Renaming a Boat: Paperwork, Removing the Old Name and the Optional Ceremony

A state-registered boat only needs a new name on the hull (and an update with your state if it records names). A documented boat has two federal markings: the name and the hailing port. Under 46 CFR 67.119 the hailing port must be a place in the United States and must include the state, territory or possession. You can change the hailing port at the same time as the name. It doesn't have to be where the boat is kept, but it does have to be a real U.S. place.

Under 46 CFR 67.117, a documented boat's name:

• Must use letters of the Latin alphabet or Arabic or Roman numerals
• May not be identical, or sound identical, to words used to ask for help at sea (no "Mayday" or "Pan Pan")
• May not contain, or sound like, obscene, indecent or profane language or racial or ethnic slurs
• May not be changed without prior approval of the NVDC Director

State-registered boats don't fall under this rule, but avoid distress words anyway, and check whether your state has its own limits.

Older documented boats: 67.117(d) says the naming rules above don't apply to boats validly documented before January 1, 1994, until the owner changes the name. So an old boat can keep a name that wouldn't be approved today, but the moment you rename it, the new name has to meet the current rules.

Changing the name or hailing port is not a quick update. Under 46 CFR 67.167(b), a Certificate of Documentation becomes invalid immediately when the vessel's name or hailing port changes, so you apply for an exchange of the certificate on the application form the NVDC uses for initial issue and exchange (CG-1258, named in 67.117). Things to know:

• Fees: the federal fee table (46 CFR 67.550, checked on the eCFR in October 2026) lists a recreational exchange at $84 for one year, plus $26 for each extra year if you choose a 2 to 5 year certificate. Fees change; confirm on the NVDC site before you pay.
• Mortgage on the boat: under 46 CFR 67.145, a documented boat with a recorded mortgage can't have its certificate exchanged for a name or hailing port change without the lender's consent, filed on form CG-4593. The fee table lists $24 for approval of an exchange that needs mortgagee consent. Call your lender first; they may have their own paperwork.
• Apply directly with the NVDC. Third-party websites can file for you for a fee, but BoatUS notes they aren't endorsed by the Coast Guard and typically charge much more.

The NVDC website (dco.uscg.mil) has the current forms and instructions. It sometimes blocks automated tools but works in a normal browser. As of October 2026 the NVDC home page says its old phone line is no longer monitored and that all documentation and payments must go through its online eStorefront, which handles exchanges of a Certificate of Documentation. Owners in forums sometimes pass around links to private "documentation" sites as if they were the Coast Guard; the real eStorefront is on a uscg.mil address.

46 CFR 67.329 says the owner may not change the name of a documented boat without exchanging the certificate, and the new name must be marked on the boat once the new certificate is received. In practice: remove the old name if you like, but put the new one on after the new COD is in your hands. Keep the old certificate's details until then, and don't take the boat out with markings that match neither document.

BoatUS's 2026 renaming article (written by a marine surveyor) suggests collecting every item that bears the old name before you start: documents, nameboards, life rings, mugs, towels, cushions, dinghy lettering. This is both the traditional first step of a renaming and a practical way to avoid a life ring with the wrong name being the thing rescuers see.

Keep the old logbook, don't destroy it. The same article points out that the old name in your log was correct up to the date of the change, and a log can matter as a record. Store the old one ashore and start a new log.

BoatUS says to scrape, peel or sand the old name off completely rather than paint over it, and to remove any older names found underneath too. For vinyl lettering:

1. Warm a few letters at a time with a heat gun on low or a hair dryer, keeping it moving.
2. Lift an edge with a plastic blade and peel slowly at a low angle.
3. Clean leftover adhesive with a remover that's safe for gelcoat. Test it on a hidden spot first.
4. Wash, then wipe with isopropyl alcohol.

Painted names, or names on a painted hull, are a different job: sanding through paint means refinishing. That's often a job for a pro (see "When to call a pro"). Our boat decals and graphics guide covers vinyl removal in more detail.

Old vinyl protects the gelcoat under it from sun, so a cleaner, brighter outline of the old letters often shows once they're off. Compound and polish the whole area (not just the letter shapes) to blend it, then wax. If the ghost still shows, plan the new name so it covers the same area, or ask a detailer to blend it. Don't paint over it.

• State-registered boats: there's no federal rule on where or how big the name goes. Keep it off the forward-half number area so it doesn't crowd your registration numbers; 33 CFR 173 bars other numbers there, and a clean bow is easier for officers to read.
• Documented boats: under 46 CFR 67.123, a recreational documented boat must have its name and hailing port marked together on a clearly visible exterior part of the hull, in Latin letters or Arabic or Roman numerals at least 4 inches tall. BoatUS notes there's no rule on font or color, and that adding the name on the bows is allowed but not required for recreational boats. The official number (on an interior structural part of the hull) doesn't change with a rename.

Mark a level baseline with masking tape, center the name, use the hinge method with masking tape and squeegee from the center outward. Our decals guide walks through the application.

The name is stored in more places than the hull:

• Insurance policy and towing membership: call your agent so a claim isn't delayed by a name that doesn't match.
• Marina, yacht club and storage contracts.
• MMSI registration: BoatUS explains that the information given when you get an MMSI is passed to the Coast Guard's distress database. If your MMSI came from BoatUS, log in and update the boat information. If you have an FCC ship station license, update it through the FCC: the FCC has announced that a change of vessel name on a ship station license is filed as an "administrative update" in its Universal Licensing System (ULS), not as a new license. The MMSI number itself stays the same after a rename; it's the registration details behind it that need the new name.
• EPIRB or PLB: NOAA says you must update your 406 MHz beacon registration whenever registered information changes. The vessel name is part of that record.
• AIS: the vessel name is part of the AIS data your unit broadcasts. Some units let you change it once, others need the dealer; check your manual.
• State agency: if your state records the name, update it. If the boat is documented and also state registered, update the state too.
• Lender: send a copy of the new COD if the boat is financed.

Swap the life ring lettering, dinghy name, nameboards, cushions and anything else you removed in step 5 for new-name versions. Change the name on your float plan template, emergency card by the VHF and the boat's record in the BoatMend app.

Plenty of boaters won't rename a boat without one, and it's a good excuse for a party. The traditional version, as told by Discover Boating and BoatUS, goes roughly like this:

1. Denaming first. With the old name gone from the boat, write it in water-soluble ink on a metal tag. Ask Poseidon to strike the old name from his "Ledger of the Deep," drop the tag over the side and pour a libation into the sea.
2. Naming. Ask Poseidon to record the new name and grant the boat safe passage, and pour another libation.
3. The winds. Many versions finish by toasting the gods of the four winds, facing north, west, east and south in turn.
4. Then bring the first new-name item aboard (or uncover lettering you've already applied).

Discover Boating suggests keeping new-name items off the boat until the ceremony is done, or keeping the new lettering covered. BoatUS's author advises not cheaping out on the champagne. Be kind to the water: skip glitter, balloons and anything that won't break down, and be careful with glass. If you want to break a bottle, BoatUS suggests a pre-scored bottle in a mesh bag, swung at a strong metal fitting like the anchor rather than the gelcoat.

Keep the new COD (or registration) aboard as your state or the Coast Guard requires, a copy at home and a photo on your phone. Photograph the new name and hailing port for your insurer and the boat's file. Keep the old certificate, bill of sale and logbook together; they're part of the boat's history when you sell it.