New Coast Guard hull identification number, HIN, requirements

[sarasetp]

My 2017 G23 was shipped last week to Active Water Sports in OREGON and I just received my serial numbers and HIN for my insurance company etc. From what I can see mine comply. My boat will be registered in Clark Co WA. sarasetp not sure why your 2016 would not comply as well. Let me know if you find out other wise.


2017 Nautique G23

Xstreamws ; Does your HIN start with CTC or something else? That would be the only part of the HIN that is the difference maker because the new HIN started with a different set of letters.


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2016 G23

[sarasetp]

Long story short. It was a clerical error. The clerk at the DMV typed in US in front of the HIN, which caused the HIN to be 14 characters long, which is non-conforming. Of course, US stands for the United States. Dan from the State of Washington actually called me back and helped me identify the error and was able to fix everything. No new HIN for the boat. Phew!

[ski4evr]

no need for new hin in ky, just came from courthouse. glad its still worth $6700!

[woldwillie]

I was involved with HIN numbers when they first came out in 1973. (showing my age) At that time there was some confusion as to where the manufacturer was to place them, the size of characters, and the actual format.
Washington State has NOT required it to be 17, it is still 12. However they are in my opinion, doing this incorrectly. But to fight "city hall" is pretty hard. Personally I just want to go out and enjoy my boat, and be "legal" in doing so as to not be focused on or get a fine.
They claim this is federally mandated. But to me it's just laziness on the state that has spent a lot of money on a computer program that won't recognize the older HIN numbers because of the format of the month/year of manufacture; the last 4 character's of a HIN. I just went thru this.
IN 1973, or when the manufacturer started business, US Coast Guard issued every manufacturer a three letter designation. The first 3 are the MIC code for the manufacturer. The next 5 are the sequential order of build for that model. The last 4 is month/year date of manufacture.
Before 1984, the format for the last 4 was either of two ways, two digit month two digit year or, a letter M, then two digit year, then a letter designated as the month of build as per the Coast Guard chart. Also there was some confusion in the early years of the placement of this HIN number.
Different manufacturers placed them in various locations. It was standardized as to placement and format in 1984 to be on the starboard side transom. Some Boats before 1984, have incorrect placement, and incorrect format. The current format is a letter of the month, then last number of year then two digit model year.
The problem I have with WA State is the issuing of a totally new HIN. 99.999% of the "incorrect or invalid" HIN numbers are simply the now standardized format of the month/year of manufacture, and/or the exact placement of the HIN. Washington State's solution is to issue the boat a Washington State HIN number.
Basically the HIN number is the boats birth certificate. It tells you who built it, what sequence it was built, and the month/year. Without that it's just a generic hole in the water you throw money into. But this is the way WA State is handling it.
Case in point. I just picked up a 1973 Gregor 13 foot open aluminum boat, from an estate. The boat has not been outside a garage since 1991. IN the present condition, It could pass off as a 5 year old or newer boat.
It has the HIN, but is stamped on the Port side transom. AS you see it was confusing when it started as to where to place the HIN. It starts out with CBC, which is the Gregor Boat Co 3 letter designation the Coast Guard gave Gregor Boat Company. There are 5 numbers, the sequential build, then the last 4 date code. It happens to be M73K which means manufactured 1973, month of June. Plain and simple. If the data plate inside that says who made it and the capacities of the boat was missing I could still tell by the stamped HIN who made it and when it was made. Again, just like your birth certificate, who father and mother was, and when you were born.
Ok, now WA State DOL says it's an invalid HIN. So they issue a HIN that starts with WNZ, with the last 4 as D717. By federal law, a "Z" in any HIN designates it as a generic home built boat. Ok, so with no further information, or looking further at data plates or standing back and seeing unique designs on this boat, and I only glanced at this HIN number, it tells me it was built in WA State by an amateur, in their back yard. The last 4, tell me it was built in April of 2017.
So with no further information, this 44 year old boat built by a quality manufacturer that is still in business today has become a 2 month old boat built by an amateur in the back yard or in his shop/garage. Technically the boat has lost it's identity. Well isn't that the way the world is going? Old monuments are being destroyed, there are people confused as to who they are or even what they are at any given time.
The disclaimer to this statement is that in the notes on the registration paper is a statement that the "HIN is replaced because of non conforming" and does list the original HIN, but we all know how easy it is to loose a piece of paper.
AS much as I would really like to take the state to task, I'm old and retired. I do have a nice boat, the state says it's legal to use now, and I can go out and enjoy cheaply on small lakes and such and save the bigger boat for family outings, and enjoy what few years, while I'm physically able to boat. But it still doesn't make it right.

[functionoverfashion]

Wow, this is interesting as I used to work at a marina where we registered boats for people - the State of NH allows businesses to act as Agents so they can register boats on the weekend - this is great for business, as not only can you register a boat right when you sell it, but you get all kinds of people walking in the door for a registration and while they're in there they inevitably need something else for their boat. This was great except when you had a customer who had a problem with their registration, and now you're basically the DMV only you don't make any of the rules, you're just obliged to follow them.

So when we went through a similar ordeal to this with New Hampshire's DMV and the whole 12-digit HIN thing, it wasn't fun. Having deemed all "non-conforming" HINs invalid, they started issuing new HINs to people based only on the number of digits in the HIN. The format didn't even matter - your HIN could have been AAABBBCCCDDD and they'd accept it.

But we couldn't issue the HIN right there, like we could with bow numbers / registration numbers like NH 1234 AA. Nope, you had to have a police officer inspect the vessel IN PERSON of course, at which point they would sign a piece of paper which you then had to take IN PERSON to the nearest DMV during their business hours - we're an hour from the nearest one. I don't care to remember how many nice old people came in to register their 19-something wooden boat that's been in the family for 3 generations, sorry, you have to go through all this BS to then be issued a totally new HIN for some reason and we can't give you a registration today.

[Mike81]

There is nothing new about that HIN format it's been in place since 1984. That change is only regarding "WNZ" hins which are assigned to homemade vessels. Your HIN is assigned by correct craft/nautique and will never change.

[bgary]

WA State DOL says it's an invalid HIN. So they issue a HIN that starts with WNZ, with the last 4 as D717. By federal law, a "Z" in any HIN designates it as a generic home built boat. Ok, so with no further information, or looking further at data plates or standing back and seeing unique designs on this boat, and I only glanced at this HIN number, it tells me it was built in WA State by an amateur, in their back yard. The last 4, tell me it was built in April of 2017.

I'm about to go through this (headed to licensing office with my "tracing"...) and... my question is, doesn't the above make the "new" HIN even LESS conforming than what is on there now? I mean, the Federal standard requires
-- the three letter manufacturer's code (the boat has an actual manufacturer)
-- a digit representing manufacture date ("4" for 1984, in my case)
-- a letter representing month of manufacture ("G" for July)
-- the model year ("85", for 1985)

Any HIN that they give me that *doesn't* have those characteristics isn't Federally compliant... is it?