Bizarre Boat Names: The Boaty McBoatface Phenomenon

happy business man sailing on a yacht

Recently the National Environment Research Council (NERC) began a competition to name their new research ship; little did they know how incredibly it would backfire. They probably wanted something inspiring, but, the internet was asked for its opinion and roared as one: Boaty McBoatface. In homage there has also been a horse named Horsey McHorseface and a train dubbed Trainy McTrainface.

This has without a doubt caused the NERC to panic, causing them to retrospectively state that ‘experts’ will decide the name choice for their polar ship regardless of the overwhelming public vote. But they have been very pleased by the attention and interest this has generated in their new boat.

Fun Names

Lots of people in the modern age have similarly taken it upon themselves to name their boats in a comical fashion. Top named among these illustrious vessels include: Seas the Day, Vitamin Sea, Aqua Holic, Yeah Buoy, The Codfather and the most Unortho-Docks named boat of them all. There truly is some true comedy gold floating out there.

Of course, people have been funnier for longer than we might have thought, and historically there have been some interesting boat names as a result. Captain Kidd’s flag ship, from 1695 to 1698, was called the Adventure Galley, presumably to inspire fun exploits for the pirates aboard.

Perhaps not a pun, but the HMS Beagle is an interestingly named vessel and you have to wonder if the man who dubbed this vessel just really loved his dogs; this was the sloop that bore Charles Darwin on his historic expedition, so this is a key piece of trivia for any pub quiz enthusiast.

The USS Ponce is also questionably named; this boat was launched in 1970 and still sails to this day. Perhaps the Americans have not yet realised how this translates across the pond…

Fictional Boat Names

Odd names are not just exclusive to the real world, the creative minds behind our literature, television and films have also generated a surprising amount of oddly named boats for our viewing pleasures. There is the interestingly named Laughing Sandbag, from The Pyrates, while the Love Nest from the film of the same name also does not suggest its true nature as a whaling ship, and a final example is the Aquanaut from the film 30,000 Leagues Under the Sea which is actually a pretty awesome name!

So, want to get out on the high seas with an interestingly named boat of your own? Then get in touch with our expert team of experienced boat chandlers, we have everything your deck and engine or galley could possibly need. Call us to have a chat with our friendly team on 01524 862010!