Whats in a name and is it true...........................................

[luctor et emergo]

 

 

Having taken the boring and supposed sensible answers with a large helping of salt, I shall prevent you from heaping bad luck on your boat for years to come.

 

First of all, you will need to remove the old name completely from the boat.

Using a method of your choice, rename the boat, but keep the name covered.

The renaming ceremony,

 

Make a small, usualy paper, boat, with the old name written on it. Place this in the water, and set it on fire.

Open a bottle of Ale ( never, ever, L*g*r....), and pour a generous helping into the canal, remove the covering over the new name, and toast the new name with the remaining Ale. (There is no maximum no. of bottles).

 

A dedication of your choice can be spoken, but unlike for sea going ships, this is not required.

[Berengaria]

Berengaria currently doesn't have a name on her anywhere and a couple of weeks ago my keen-eyed missus spotted the TINIEST evidence of lettering on her sides under the paint. It really required a particular angle/quality of light to detect, but I'm quite excited now because I fancy getting some charcoal and tracing paper and taking a rubbing of it, with a view to getting it restored to her former glory!

[luctor et emergo]

Under no circumstances change the name - it is a well established fact that it is bad luck.

We made this mistake and I have regretted it ever since. The boat has suffered a constant stream of costly incidents ever since we changed the name. Thousands of pounds has had to be spent fixing stuff, repairing the mysterious breakages and problems that have occurred ever since we changed its name. It will be one of the most expensive names you ever give anything - mark my words.

When you are up to your ears in muck down in the engine room repairing that little thing that broke for no reason in a few months and swearing - remember you brought it on yourself when you changed the name of the boat. I predict that stuff will start going wrong as soon as you change its name - guaranteed.

 

Should have done it right.

[Berengaria]

Thousands of pounds has had to be spent fixing stuff, repairing the mysterious breakages...

Isn't that just called 'owning a narrowboat'?

Edited April 10, 2013 by Berengaria

[ditchcrawler]

Call it whatever you like, or even nothing at all. Ignore all the superstitious twaddle.

It has no more significance than any name you call your pet dog. So feel free - Fido is quite nice!!

And from Jim.s site it is not all ready in use.http://www.jim-shead.com

[churchward]

Good morning all , Right who can tell me Whats in a name to a boat, and is it true what a few have told me that its bad luck to change the name of a craft once shes been named, Im currently on the search for a liveaboard boat and will be looking at a used boat so she will already be named and will more than likely be named which will mean something to her former keepers.

 

So will i be able to change the Name?

I have never been quite sure where the thought that it is unlucky comes from. When working boats on the canal and Merchant ships on the sea were bought second hand many would end up being renamed often to fit in with the classes or naming conventions of the new company owner. This practice is not only in recent times but throughout history. For instance captured ships by the Royal Navy in the wars against France and other countries in the Napoleonic era and before would be renamed and absorbed when of use into the British Navy.

 

If you want to rename go ahead.

[carlt]

I have never been quite sure where the thought that it is unlucky comes from.

One theory is that, in Ye Olde days the name of a ship was carved into the transom and, if renamed in the water, the only way to do it was to plane off the old name and recarve the wood with the new, making it thinner and weakening the structure..

 

If the boat is renamed in dock then the transom plank can be renewed so the new name is carved into fresh, full thickness timber.

[bowten]

When I was fitting out my latest boat I called CRT to license it, I told them it had 'no name has yet' and that's what they put on the license.As far as I know,until I tell them different,that's what they think it is called.I have named it Tenacious and will inform CRT when I re license the boat.

[churchward]

One theory is that, in Ye Olde days the name of a ship was carved into the transom and, if renamed in the water, the only way to do it was to plane off the old name and recarve the wood with the new, making it thinner and weakening the structure..

 

If the boat is renamed in dock then the transom plank can be renewed so the new name is carved into fresh, full thickness timber.

That does sound plausible. Not very relevent to a steel narrowboat though.

[carlt]

That does sound plausible. Not very relevent to a steel narrowboat though.

Like most superstitions they were either created to stop people doing stupid things or to explain the then unexplainable.

 

In these enlightened days we have Health & Safety legislation and religion to satisfy the needs of those lacking in common sense.

[Ray T]

I have renamed 4 sailing dinghy's and one NB and never had any misfortune because of it.

 

I did have naming ceremonies, ertsatz champagne and Newcastle Brown Ale splashed over the bows but that was for a bit of fun and tradition rather than superstition.

 

Edited April 10, 2013 by Ray T

[Bod]

I have renamed 4 sailing dinghy's and one NB and never had any misfortune because of it.

 

I did have naming ceremonies, ertaz champagne and Newcastle Brown Ale splashed over the bows but that was for a bit of fun and tradition rather than superstition.

 

 

 

You must have done it right then!

 

Bod

I have renamed 4 sailing dinghy's and one NB and never had any misfortune because of it.

 

I did have naming ceremonies, ertaz champagne and Newcastle Brown Ale splashed over the bows but that was for a bit of fun and tradition rather than superstition.

 

[Loggo]

When our boat was born, it was no-name-boat. So we changed its name to Telemachus but so far no ill has befallen it. Maybe we were lucky?

 

Not by any chance a fan of "Mysterious cities of gold" were you ?

[RLWP]

Not by any chance a fan of "Mysterious cities of gold" were you ?

 

More likely a man who likes his Homer

 

Richard

Edited April 10, 2013 by RLWP

[Dyertribe]

How about a religeous sounding name like ''Holy holy holy.

Holy? Dodgy name for a boat I think!

[SuzyQ]

Call it whatever you like, or even nothing at all. Ignore all the superstitious twaddle.

It has no more significance than any name you call your pet dog. So feel free - Fido is quite nice!!

When we got our cat from the RSPCA the 'keepers' had called him Dylan. He was incredibly affectionate and purry. We brought him home and decided on a new name - not that there's anything wrong with Dylan.

 

As soon as he had settled in (5 mins after climbing out of the cat box) he has been a right unsociable b*******d ever since. Despite been the most loved member of the family by all who meet this good looking fur ball, I have seen many a full grown man cower with fear and leave with lacerations. He has kept the name Dylan because it rather suits him, but I have always wondered what his first name was before he was found (very large, fit and healthy) by the RSPCA. Possibly Pyscho or Killer...

[Rebotco]

When we got our cat from the RSPCA the 'keepers' had called him Dylan. He was incredibly affectionate and purry. We brought him home and decided on a new name - not that there's anything wrong with Dylan.

 

As soon as he had settled in (5 mins after climbing out of the cat box) he has been a right unsociable b*******d ever since. Despite been the most loved member of the family by all who meet this good looking fur ball, I have seen many a full grown man cower with fear and leave with lacerations. He has kept the name Dylan because it rather suits him, but I have always wondered what his first name was before he was found (very large, fit and healthy) by the RSPCA. Possibly Pyscho or Killer...

Perhaps he would be happier if you renamed him TITANIC???

[Loggo]

More likely a man who likes his Homer

 

Richard

 

I can tell, Richar,d that you are the kind of person who always thinks the best of people

[RLWP]

I can tell, Richar,d that you are the kind of person who always thinks the best of people

 

Well, as the beginning of The Odyssey is essentially the story of Telemachus' journey in search of Odysseus, it seems a highly appropriate name for a boat

 

Perhaps NickNorman will explain

 

Richard

[Doorman]

When our boat was born, it was no-name-boat. So we changed its name to Telemachus but so far no ill has befallen it. Maybe we were lucky?

 

Hi Nick,

 

Given that the Greek translation for Telemachus is 'far from battle', do you think that your boat name is appropriate for such a forum storm trooper?

 

(Where's that tongue in cheek emotion when you need it!)

 

Mike

[Phil Ambrose]

Our boat was called Davy Jones when we got it - not sure naming a boat after the bottom of the sea is all that good a luck, or a dead Monkee for that matter

Cannot be any worse than the boat that my wife used for going to work...... PILLAGE, she made me rename it, can't think why.

 

Phil

 

 

I never knew why they felt compelled to change the name of 'Herald of free Enterprise' to 'Flushing Range' after she was raised, after all she was only going for scrap.... on the way of course she did break free from her tugs in a storm.......

 

So maybe not so a good idea after all.....

So she went from Flushing Range to Free Range.

 

Phil

[Doorman]

Having taken the boring and supposed sensible answers with a large helping of salt, I shall prevent you from heaping bad luck on your boat for years to come.

First of all, you will need to remove the old name completely from the boat.

Using a method of your choice, rename the boat, but keep the name covered.

The renaming ceremony,

Make a small, usualy paper, boat, with the old name written on it. Place this in the water, and set it on fire.

Open a bottle of Ale ( never, ever, L*g*r....), and pour a generous helping into the canal, remove the covering over the new name, and toast the new name with the remaining Ale. (There is no maximum no. of bottles).

A dedication of your choice can be spoken, but unlike for sea going ships, this is not required.

We too have heard of this procedure for renaming a boat from the owner of the village off license. Do you think that he had a vested interest in how many bottles of ale we used?

 

This topic could easily slip into interesting boat names on the cut.

 

We have seen a few that could start us off.

 

Nb Inheritance Spent

 

Nb Lord Layabout and Lady Withim

 

And finally,

 

Nb Tobias

 

This boat was owned by a senior boater who remarked that it was named by his long suffering wife and stood for: This old bastard is a shit.

 

Charming

[SuzyQ]

Perhaps he would be happier if you renamed him TITANIC???

I reckon Iceberg would be more fitting ;D

[Naughty Cal]

When we bought our boat it had already been renamed. It was launched in 2003 as "I Dunno". In early 2007 it was renamed "Naughty-Cal" We bought her as Naughty-Cal mid 2008. It has since transpired that her previous owners (who moor their "new" boat a few berths up from ours" sold her as they had a run of bad luck and costly repairs. This bad luck continued after we bought her. Now we are not usually the supersticious types but on this occasion we did make a paper boat with the old name on it, set it alight and set it free.

 

Did the bad luck stop? Well either it has or we have just gotten used to the fact that our wallets will continually be emptied by Naughty-Cal.

[Doorman]

When we bought our boat it had already been renamed. It was launched in 2003 as "I Dunno". In early 2007 it was renamed "Naughty-Cal" We bought her as Naughty-Cal mid 2008. It has since transpired that her previous owners (who moor their "new" boat a few berths up from ours" sold her as they had a run of bad luck and costly repairs. This bad luck continued after we bought her. Now we are not usually the supersticious types but on this occasion we did make a paper boat with the old name on it, set it alight and set it free.

 

Did the bad luck stop? Well either it has or we have just gotten used to the fact that our wallets will continually be emptied by Naughty-Cal.

Isn't that what the word boat stands for? Bring Out Another Thousand

 

Still cheaper than a house though and floats alot better too!

 

Under no circumstances change the name - it is a well established fact that it is bad luck.

We made this mistake and I have regretted it ever since. The boat has suffered a constant stream of costly incidents ever since we changed the name. Thousands of pounds has had to be spent fixing stuff, repairing the mysterious breakages and problems that have occurred ever since we changed its name. It will be one of the most expensive names you ever give anything - mark my words.

When you are up to your ears in muck down in the engine room repairing that little thing that broke for no reason in a few months and swearing - remember you brought it on yourself when you changed the name of the boat. I predict that stuff will start going wrong as soon as you change its name - guaranteed.

 

Did you change the name from 'Anglo Welsh' to 'Black Prince' by any chance?