
• The Sirens Sorrow
• The Pillage People
• The Plunderbus
• Ferrymans Right Hand
• Fate's Decree
• The Pumpkin Screamer
• The Empty Tankard
• The Knotty Girl
• Cryptoclidus
• The Crooked Dylans
• The Salty Hippo
• The Rumham
• The Birthright
• The Sea King's Folly

Fishing jokes

Why did the fisherman put his money in the freezer? He wanted cold hard cash!

What do fish say when they hit a concrete wall? Dam!

I don't know why my fishing buddy is worried about the recent flu virus. He never catches anything!

What do you say to a fisherman on his birthday? Hope you have a reely good day!

Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for the whole day. Teach a man to fish, and you'll get rid of him for the whole weekend!

You can tune a guitar, but you can't tuna fish. Unless, of course, you play bass!

What do you call bad bait? A fail-lure!

I became a professional fisherman but discovered I couldn't live on my net income!

Why did the fisherman hang up on his boss? Because he had something on the other line!

Where do fish spend their money? In the river bank, where else?

How do you make an octopus laugh? With ten-tickles!

Why are fish so smart? Because they live in schools!

What do fish take to stay healthy? Vitamin Sea!

Why are fish good lawyers? Because they like to de-bait!

What is the most fun game for a family of fish to play? Salmon says.

What do you call a fish with no eye? A fsh!

What do you call a girl hanging off the side of a fishing boat? Annette!

Why did the fish get kicked out of school? It was caught with seaweed!

A successful businessman on vacation was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The businessman asked the fisherman, "If you're the best, why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish? What do you do the rest of the day?"

The fisherman replied, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, spend quality time with my wife, and every evening we stroll into the village to drink wine and play guitar with our friends. I have a full and happy life."

The businessman scoffed, "I am a successful CEO and have a talent for spotting business opportunities. I can help you be more successful. You should spend more time fishing and, with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats and move to the big city, where you can oversee your growing empire."

The fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the businessman replied, “15 – 20 years.”

“But what then?” Asked the fisherman.

The businessman laughed and said, "That's the best part. You would become very rich. You would make millions!"

“Millions – then what?”

The businessman said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, spend time with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your friends.”

Now, for some boat name ideas:

• Fishin' Impossible
• Ferrymans Right Hand
• The Salty Hippo
• The Kreaky Kraken
• Plunder and Lightning
• The Sirens Sorrow
• The Antelope

Adult humour

Boat names are often a source of humour and fun for their owners and other boaters. While some boat names are serious, dignified, or historical, many boat owners opt for a funny, punny, or clever name. After all, boating is meant to be fun!

If you're looking for some adult humour in your boat name, there are plenty of options to choose from. Many boat names in this category are based on double entendres or dirty puns. For example, you could try a play on words with "bass" or "bait", or get creative with the word "hook". Here are some ideas:

• The Bass and the Furious
• Error 404: Fish Not Found
• Hook, Line and Thinker
• Now We're Hookin'
• Bater Late Than Never
• Fishin' Impossible
• Kicking Bass and Taking Names
• Deck Measuring Contest
• Sex-Themed Inappropriate Boat Names
• Shipfaced and Anchored
• Aquaholics Anonymous
• Nauti-Buoy and Gullfriend
• Wet Dream II (or any roman numeral)
• Shipfaced and Sloshed
• Shipwrecked and Tipsy
• Knotorious F.I.S.H. II (or any roman numeral)
• Knot for the Faint of Heart
• Knot Your Average Yacht
• Knot Your Typical Yacht
• Knot Shore, Knot Sorry
• Knot to Sea
• Whatever Floats Your...
• Cirrhosis of the River
• Water You Waiting For
• Water Under the Bridge
• Water You Lookin' At?
• Ship Or Get Off the Pot
• Ship Through a Goose
• Ship End of the Stick
• Shipfaced and Fabulous

When choosing a boat name, it's important to consider the length, as boat names are typically limited to 33 characters. Additionally, it's recommended to give your boat a female name and make it meaningful, reflecting your favourite things or hobbies. While you may be tempted to choose a funny name, it's important to avoid profanity or explicit sexual content that could offend other boaters.

Movie inspiration

Boat names inspired by movies can be a fun way to showcase your love for cinema. Whether you're looking for something classic or modern, here are some ideas for movie-inspired boat names:

Classic Film Inspiration:

• The African Queen – from the 1951 classic film of the same name, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.
• The Nautilus – an advanced submarine captained by the intriguing Captain Nemo in Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and its 1954 film adaptation.
• The Hispaniola – a schooner that plays a central role in the classic adventure novel "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson and its various film adaptations.
• The Pequod – a whaling ship in the classic novel "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville.
• The SS Poseidon – a luxury ocean liner that capsizes in the classic disaster film "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972).

Modern Movie Inspiration:

• The Black Pearl – the fictional ship in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" film series, known for its black hull and sails, and commanded by Captain Jack Sparrow.
• The Jolly Roger – the iconic pirate ship in "Peter Pan", serving as the home base for Captain Hook and his crew.
• The USS Indianapolis – a memorable part of the classic thriller "Jaws" (1975), where Quint recounts the harrowing story of its sinking.
• The USS Missouri – the battleship in the 1992 action thriller "Under Siege", which becomes the centre of a hostage situation.
• The Titanic – one of the most iconic boat names in movie history, from James Cameron's 1997 film about the tragic maiden voyage of the British passenger liner.

These suggestions only scratch the surface of the many movie-inspired boat names you could choose from. Whether you're a fan of classic cinema or modern blockbusters, there's sure to be a perfect movie-inspired name for your boat.

Music, movies, and shows

If you're looking for a funny boat name with a musical twist, how about Bootie and the Blowfish? Or, if you want to channel your inner rockstar, you could opt for a more traditional route and name your boat after a famous musician's yacht, such as Beyonce and Jay-Z's Galactica Star, or Bono's Cyan.

For movie buffs, you could name your boat after a famous ship from the big screen, such as the Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean, or the Orca from Jaws. The Hunt for Red October, The African Queen, and Master and Commander are also great options for movie-inspired boat names.

If you're more of a TV show fan, there are plenty of nautical-themed shows to draw inspiration from. The Love Boat, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and The Wackiest Ship in the Army are just a few examples of shows that feature boats with fun names. So, whether you're looking for a funny, cool, or sophisticated boat name, music, movies, and shows can provide the perfect inspiration.

Frequently asked questions