For many boaters, taking their dog out on the water is an absolute must. For some of us a dog is the only companion we even want on our boat. So it’s no surprise to learn that as many as 93% of boat owners also own dogs. Boating and dogs go hand in paw and it’s undeniable.

Dogs are natural swimmers and many of them enjoy being in the water as much as we do. In fact, a lot of the time it’s for the same reasons. Dogs can cool off easily in the water and ask anyone who has a water-loving dog and they’ll tell you – dogs have fun on the water. Whether it’s swimming or just hanging out on deck watching the waves, they enjoy their time on the water as much as anyone. 

Billionaire James Berwind has an $85 million yacht named Scout that he named after his dog, so you can see this is taken seriously at all levels of boating. And yeah, you could name your boat after your dog if you wanted to. But if you don’t want to use the dog’s exact name and just go for something dog-themed then we have a great list of boat names for dog lovers that can bring a little nautical dog flavor into your boating life.

Popular Dog-Themed Boat Names

There are a handful of names we’ve seen pop up more than once. Obviously most of us want to have a unique name for our boats but, by the same token, you can never know what the million other boaters out there are doing and inevitably some names come up more than once. Luckily, dog-themed names are actually pretty rare so even if these struck a chord for you, odds are you wouldn’t be docking next to another vessel with the same name. 

  • Ruff Seas
  • Smooth Sailing and Ruff Seas
  • Bark Side of the Moon
  • Fleas and Seas
  • High Seas No Fleas
  • The Doggie Paddler
  • Pupeye the Sailor
  • Chihuahua-ter Dog
  • Beer, Boat & Bulldog
  • The Big Dog
  • Pug Tug
  • Dog Gone
  • Dog On It
  • The Dirty Dog
  • The Bad Dog
  • The Good Dog
  • Tails n’ Sails
  • Tailboat
  • The Dogfish
  • The Soggy Dog
  • Salty Dog
  • Doghorn
  • The Doghouse (ideal for a boat house as well)
  • Rover and Out
  • Pup Up and Away
  • Hot Doggin’
  • New Leash on Life
  • Hoot and Collar
  • Pug Life
  • Canine Canoe
  • K9 Kayak

Funny Dog Boat Names

There’s always room to make a joke or two when it comes to a dog-themed boat name. Are they all certified knee-slappers? Maybe not, but hopefully they still put a smile on your face. Most dog-themed boat names play on dog puns so you may be able to make up your own based on the name of your dog as well. Just consider what popular sayings or phrases your dog’s name may work with as a replaced or rhyming word. 

  • Dogamaran (obviously best suited for a catamaran)
  • Dog-ch and Release (as opposed to Catch and Release which is obviously for cat lovers)
  • Sun Dog Millionaire
  • I Like Big Mutts
  • Ifs, Ands or Mutts
  • Hound-A-Bout
  • The Puparazzi
  • Nauti Dog
  • Subwoofer
  • Puppy Guppy
  • All Barque (add “No Bite” if you like)
  • The Alseatian (just a bit of a play on the name Alsatian here)
  • Paws for Effect
  • Press Paws on Life
  • Ruff Rider
  • Ruff Enough
  • Coarse Hair (a pun based on the word Corsair)
  • Corsair of the Dog
  • Yip Ship (If you have a small dog that yips then this could be perfect)
  • Sit n’ Sail
  • The Pup Privateer
  • Pelicanine
  • Rover Boat
  • Row Row Rover Your Boat
  • Yiptide
  • Port Bow Wow
  • Bilge and Bark
  • Good Buoy
  • Furry Fathoms
  • Hound at the Helm
  • Leashes Leeward

Cute Dog-Themed Names for Boats

Not every name has to be a joke, right? Some people just like a cute name that lets other boaters know they’re dog people. A lot of older and retired boaters like to go with some more low key names like these. Not necessarily puns or jokes, but not serious, either. Boating should be fun, after all, and you don’t always need to give your vessel a profound name.

  • The Furry Fisher
  • Feelin’ Frisky
  • Man’s Best Friend
  • Dogs N’ Dinghies
  • Barks for Buoys
  • Shaggy Sails
  • The Bark Boat
  • Tailspin
  • Muzzles and Masts
  • Sail Tail
  • Fuzz Freighter
  • Fur Freighter
  • Furry Up and Go
  • Motor Mutt
  • Sinbad & Good Boy
  • Disembarker
  • Pawsitive
  • Paw-ntoon
  • Doggy Drifter
  • Harbor Hound
  • The Muzzle Mariner
  • Moby Dog
  • Man Roverboard
  • Tack and Tails
  • Good Boy Ahoy
  • Keel and Heel
  • Dog Out of Water
  • Dogwhistle
  • Fleadom
  • Wet Dog Smell
  • Goin’ Mutts

Breed Specific Boat Names

Dog towing a cooler

Sometimes a boater wants to customize the name a little bit for their specific breed. Here are a few of the best breed specific boat names we’ve seen around. With literally hundreds of breeds it’s hard to find one to fit every possible dog and every dog’s personality but then again maybe these will inspire you to come up with one for your dog, no matter what breed it is.

  • American Bullboat
  • Bulldog Barge
  • Bichons Frises of the Seas
  • Poodle Paddle
  • The Beagle Boat
  • Corgi Canoe
  • Doberman Overboard
  • Pug Glug Glug
  • Pirates N’ Pugs
  • Weimaran-the-Water
  • Brussels Griffon the Water
  • Pyrenees of the Seas
  • Paddle Pointer
  • The Collie Roger
  • Greyhounds and Blue Skies
  • Poodle Pirate
  • Pekingeasy Going
  • Bimini Beagle
  • German Shepherd of the Sea
  • Nauti Rotty
  • Rotty Raider
  • Chi of the Sea (for the chihuahua fans)
  • Maltese Seas
  • Pugwash
  • Puggle Jumper
  • Cane Corsair (a plain on the Cain Corso)
  • Pits n’ Paddles
  • For Pitty’s Sake (a pitbull possibility)
  • Shar Pei Away
  • Vizsla Viking
  • Frenchie Ferry (for the French Bulldog fans)
  • The Goldie Gondola (for anyone with a Golden Retriever)
  • Docksund (a little play on the pronunciation of dachshund)
  • Dachshund Dock
  • Terrier Ferry
  • Schnauzer Ship
  • Ship Tzu (a play on the name of the shi tzu)
  • Haulin’ Husky
  • Pomtoon (obviously for a pontoon boat and a pomeranian dog)
  • Havanese on the Seas
  • Hava-Seas
  • Spaniel of the Sea
  • Salty Spaniel
  • Sailing the Spaniel Seas
  • Papillon-Board
  • Jack Russel Sparrow
  • Skipjack Russel
  • Lab Lagoon
  • River Rotty

The Bottom Line

Because so many boaters are also dog lovers and because so many dogs seem to love being at sea, it’s natural that these two past times came together. As much as you might love a cat, few of them take well to being out on the open water (though we have seen a few on boats). But dogs just seem tailor made for it.

It can be hard to find good ideas for dog themed boat names online because many sites actually offer you boat themed dog names. The search ends up the same and you get boat dog names far more frequently. Hopefully we helped and offered some of the best boat dog names you’re going to find.

Picking a boat name to express your love of dogs is a fun way to let your fellow boaters know a little bit about you and show some appreciation for your four-legged first mate as well. Whether it’s a breed specific pun or just general fun sort of nautical dog names that brings to mind the spirit of sailing and your love of dogs, there are a lot of fun ones that work incredibly well, Let us know if you have any great suggestions, too!