10 Cool Boat Names Docked at My Marina

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A roundup of boats (with beautiful boat photos) emblazoned with some of our favorite cool boat names at our marina

One of the things we like to do at our marina is walk the docks and check out other boats. We like to see the different styles, imagine what it might be like on a bigger boat and, of course, check out the boat names.

Most good boat names have a double meaning – using a boat pun of some sort or having a personal connection to the boater.  Some of the boat names you see are immediately relatable or understandable. Others make you say “huh?”… and the boat owner probably intended it to elicit that response.




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Every year BoatUS puts out their list of most popular boat names (based on orders received from their boat graphics business), so I thought maybe it might be fun to see a top 10 cool names roundup from my own marina.

Here are some of our favorite boat names (in no particular order!) from walking the docks at our marina.


Boat Name: Wonderful Life

boat name wonderful life

This boat belongs to one of our friends on the dock, just a few slips down. The personal story is that they just love the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”, but of course the boat name is very fitting for how they live their life on the water. They absolutely love their boat and we almost don’t get to see them enough because they spend much more time out on the water than at the dock.


Boat Name: Keeper

boat name keeper

One of the newer boats at our marina dock, this boat is indeed a keeper! Although we don’t personally know the boat owner, we can imagine that they feel this boat is “the one”. Its such a beautiful boat that no one could argue that it is a keeper.


Boat Name: Grateful Escape

boat name grateful escape

This boat is on our dock – two slips over from our slip – and owned by a great couple that may just be the most passionate boaters at our marina. And yes, they are BIG fans of the Grateful Dead. The name “Grateful Escape” is certainly a tribute to their favorite band but also embodies their love of boating and how grateful they are to have their weekend escapes on the water.


Boat Name: Fun Size

boat name fun size

This is the boat that every dock seems to have – the party boat. As the name “Fun Size” suggests, the owners are always having fun on board. They are the ones that have all the water toys, all the crazy decorations on Forth of July. And on any given hot summer weekend they almost always have a whole watermelon sitting in the sink in their cockpit. That boat is just the right size for fun.


Boat Name: Salty Dog

boat name salty dogs

The term “Salty Dog” is a well-known nautical description of somebody that spends a lot of time on a boat. The term could also be used to describe a well-known cocktail. Finally, so many boaters have dogs on board boats – so this may be the reason for the name. Whatever the inspiration, its a great boat name.


Boat Name: New Latitude

boat name new lattitude

A play off of nautical coordinates (latitude & longitude) and attitudes (having a new attitude), I just love the term “New Latitude” as a boat name.


Boat Name: Nautical Nuts

boat name nautical nuts

These boaters are crazy about boating and anything nautical… and the boat name says it all! (not sure what the little cartoon shark guy is all about though…)


Boat Name: St. Somewhere

boat name st. somewhere

I love this boat name because it always makes me wonder. Where?


Boat Name: Special Forces

boat name special forces

Yes we do have sailboats at our marina too! Unfortunately most of the names are names of people I don’t know (sailors love to name boats after women I guess?) or they are sailor terms that I just don’t understand as a power boater. But this one – Special Forces – I think is very clever. To me it plays off of the forces of the wind that you need and how you need to use it to maneuver a sailboat. But I could be wrong. I am a power boater.


Boat Name: Lost Claws

boat name lost claws

I am how cute is this boat name? And the way they turned the C into a crab? Maryland crabs are very popular where we boat (in Maryland of course) and just love how this plays off of crabs and the “lost cause” term. There may be another story behind this one, but regardless I just think its too cute.


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Love the boat life? Check out these picks for your boating lifestyle:


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Diane Seltzer

View posts by Diane Seltzer
Diane is the founder of MyBoatLife.com as well as the boating lifestyle site for kids BoaterKids.com. Active in the boating industry, Diane has also led the marketing for multiple recreational boating businesses and startups.
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