is it bad luck to change name of boat?

Question

I am buying a little boat but seem to have in the back of my mind it is believed to be bad luck to change the name of a boat. anyone knowe anything aBOUT THIS.

Answer 1

not if the original name is titanic!!!

Answer 2

You're right it is meant to be bad luck to change the name of a boat. I have no experience of whether it actually is though. I believe boat names are also registered so that two boats do not have the same name so changing the name can be tricky. You can call it by both names. For example if it is called Dolphin & you want to call it The Wanderer. You can paint The Wanderer on it in large letters and Dolphin in small. That way you haven't changed the name...you've just given it a nickname

Answer 3

Indeed Karen,
For some long-forgotten reason it is deemed unlucky to re-name a boat or ship whilst afloat.
However, I re-named mine when it was up a slip for maintenance, as then it was re-launched with a new name.
This is apparantly OK.
So by all means re-paint and "christen" the vessel, but only if it is out of the water.
Of course, some folks just re-do the name and have the paperwork updated, but I know a certain person that changed the name whilst afloat, and the thing sank soon afterwards due to a leaky stern prop seal.
I am not a great beleiver in folk-lore, but there we go.

Bob the Boat

Answer 4

Now come on, there is no such thing as bad luck. I always make a point of walking under ladders, put shoes on the table, have mentioned Hamlet in a theatre etc. No problems so far. How on earth can changing a boats name bring bad luck? It is a physical object, call it what you like, nothing will happen.

Answer 5

Some owners give stupid names to their boats. If you buy a boat like that, you either live with it or change it; it does not alter the boat's properties. Sailing your boat with a name you are standing for, makes more fun.

Answer 6

I have always heard that changing a boats name is bad luck.

Answer 7

I have had many boats an changed all there names if you believe in myth or a girls name that up to you> Had 1 with Tiffany i liked the name an they called the girl i was with Tiffany wasn't her name >>??

Answer 8

If the boat's named Maggie Mae and your wife's name is Nancy Belle...it might be worse luck not to change it!

Answer 9

We make our own luck

I'd just change it.

I used to have a boat called Little Scamp and sold it to an oil company,. they renamed it Exxon Valdise or somethng. No idea what happened to it but i bet they didn't have bad luck.

Answer 10

No, the Royal Navy did it all the time, however some old salts used to think that it was bad luck, so they followed the following rules. The origins of the changing names bad lack story goes back to when boats names were carved into the oak - into part of the keel, thus renaming the boat involved chiseling off part of the boat and thus weakening it. Like many good supersititions this one started with a truth!

1. First you must remove all physical traces of the boat's old name. Take the old log book ashore, along with any other papers that bear the old name. Check for offending books and charts with the name inscribed. Be ruthless. Sand away the old name from the lifebuoys, transom, top-side, dinghy, and oars. Yes, sand it away. Painting over is not good enough. You're dealing with gods here, you understand, not mere dumb mortals. If the old name is carved or etched, try to remove it or, at the very minimum, fill it with putty and then paint over. And don't place the new name anywhere on the boat before the denaming ceremony is carried out. That's just tempting fate.

2. de-name

How you conduct the ceremony depends entirely on you. If you're the theatrical type, and enjoy appearing in public in your yacht club blazer and skipper's cap, you can read it with flair on the foredeck before a gathering of distinguished guests. But if you find this whole business faintly silly and embarrassing, and only go along with it because you're scared to death of what might happen if you don't, you can skulk down below and mumble it on your own. That's perfectly okay. The main thing is that you carry it out. The words must be spoken.

There are two things to watch out for here. Don't use cheap-cheap champagne, and don't try to keep any for yourself. Buy a second bottle if you want some. Use a brew that's reasonably expensive, based on your ability to pay, and pour the whole lot on the boat. One of the things the gods of the sea despise most is meanness, so don't try to do this bit on the cheap.

What sort of time period should elapse between this denaming ceremony and a new naming ceremony? There's no fixed time. You can do the renaming right after the denaming, if you want, but I personally would prefer to wait at least 24 hours to give any lingering demons a chance to clear out.

DENAMING CEREMONY

"In the name of all who have sailed aboard this ship in the past, and in the name of all who may sail aboard her in the future, we invoke the ancient gods of the wind and the sea to favor us with their blessing today."

"Mighty Neptune, king of all that moves in or on the waves; and mighty Aeolus (pronounced EE-oh-lus), guardian of the winds and all that blows before them: We offer you our thanks for the protection you have afforded this vessel in the past. We voice our gratitude that she has always found shelter from tempest and storm and enjoyed safe passage to port."

"Now, wherefore, we submit this supplication, that the name whereby this vessel has hitherto been known (_____), be struck and removed from your records. Further, we ask that when she is again presented for blessing with another name, she shall be recognized and shall be accorded once again the selfsame privileges she previously enjoyed."

"In return for which, we rededicate this vessel to your domain in full knowledge that she shall be subject as always to the immutable laws of the gods of the wind and the sea. In consequence whereof, and in good faith, we seal this pact with a libation offered according to the hallowed ritual of the sea."

3. Now you can pop the cork, shake the bottle and spray the whole of the contents on the bow. When that's done, you can quietly go below and enjoy the other bottle yourself.

Answer 11

Historicaly it is and even today most boat owners will not change a boats name