Whats your opinion?

So we are buying our boat, and I wanted to rename it. After thinking about it a while, I came up with "boku". It is the phonetic spelling of the french word "beaucoup", which means many, alot, or in large quanities. I chose this because we were financially blessed recently with the means to buy our boat outright, and we have a lot of very suupportive friends and family, and we've also had a lot of adventures over the last 17 years and are looking forward to more. I also chose it because it's 4 letters and is easy to transmit over VHF, and there isn't another "boku" registered with the coast guard.

So what do you think about the new graphics to go on the transom? 1, 2, or 3?

Do we have any more options?

Arc said:

Do we have any more options?

Click to expand...

That is a very kind way of expressing opinion. (ME TOO! ME TOO!)

Check and fulfill the USCG regulations. Dont give the USCG an easy ticketable opportunity.
Plus, feel sorry for the bridge operators. They have to write the name of your boat in their log.

Arc said:

Do we have any more options?

Click to expand...

What would your suggestion be? If you're going to poo poo it, at least follow it up with a suggestion for improvement.

As long as it's readable and meets the height & placement requirements.
I was a commercial fisherman and am very superstitious about name changes. Unless the old name was awful, I'd keep it. I never have changed a name.

Dear God this is going to be one of those threads where everyone has something to say, but nothing is in relation to the original question isn't it?

I love that your last boat's name was "final choice"

Benthic2 said:

I love that your last boat's name was "final choice"

Click to expand...

The owner I am buying it from named it that because she got it in a divorce. Living on it after her divorce was the "final choice". LOLO

I just think names should be as legible as possible. Art is ok but could backfire when identification is needed in poor conditions

I like #1 but would go with a darker and more contrasting color for the name and hailing port.

My 2 cents is the name will give rise to lots of misunderstandings on the VHF. In an emergency that's the last thing you would want. In a non-emergency such as calling a marina or another boat you will be spelling it constantly. The thought behind the name is great; the execution might not work as well. Good luck with the new boat.


I once bought a boat that came with the name Bolongo. It's a bay in St. Thomas. It was constantly being called Baloney by others and not as a joke.

hmason said:

My 2 cents is the name will give rise to lots of misunderstandings on the VHF.

Click to expand...

I dont understand your statement here. Whats hard to understand about "Bravo-Oscar-Kilo-Uniform"?

Its much easier than the current name "Foxtrot-India-November-Alpha-Lima, Charlie-Hotel-Oscar-India-Charlie-Echo."

toocoys said:

I dont understand your statement here. Whats hard to understand about "Bravo-Oscar-Kilo-Uniform"?

Its much easier than the current name "Foxtrot-India-November-Alpha-Lima, Charlie-Hotel-Oscar-India-Charlie-Echo."

Click to expand...

Hey, your choice--my opinion. That's what you asked for. An easily understandable name works best for me. No need to spell it out.

hmason said:

Hey, your choice--my opinion. That's what you asked for. An easily understandable name works best for me. No need to spell it out.

Click to expand...

I know, but I'm trying to understand why you state it would lead to misunderstandings over VHF transmissions. I'm trying to figure out what would be not easy to understand, or which part would lead to misunderstandings. Can you explain your thought in better detail?

Beaucoup"is usually linked with "Merci"(thanks) in French, ie "Merci beaucoup",meaning "Many thanks". Not sure that helps. "Boku" is no sillier than many names, the calling alphabet will soon tell people how it is spelt. If you like it, go with it, its origins have no connection with a palm fringed tropical island,but it sure sounds like one.
But,you might want to google the name,it`s used by a payments system headquartered in SF which uses mobile phone numbers as identifiers.
FWIW, option 1, minus the accent marks.

toocoys said:

I know, but I'm trying to understand why you state it would lead to misunderstandings over VHF transmissions. I'm trying to figure out what would be not easy to understand, or which part would lead to misunderstandings. Can you explain your thought in better detail?

Click to expand...

I think saying your boat name over the radio will create a situation where the listener will ask you to spell it to be sure they understood the name. If they don't ask you will find it spelled beaucoup, bow coo, boo coo, but rarely if ever Boku. Don't get me wrong, I really like the name I just think it will cause confusion for you. Could I be wrong, sure. Again it's just my opinion. As for the graphics I like them. I would use darker colors and stay away from the accent marks.

FYI, Boku is a mobile payment platform headquartered in CA.

hmason said:

I think saying your boat name over the radio will create a situation where the listener will ask you to spell it to be sure they understood the name. If they don't ask you will find it spelled beaucoup, bow coo, boo coo, but rarely if ever Boku. Don't get me wrong, I really like the name I just think it will cause confusion for you. Could I be wrong, sure. Again it's just my opinion. As for the graphics I like them. I would use darker colors and stay away from the accent marks.

FYI, Boku is a mobile payment platform headquartered in CA.

Click to expand...

Ah... all good points! Thanks for the explanation.

BruceK said:

But,you might want to google the name,it`s used by a payments system headquartered in SF which uses mobile phone numbers as identifiers.

Click to expand...

...whose CEO is french, and I bet you he used the same logic to name his business as I did. dammit. Wonder if I should go back to the drawing board.

toocoys said:

...whose CEO is french, and I bet you he used the same logic to name his business as I did. dammit. Wonder if I should go back to the drawing board.

Click to expand...

Why? It's a great original unique name. I second the idea of a darker shade to make it easier to read from a distance.

toocoys said:

...whose CEO is french, and I bet you he used the same logic to name his business as I did. dammit. Wonder if I should go back to the drawing board.

Click to expand...

You live in the US, I think you only heard of the business using the name by others searching. If it`s not well known, why worry? Payment businesses come and go, "Afterpay" is big here now but Visa is bringing out a similar system which won`t help Afterpay`s business.

toocoys said:

...Wonder if I should go back to the drawing board.

Click to expand...

I would.

Pick a name that means something to you, is easy to say and hear on the VHF, easy to remember by other boats and NOT easily misunderstood.

Beachcomber, for example. It fits all the above criteria.

GFC said:

I would.

Pick a name that means something to you, is easy to say and hear on the VHF, easy to remember by other boats and NOT easily misunderstood.

Beachcomber, for example. It fits all the above criteria.

Click to expand...

Yeah but there for umpteen thousand boats named "beachcomber" in the database. It's like naming a boat "aquaholic". Very unoriginal. In fact, there's a "beachcomber" that resides in the marina nextdoor and leads every boat parade in our area.

Of those three, I'd pick the third. I like the name. I don't think I've ever seen it on any other boat, and originality is a good thing.

The name has meaning to you, so that's good. It's just 2 syllables, so that's pretty easy. It's uncommon in our language, so you may have to spell it a lot. When you need to do so it is only 4 letters, so that's pretty simple. I would pick a font that is very easy to read and I would also drop the accent marks -- again, just to make it easier to read.

I like the boku, but the dots over the u make it look like 2 i's. I think the third one is good without the dots. A darker color for the letters would stand out more and be visible from a distance. I renamed my boat. Here is the name we designed. Her contrasting color was Hunter green with gray highlights. Turned out great.

I am an over opinionated bastid so here's mine.

Go with it, but I like darker/more contrast.


After 35 years on the radio between the USCG and assistance towing actually trying to find boats with less than common names.... BOKU is not all that bad.... exact spelling is't important as long as it "hearing" it and re-transmitting it is easy....even if the ultimate spelling isn't.


But I can understand peoples concern over it....I would guess all of us that have heard the occasional rescue where it sounds like a Marx Brothers Movie.

Arc said:

I just think names should be as legible as possible. Art is ok but could backfire when identification is needed in poor conditions

Click to expand...

I agree. This is one of my pet peeves with boat lettering and graphics. The boat name needs to be easily readable, and many are not. If I have to look at the name for more than a second or two through binocs to figure out what it says, then there is a problem. I think what you have is at best borderline. And that’s about the graphics, not the name. The name is fine.

One suggestion would be to separate the lettering for the name from the graphic. Then the name can be shown in a simple, clear font, and the graphic logo can stand on its own.

Or another idea would be to use a simple font on the transom for the required name, and use your graphic on the sides where displaying the name is optional.

You did not mention if the boat was going to be documented or not... if so I'd suggest reviewing the reqmts for name & more importantly home port.
I dont think any of the home port choices would meet doc reqmts.
Clear Legibility at a distance is a valid comment IMO

For rec vessels...it doen't really matter... I can clearly make out BOKU (except for the ones with the extras over the letters which could be out of reg)...and MANY rec boat names, through the years I couldn't venture to even guess the spelling because of the font or graphics.


I think the basic requirements are it can be seen and using Arabic style letters...but BLOCK is only required (and often ignored) on commercial vessels (so I am not absolutely sure that is true).