Do you name your kayak like people do with their boats? If so, what is the name?
Of Course
But only the good ones get namesâŚ
OFF COURSE
eyeyyehhahhha terrific name there GH
muh Solstice was named: AAAHHHHHHHH
infrequently: AAAAAAAHHHHHH XXXX
Yes
Her name is Little Cloud. She is a multi-blue color, and Necky called the color Cloud. SoâŚLittle Cloud. My whitewater raft is named Ruby. Ruby III actually. She is my third red raft/cataraft. Like the Ruby Slippers in The Wizard of OZâŚshe takes me to magical places.
Well,
thereâs the red one, and the orange one.
Does that count?
yup
In fact I just put their names on the hulls of the hardshells this week (in fancy 2" fonts ordered from RapidVinyl).
The current kayak roll call is:
- bright green plastic Easky 15LV is âSnow Peaâ (which it resembles)
- Greenland replica SOF with sharply peaked stern is âSisiutlâ (after the legendary Northwest Coast two-headed sea serpent)
- Pakboat Quest 135 is âChiquitaâ (being bright yellow with black and grey trim and a deck that peels off)
- bright red Feathercraft Wisper is âKokaneeâ (the red phase of the anadromous sockeye salmon)
- Pakboat Puffin Sport is âPuffâ (got lazy with that one)
What I call my boat
varies, depending on how things go when Iâm trying to get back into it. Last night it was not at all complimentary.
Naming a boatâŚ
Donât own a kayak; so have never named one.
I have had, and still have a lot of canoes.
Have only ever named one. It was a Mohawk Probe 12 ll; a solo, whitewater canoe. It was purple in color; I named it Purple Haze. Ever had name stickers on both sides of the bow.
BOB
Purple haze all in my brain
Lately things donât feel the same
I feel funny, but I donât know why
Scuse me while I kiss the sky.
Jimi Hendrix
Why Name your Kayak?
I give each kayak a name â most usually feminine, as befits a boat. Personally, I think it is important for kayaks to have names. On a solo paddle, one often needs to talk to the kayak. Saying âhey youâ to get a kayakâs attention is quite rude. A kayak is more responsive and cooperative if addressed by name. Should one stick a decal with the name on the kayak? Certainly not â do any people you know wander about in public with name tags emblazoned on their foreheads? Kayaks are people too (athletes at that) â at least more so than corporations. Of course, selling a kayak becomes problematic if youâre on a first name basis. My ploy is to pretend that Iâm a school teacher (no matter how inadequate) and that a kayak being sold has just graduated. Thus mollified the kayaks seem to leave willingly, treating the purchase price rather like an athleteâs signing bonus.
Current kayak names in our tiny fleet:
Bianca - white on white, Boreal Design Ellesmere
Lucia - blue on white with orange hatches, Necky Looksha IV
Kayaks no longer in our fleet:
Zwilli - Seaward Gemini tandem
Edna - Seaward Endeavour
Blue - Seaward Cosma TX
Syeira - NDK Romany (classic)
Carmen - Northshore Calypso
How else will she come when you call?
We used to name our surf kayaks not so much now, the blue Aquarius was nick-named âDeathtrap for Cutieâ
I do have a beat up waveski called âUgly Bettyâ, a few of the long time posters here have borrowed her during their stays in San Diego. She was stolen, thrown in a gully and repaired by someone who had never fixed fiberglass -so sheâs not much to look at.
Not yetâŚ
⌠still working on it, my wife is resisting me as I want to paint PRINZ EUGEN on the side. As the boat is 21-1/2â I think it appropriate, if non-PC.
red orange blue
off course ! ol yellerâŚyeah but extra points naming for a drowning victim.
No
Just, no.
Thatâs the only time I do it. Both complimentary and derogatory, depending on the outcome. Of course, the compliments also include apologies for the derogatory names.
Treated and Released
Itâs a treat to get released from the day-to-day grind and go paddle.
I was also treated and released from a hospital after an accident that was someone elseâs fault. I got a little settlement money and bought a new kayak.
Sometimes itâs a blood sport.
My nickname for it last night was âDemoralizing.â
How I scratched my chin I donât know. Maybe on a deck fitting?
re: PRINZ EUGEN - nice one!
Without looking it up I actually know what the PRINZ EUGEN was.
On a similar note I was going to name my new grey decked kayak: âBismarkâ until I recalled that the RN sent her to the bottom.
âIn May of 1941 the war had just begun
The Germans had the biggest ship that had the biggest guns. The Bismarck was the fastest ship that ever sailed the seaâŚâ
- Johnny Horton
Ouch!
Glad youâre okay. Heck of a way to get a new boat, though.
not exactly
Sometimes we refer to my wifeâs white over yellow as âthe bridal boatâ â it was instead of an engagement ring which she is more than cool with (she is SO cool).
She used to refer to our small green raft as froggie (sold it); our somewhat larger orange raft as clementine (sold it). The dark green cataraft tubes are sometimes called the pea pods (a theme here?). I hesitate to say they are really names though â and that leaves other kayaks not named beyond âmy blue one,â âyour green one,â etc.