Is it bad luck to change name of boat?
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.
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 o
