One of the most challenging aspects I had when I first bought my boat wasn’t how to handle it, or what accessories I should add, but instead was what I should call it. Don’t ask me why, but I had a complete blank when it came to deciding how to name my pontoon boat.
What should have been a simple exercise ending up taking me weeks to finally decide upon, and when I finally did, it was after my sadly departed grandmother. Now whilst I loved her dearly, the my grandmother’s name certainly isn’t a cool, funny, or even clever name or and I wish I had a guide to helping me come up with something a little bit better.
I don’t think I am alone either, as I have spoken with plenty of other pontooners over the last few years who said they were in exactly the same position as me. Me and those other guys can only cast an envious eye over fellow boaters on the lake who actually got it right and came up with funny pontoon boat names that stick in the memory – I’ve seen some amazing catchy names for pontoon boats on the water over the last few years.
Should You Choose a Funny Name?
Not that having a funny name is essential. It could instead just be something cool or clever that looks good and works for you. After all, your boat has its own character, as do you and your family so it makes sense to choose something that reflects that and sets your vessel apart from the countless others on the water.
There are some ideas and ways to help you in choosing the best name further down the page, but before we look at that, here are some naming ideas you can take inspiration from.
This funny pontoon name was found via Pinterest – image credit unknown.
Funny Pontoon Boat Names
Funny and humorous names are amongst the most popular. If you have sense of humor yourself, then it’s a great choice. Here are just a few ideas you could choose from or for inspiration.
- Aqua-Holic
- Aquaquack
- Bacon in the Sun
- Beeracuda
- Berth Control
- Called in Sick
- Drivin’ Miss Lazy
- Eat Drink and Remarry
- Eat Ship and Dive
- Filthy Oar
- Fishfull Thinkin
- Future Poor Person
- Hell on Reels
- Here Fishy Fishy
- In Deep Ship
- Knot So Fast
- Knot Working
- Master Baiter
- Midlife Crisis
- Moby Debt
- Morning Wood
- Poon Toon
- Reel Big Financial Liability
- Saul Goode
- She Got the House
- Ship Faced
- Ships n Giggles
- Shore I Am
- Sir Docks-a-lot
- Titan Uranus
- Toon Deaf
- Unsinkable II
- Viaqua
- Wet Dream
- What’s Up Dock
- Why Knot?
Clever Pontoon Boat Names
These ideas and suggestions are a list of the best pontoon boat names that I think are a little bit clever, using play on words and interesting construction.
You get the feeling this owner was a little indecisive in choosing a name for their boat – image credit unknown as via Pinterest.
Of course, it’s all down to personal preference and you might completely disagree with me! I like then though and think they are very clever and creative.
- Auto-Toon
- Dock Holiday
- Gone Fission
- Knot On-Call
- License To Chill
- Liquid Assets
- Looney Toon
- Man on the Toon
- Men Who Stare At Boats
- Murphy’s Lure
- Name that Toon
- National Pontoon’s Vacation
- Nauti Boy
- No Plane No Gain
- One Moor Time
- Over the Toon
- Rest A Shore
- Sea-Battical
- Seas the Day
- Shore Thing
- The Codfather
- Toon Much Toon Soon
- Toon Time
- Toon-Tastic
- Tooned In
- Tooned Out
- What’s Knot to Like?
- Y-Knot
Cool Pontoon Boat Names
One person’s cool, is another person’s unfashionable, so again, you might completely disagree with me, but I like these names and think they sound cooler than your average, boring old boat name.
Is this a cool name? I will let you decide – image credit unknown found via Pinterest.
What do you think of just some of the ideas shown below?
- Abracadabra
- Absolution
- Aurora
- Casa Aqua
- Chill Pill
- Dark Side of the Toon
- Full Throttle
- Hakuna Matata
- Harvest Toon
- Hot Flash
- License 2 Chill
- Lucifer
- Lucy in the Sky
- Misty Dawn
- Octopussy
- Paradise Pirate
- Rock Bottom
- Rooster Cruiser
- Seaduction
- Shenanigans
- Sunburn
- The Incredible Hull
Good or Best Pontoon Names
If you want something a little bit more traditional, then here are some ideas that I believe look pretty good when you see them written on the side of a boat.
This is definitely a more traditional sounding name for a boat – image credit unknown as found via Pinterest.
There’s nothing wrong with being very traditional, but you can still make your vessel have a little bit of extra character with something like the naming ideas listed below. I prefer these ones and think they are the best, and you can find out why at the end of the ideas list.
- Baroness
- Bella Rosa
- Calypso
- Crewless
- Dory
- Escapade
- Family Affair
- Just Us
- Liberty
- Life is Good
- Neverland
- Serenity
- South Shore Sun
- Summer Moon
- The Good Life
Table of Contents
Name Selection Process
Your pontoon is unique and special to you, so of course, you want the name to reflect that!
Now, while, of course, you could simply use one of the many ideas I’ve already listed, or a variation of them, you may want to create a name that is distinctive to your pontoon that no one else will have.
And there are some specific aspects of your pontoon boat that, when noted, will help you select the perfect name.
First, you may want to consider the boat’s size. If your pontoon is especially large, something like “Big Betty” might fit perfectly, whereas a small boat could use a name like “Tiny Tim.” Or you could opt for an ironic name, switching the large and small names for the opposite size boat.
Next, think about your pontoon’s personality, as well as your personality. Does your boat have fun colored decals? Or do you love to play golf in your free time? You could go for “The Flying Rainbow” or “Par for the Course.”
Finally, how will your pontoon be used? Will it be a family vessel? A party boat? A relaxation station? Naming your boat should portray what you will be doing on it!
How to Name Your Pontoon Boat
Hopefully that’s given you some inspiration on what you can call yours.
As a boat owner, it’s a rite of passage to christen your own vessel with a suitable moniker. From the examples I have listed above, this process allows for a lot of fun, creativity, and scope.
Despite the options for naming being virtually limitless, it is still a hard thing to get right. If you get it wrong, and spend money on the decals, it’s not something you will really want to be changing anytime soon.
Here are some naming guidelines which will help you make your final choice.
Be Careful on How the Name Portrays You
Your pontoon name is a reflection on you, the owner.
You would imagine that this pontoon owner has a sense of humur – image credit unknown as found via Pinterest.
How you name your boat could impact how other pontooners relate and communicate with you, and also it could end up attracting all the wrong sort of attention that you don’t want.
For example, if you name your boat The Smuggler, it might mean that the US Coast Guard take a closer look at your boat, even if you are being tongue in cheek – as some of these dirty boat names have shown in the past.
Don’t Rush It and Take Your Time
Yes, I know I said a took ages to finally come up with a name, but in truth I probably could have done with even longer to make my final decision.
If you make a rash decision then you’re going to be stuck with a boat name that could embarrass you, or you simply aren’t proud of.
Take the time to sketch out ideas on paper as you think through your life and current situation to come up with naming ideas that suit you, your location, how the boat will be used, and perhaps even what stage of life you are in right now.
It could be named after a place in the world that you have fond memories of, or perhaps a pet, or part-lyrics from one of your favorite pieces of music.
Whatever you choose, just make sure that it’s easy to say, read, and is relatively tasteful.
Feminine Names Work Well
Why do feminine names work so well for boats?
In my opinion they are timeless and tasteful and in most cases, you can’t really go too far wrong. Not only that, but boats are traditionally considered to be “she” after centuries of maritime history. You can find out why this is the case on The Guardian’s website.
And interestingly, from a psychological perspective there have been studies to say that if you name an inanimate object with a human name, it can make you take care of it better.
Strange, but true. Give your pontoon boat a feminine name, and you never know, you could reduce maintenance bills and costs by the very virtue that you treat her with much more respect than you would if named “Looney Toon”.
Easier Names Can Be Safer
I alluded to this at the start of the naming guide, where I said that an easier name to spell and say can actually be safer for you and your passengers.
It makes sense to have a name that you can easily relay to rescuers rather than something that they might struggle to understand, or you have to take the time to spell out to them.
Shorter names that are of just two syllables are much better for this purpose rather than a funny name such as “Reel Big Financial Liability”.
Pontoon Boat Name Placement
Where should you place the new name lettering on your boat?
Pontoon boat name placement is entirely down to you, but the two main popular areas include the rear section and side panels on the railings.
If you can design something yourself, then you will be able to get vinyl and PVC lettering printed out relatively easily – typically at an auto shop.
You can also buy larger vinyl wraps to go around the whole of the boat, and I’ve previously written about vinyl wraps elsewhere on Pontoonopedia which you can see here.
If you decide you want to remove a name that is already on the pontoon, this can be quite a tricky task if it’s stuck on hard as vinyl lettering, decals, and wraps. I have also put together a useful guide on how you can remove the wraps safely, hopefully leaving no damage. You will need a few tools to do so, but if you follow that guide you should be able to remove them successfully yourself.
Should Pontoon Owners Name Their Boat?
The name of your boat will clearly reflect your identity and could even be named after an event in your life.
But should you name your pontoon?
Most definitely, and here are a selection of comments from other pontoon owners who have already done so.
“Our pontoon is named after a 1968 VW Beetle that we sold in order to be able to afford our boat.”
“Yes, our New Bennington is named Lazy Boat, because every time we are on it we fall asleep, snack at the table, or just sit and relax. Just bobbing around on the lake just makes you feel lazy.”
“Ours is called The Slippery Deck as we have slippery shots on our boat meaning we are always a hit at the local sandbar.”
“Our Avalon pontoon is called the Wayfinder only because our three girls love the Moana cartoon character.”
“We restored a 1960’s 19 foot travel trailer many years ago and my wife painted in big red letters on the side of it The Money Pit. I hope she does not do that to the pontoon boat I am restoring. Even if it would be a true statement.!”
“Yes, if it isn’t named already. We named ours the Honeymooner as I spent our honeymoon money on a boat instead of going on a holiday.”
“Believe it or not I named mine after my sister and we even had a Christening for the boat too.”
“My husband and I are red heads and we have three kids with red hair. I was thinking “Ginger Toon” or something like that when we end up buying and naming our new pontoon.”
“In my experience, there are fewer pontoons with the names displayed on them these days. But that doesn’t mean they don’t all have a little pet name that is not displayed.”
“Absolutely name it! I named mine Liberty as a reminder of my favorite part of military service. Do what I want to do. There aren’t really any rules.”
Conclusion
No matter what you call your pontoon, I hope this guide has helped to give you a little bit of inspiration and guidance on how to do so.
If like me, your boat is an extension of your home and family, then it pays to give her the respect that a good name can generate. I’ve seen some awful names out on the lakes, and have met many owners who wish that they had done more research and pre-planning before ordering their name plates and decals. Don’t be that guy, take your time, and choose carefully!
Handy Hint: I have also put together 157 fishing boat names that you might want to consider – and also a new list with 101 bass boat names.
