What do all the characters in a HIN mean?
All HIN's from 1972 on follow the same basic format. The first 3 characters, the MIC (Manufacturers Index Code) identify who built the boat- i.e. Bayliner, Hatteras, Contender etc... Characters 4-8 are used as a serial number or sequential tracking number for each manufacturer. There aren't any set standards for what can go here except the absolute exclusion of the letters O, I, and Q (which are commonly confused for numbers). Characters 9-12 signify when the boat was certified and built. Character 9 is typically a letter which corresponds to the month of certification ( A= January, B= February, C= March, D= April, E= May, F= June, G= July, H= August, I= September, J= October, K= November, L= December) and character 10 refers to the certification year. Characters 11 and 12 stand for the model year of the boat.
In essence, a HIN can be broken down to this: MIC-SRIAL-YEAR, which would translate this HIN, HAT67890F405, to mean it was a Hatteras, serial number 67890, certified in June of 2004 but with a model year of 2005. Here is a great picture from www.BoatSafe.com:
All HIN's from 1972 on follow the same basic format. The first 3 characters, the MIC (Manufacturers Index Code) identify who built the boat- i.e. Bayliner, Hatteras, Contender etc... Characters 4-8 are used as a serial number or sequential tracking number for each manufacturer. There aren't any set standards for what can go here except the absolute exclusion of the letters O, I, and Q (which are commonly confused for numbers). Characters 9-12 signify when the boat was certified and built. Character 9 is typically a letter which corresponds to the month of certification ( A= January, B= February, C= March, D= April, E= May, F= June, G= July, H= August, I= September, J= October, K= November, L= December) and character 10 refers to the certification year. Characters 11 and 12 stand for the model year of the boat.
In essence, a HIN can be broken down to this: MIC-SRIAL-YEAR, which would translate this HIN, HAT67890F405, to mean it was a Hatteras, serial number 67890, certified in June of 2004 but with a model year of 2005. Here is a great picture from www.BoatSafe.com:
Do I really have to decode it on my own?
NO! The good news is that there are websites to do this for you. The best bang for your buck is www.BoatHistoryReport.com. When you enter the HIN, it will show you if the HIN is even valid and will not try to sell you a report if what you have is wrong (i.e. There is an 8 instead of a B, an I instead of a 1 etc...). Other sites tell you the HIN is valid, even when it is clearly disobeying the standardized HIN format.
What are these history reports the HIN decoding sites want you to buy?
Boat History Reports gather information about the boats history and present it to you, just like a CARFAX would. There are a couple of sites that offer this service. BoatFax and BoatHistoryReport are the main two. Check out www.boathistoryreportreviews.com to see a comparison between the two sites.
NO! The good news is that there are websites to do this for you. The best bang for your buck is www.BoatHistoryReport.com. When you enter the HIN, it will show you if the HIN is even valid and will not try to sell you a report if what you have is wrong (i.e. There is an 8 instead of a B, an I instead of a 1 etc...). Other sites tell you the HIN is valid, even when it is clearly disobeying the standardized HIN format.
What are these history reports the HIN decoding sites want you to buy?
Boat History Reports gather information about the boats history and present it to you, just like a CARFAX would. There are a couple of sites that offer this service. BoatFax and BoatHistoryReport are the main two. Check out www.boathistoryreportreviews.com to see a comparison between the two sites.
