One of the many fun things about boats is that they have names. This makes them unique among the possessions in our lives.

Houses don’t have names, bicycles don’t have names, most cars don’t have names, most of our nouns don’t have names, but boats sure do, and I appreciate that.

A very fun thing to do is get on a small boat, kayak, or Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP, which can be rented at the harbor), and cruise up and down the many marina fingers, reading boat names. It is an activity that will bring some laughter and also some appreciation for some fine (and some not so fine) boats.

My own charter boat was named WaveWalker. It was a powerboat — and a great one. If I owned a sailboat I would have named it WindWalker. The boat in the slip next to mine was named Knot Yet.

Here are some of the fun and thought-provoking boat names I’ve come across:

Blazing Paddles
Boatylicious
Codfather
Grateful Dad
Sea-battical
Fishin’ Impossible
Backstreet Buoys
New Kid on the Dock
Sailor Swift
Float On
Seas the Day
Kid’s College Fund
Vitamin Sea
Nauti by Nature
Knot Working
Fishful Thinkin’
Bass Kisser
Girls Just Wanna Have Sun
Changes in Latitude
Latitude Adjustment
Mai Tide
Pier Pressure
Fin & Tonic
Aquaholic

Hey, if you didn’t find something to chuckle over on that list, your chuckler may need a tune up.

A lot of humor, innuendo and double entendre goes into naming boats, and owners put a great deal of thought and personality into the naming process. I’m proud of them for that.

Considering how much fun boat names can be, it seems like more things should be named.

Swords used to be named (think King Arthur’s Excalibur or Aria’s Needle in “Game of Thrones”). Buses and taxis are numbered (how boring), yet naming them could add so much more character.

I think we should name our cars and other modes of land or air transportation.

For air, think of the bomber and fighter craft names in the World War II that earned name recognition and a loyal following. Even passenger aircraft could build identity and loyalty with names like Altitude Adjustment or Flycaster. I’d stay away from names like Skyfall, because they don’t elicit a feeling of safety.

My own vehicle has a name, though I haven’t yet painted it on there (I’m thinking about it). I drive a Sprinter camper van that I’ve named Captain’s Cabin.

I enjoy bellowing commands like “Report to the Captain’s Cabin!”

Okay, I could go too far with this one, so I’ll just sign off for now, with a directive to go name something and exercise creativity.

Capt. David Bacon is a boating safety consultant and expert witness, with a background in high-tech industries and charter boat ownership and operation. He teaches classes for Santa Barbara City College and, with a lifelong interest in wildlife, writes outdoors columns for Noozhawk and other publications. The opinions expressed are his own.