Naming a new boat is a rite of passage. It’s telling the world about you and your boat on top of the formality of having a name that can help the Coast Guard find you when they need to. When you head down to any marina these days you’re going to see one of two kinds of boat names in general.

The first kind of boat name is the serious boat name. These can be dignified, historical, cool, edgy, whatever. They’re names like “Wind Breaker” and “ Maiden’s Crest” and things like that. Names that require a naming ceremony because that’s what you do for serious sea vessels. They evoke images of great voyages or naval battles or whatever. But the other very common type of boat name is the funny boat name.

Boaters can’t resist a funny, punny or clever name. And why not? A boat is meant for fun. Named boats don’t really need a proper name all the time. The best boat names can even be a turn of phrase that brings a laugh to the whole harbor. Whether you’re fishing, sailing to parts unknown or just enjoying your time at sea to get away from the world, you’re trying to relax and have a good time. Your boat should reflect that. But what’s the best name for you? There are so many to choose from. Let’s take a look at some of the best the world of funny boat names has to offer.

Seen Around the Harbor

We can’t take credit for these names but they are out there on the water. Some of these names have actually become really popular over the years. The result is that, if it’s the first time you’ve seen them they’re worth a laugh, But if it’s the 20th time they start to lose their luster. Just remember, if you’ve seen them or not, they all had that moment when they were pretty awesome, at least for a while. Raise a glass if you see the skippers who came up with these clever options.

  • Zombies Can’t Swim
  • Pugboat
  • D’s Knots
  • Now Who’s the Loser, Dad?
  • Usain Boat
  • Moor Often Than Knot
  • Knot Shore
  • Favorite Mistake
  • Still Cheaper Than Kids
  • Sotally Tober
  • The Sand Witch
  • Liquid Asset
  • Fraid Knot
  • Bullship
  • Irish Wake
  • That’s What Sea Said
  • Scuba Dubin Doo
  • Wet Dream
  • Water U Lookin At?
  • Moe Z On
  • Nauti Buoys
  • Ship Faced
  • Reel Knotty
  • Moby Debt
  • Tom’s Cruise
  • Berth Control
  • Yeah Buoy
  • Pier Pressure
  • The Incredible Hull
  • Anchorman
  • Dock Holliday
  • One Moor Time
  • Moor Than Meets the Eye
  • Juggaknots
  • Starfish Enterprise
  • KerPlunge
  • Batship Insane
  • Bow Movement
  • Schooner or Later
  • Sloop Doggy Dogg
  • Yachtzee
  • Ships n’ Giggles
  • The S.S. Ess Ess
  • In Decent Seas
  • Buoyoncé Shoals
  • Marlin Monroe
  • Sea-Duce Me

Funny Names for a Fishing Boat

If you want to narrow your focus to let people know you’re all about fish, then naming a fishing boat is easy enough. These work great for a sport fishing boat or even a simple aluminum fishing boat. There are a lot of puns and clever wordplay out there for anglers to use. People really love to play with the word “bass” or “bait” because they’re easy to work into a double entendre or otherwise dirty pun. You can get a lot of mileage out of the word “hook” too.  Check out some of our favorites.

  • The Codfather
  • The Rodfather
  • Breaking Bass
  • Baby Got Bass
  • Bass Hole
  • Bass Guzzler
  • The Bass and the Furious
  • Fishizzle
  • Angler Management
  • Error 404: Fish Not Found
  • Fishful Thinking
  • Off Da Hook
  • Hook, Line and Thinker
  • Now We’re Hookin’
  • In Rod We Trust
  • More Than a Reel-In
  • Fairly Rod Parents
  • Virtual Reel-ality
  • Reel or No Reel
  • Salty Test Tackles
  • Baits Motel
  • Master Baits
  • Bait and Switch
  • Baiter Late Than Never
  • Fishy Business
  • Reel Therapy
  • Flounder Pounder
  • Trout and About
  • Fishin’ Impossible
  • Reel Busy
  • Artifishal
  • Chum and Get It

Funny Names for a Sailboat

If you’re more interested in catching the wind than catching some fish, there are plenty of names that work for a sailboat as well. Whether you’re looking for a smaller daysailer or a liveaboard sailboat, these all work. Here’s a few of my favorites.

  • Knot for Sale
  • Sailbad the Sinner
  • Three Sheets to the Wind
  • Sheet Legal
  • Batteries Not Included
  • Blow N Go
  • Easy Breezy
  • Gust a Move
  • Breaking Wind
  • Passing Wind
  • Blast From the Aft
  • Sayler
  • Sail My Name
  • Banker’s Hours
  • Riches to Rags
  • Blown Away
  • Primordial Sloop
  • Sail Hydra
  • Sail to the King, Baby
  • Sailbird
  • Sailbreak
  • You’ve Got Sail
  • The Sailman Always Rings Twice
  • Another Sail in the Coffin
  • Ever Dance with the Devil in the Sail Moonlight
  • Ducksails (a woo-oo)

Clever Boat Names

What makes a boat name clever? A lot of times that depends on your sense of humor and what you consider witty. Oftentimes a really good pun can make a boat stand out from the crowd, but the word play has to be very good. Sometimes a name that used to be clever falls by the wayside because it gets overused. Depending on how you feel, the best clever boat name may be one that people don’t even get at first and have to think about for a moment. In any event these are some of the more clever names we’ve seen around.

  • The Female of the Species is More Deadly Than the Sail
  • Debaitable
  • Whatever Floats Your
  • Sea Señor
  • Cirrhosis of the River
  • 5 O’Clock Somewhere
  • Boathemian Rhapsody
  • Wading for Godot
  • Wading to Exhale
  • O. I. Sea
  • Ahoy Vay
  • Don’t Wake Me
  • Thirst N’ Howl
  • Claire Buoyant
  • To be Oar Not to Be
  • Sink Oar Swim
  • Latitude Adjuster

Good Names for a Party Boat

Formula 45 Yacht

The best thing about a party boat is that any boat can be a party boat. But if you’re all about having friends on board and having a good time, then why not share that spirit with a name that hits home?

  • Wake and Bake
  • Bring Moor Beer
  • Aquaholic
  • Gin n’ Bare It
  • Beeracuda
  • Booze Control
  • From Beer to There
  • Whiskey’d Away
  • Rum n’ Chum
  • The Drunk Tank
  • Ta-Keel-A Sunrise
  • Off the Rocks
  • Flood, Sweat and Beers
  • Tip Sea McStagger
  • Hooked on Tonics
  • Boatweiser
  • Rum Raisin’ the Sails
  • C:/Doo
  • Bering in Mind

Choosing the Right Boat Name

Couple in boat with trolling motor

A lot of people turn to the internet when it comes time to choose a boat name. Funny boat names and clever boat names are often at the time of every new boater’s want list. But then you might start thinking of cool boat names or classy boat names. You might settle on a nautical joke eventually, or dig a little deeper.

Boat names represent you and how you feel about yourself, your life, the boat and boating in general. It doesn’t have to be deep but it doesn’t have to be a joke, either. I’ve found that too many people stress over finding the “perfect” boat name. And it’s true that, for a lot of people, a boat is more than just a toy to play on the water. It’s a status symbol. It’s a symbol of your hard work and your desire to enjoy the fruits of your own labor. So you don’t want it to be forgettable or cliche.

The thing about boat names is that people are always naming new boats. You may be here looking for some name ideas. But then so are 1,000 other boaters. Then when one name really takes off, everyone else uses it. So you could have had the coolest idea for a name ever, but in a year or two everyone will think you’re just one of the crowd. That can be super frustrating.

Popular Boat Names by Year

Since boat names do get registered with boats, we can see how trends word in boat names. In 2021, for instance, Covid-19 had a big effect on boat names. How do we know? The second most popular name of the year was “Social Distancing.” Check out the top ten.

  1. Andiamo
  2. Social Distancing
  3. Grace
  4. Shenanigans
  5. Cool Change
  6. Island Time
  7. Knot On Call
  8. Mojo
  9. Freedom
  10. Serenity

As you can see, funny boat names weren’t all that big in 2021. Knot on Call qualifies as a pun, but the rest of them, not so much. Maybe Social Distancing is a joke? Depends on your feelings, really.

In 2020, some of the same names were still on the list.

  1. Serenity
  2. Island Time
  3. Scout
  4. Pura Vida
  5. Seas the Day
  6. Shenanigans
  7. Black Pearl
  8. Cool Change
  9. Liberty
  10. Knot on Call

Serenity and Knot on Call have had a couple of years of popularity. But check out the year 2019.

  1. Aquaholic
  2. Pearl
  3. Forever Young
  4. Second Chance
  5. Squid Pro Quo
  6. More Cowbell
  7. Pegasus
  8. Feelin’ Nauti
  9. Why Not
  10. High Maintenance

As you can see, 2019 was a much bigger year for goofy and jokey names. Aquaholic, Squid Pro Quo, More Cowbell (oddly enough), and Feelin’ Nauti all qualify as joke names. And if people spelled it Why Knot, that probably qualifies as well.

If we go all the way back to 2011, check out what we find.

  1. Aquaholic
  2. Andiamo
  3. The Black Pearl
  4. La Belle Vita
  5. Mojo
  6. Island Time
  7. No Worries
  8. Second Wind
  9. Serenity
  10. Ohana

Aquaholic is still there, so is Andiamo, Serenity, Black Pearl, Mojo, Island Time. Most of the top ten names sort of get recycled in and out of popularity year after year. What falls out of favor one year will probably come back in two or three years as more people get more boats and have to name them again.

When it comes to naming your own boat, you can’t worry about what other people are doing. If you want to be the “only” person with your boat’s name, it’s impossible. That’s also kind of the point, right? You want people to see your boat’s name. You want them to like it. So really, it’s kind of flattering to have other boats with the same name. It means other boaters agree with you that yes, this name is awesome. So while you might share at least some responsibility for getting a name out there, at least the end result is a nice boat name that gets a laugh.

The Bottom Line

There are so many potentially hilarious boat names out there to suit any sense of humor. Some lean towards the more risque, some are family friendly, and some reflect the kind of boating you enjoy. Whatever you like, there’s probably a good name out there for you. Heck, have a boat called Boat if that’s what movies you.

Let us know in the comments what your favorite boat names were. If you’ve seen a funny one we’ve missed, post that, too.