Changing the Name of a Boat Online

When you own your own boat, you can unlock endless hours of freedom and relaxation. Whenever the mood strikes you, you can head down to the dock or marina and head out onto any one of Canada’s beautiful and pristine waterways. You can also bring along your friends, family members, or loved ones and create lasting, meaningful memories out on the water. Of course, owning a boat is also a significant privilege, since even on the lower end, boats can be especially expensive. For this reason, many opt to purchase a previously owned vessel instead of something brand new, and there are certainly plenty of great deals to be found on the secondary market. If you are thinking about taking the plunge and buying a used boat, you will want to perform a fair amount of due diligence on the different types of vessels that are available before ultimately deciding on what is right for you. Once you know what you want, though, you can browse online and print listings to find a seller near you. After you have completed the transaction and the keys are in your hands, you may also discover that the boat’s moniker does not quite suit your needs. In such an instance, you may want to educate yourself a bit on the process of changing the name of a boat.

If you are at all familiar with boats, you know that they tend to feature names that are emblazoned somewhere prominent on their exteriors. These monikers can range from the serious and meaningful, to the funny and ironic. While buying a previously owned boat can save you a fair amount of money, it can also mean being stuck with someone else’s name. The good news is, there is a process you can follow to officially go about changing the name of a boat. You may also want to be mindful of the fact that changing a boat’s name can evoke superstitious ideas in some circles of sailors. The idea that changing the name of a vessel can be bad luck has somewhat ancient roots: it is said that Poseidon–the Greek god of the sea–maintains a ledger of all vessels traversing the seas, and changing a name can disrupt his records, giving the boat’s owner misfortune. The good news is, you can appease Poseidon by having a renaming ceremony with your friends and family that includes lots of champagne. As far as satisfying Transport Canada’s requirements for carrying out a name change, well, read on!

Changing the Name of a Boat: Knowing Your Paperwork
Transport Canada is the nation’s primary transportation agency concerning all matters on both sea and land. Tasked with managing the country’s marine infrastructure, Transport Canada has thousands of employees and carries out a number of important duties. One such way in which they protect our waters is by maintaining an accurate registry of the vessels owned in Canada. The specific type of documentation your boat will require largely depends on what it is used for, and as such, there are different processes for changing a boat’s name as well.

Recreational vessels will typically require what is called a pleasure craft license (PCL). More specifically, any boat that has an engine of 10 or more horsepower (7.5 kW), will need to apply for a PCL from Transport Canada. When your boat has a PCL, there is no formal process necessary to complete when it comes to changing its name. You will, however, want to thoroughly remove any traces of your vessel’s previous name from your boat before painting on its new moniker.

Registered vessels can be a different story. In Canada, if a boat is used for any sort of commercial purpose, it must enter the national vessel registry. This is also the case for boats that carry marine mortgages or wish to travel internationally under the Canadian flag. When you register a vessel, you are assigned an official number and a completely unique name of your choosing. Because the name of your vessel is paramount to your boat’s identification, there is some paperwork to complete when you wish to change it. To be more precise, you will need to fill out what is called a Form 13–Application for Change of Name of Vessel and/or Transfer of Port of Registry. Fortunately, by working with a private service such as ours, you can complete this process online with just a few clicks.

Get the Forms You Need Online Today!
Whether you need to change your boat’s name or get it registered for the first time, we can help. At the National Vessel Registry Center, we have easy-to-fill web forms for all of your Transport Canada documentation needs. To learn more about how we can help you process your paperwork online, take a minute to explore our website and the F. A. Q- section.