Hull number?

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Dave_E

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2014
Messages
276
Location
USA
Vessel Name
Agnus Dei
Vessel Make
36' Shin Shing
Hi All,

As I go about the buying process for this 36' Eagle, where would I find the hull # and year of manufacture? Probably not a standard place in the boat? My sailboat was way up in the bow visible from the anchor chain locker.

Trying also to learn the Taiwanese history for the these boats.

Dave
 
By law, the HIN (Hull Identification Number) has to be on the starboard side of the transom or at the aft end of the starboard side, up near the deck joint. When was the boat built? The law went into effect sometime around 1982. Older boats may or may not have an HIN.
 
Dave,
I'd suggest you check with WA DMV to find out exactly what you need to register the boat if you buy it. WA has a new cockamany law that says that all VIN/HIN's have to conform to the same standard.


It's a real PITA for older boats, trailers, etc because vehicles/trailers have to be taken to a WSP office to have a new VIN assigned and attached to the frame. I'm not sure what they do about boats as big as the one you're buying.
 
I'm not sure what they do about boats as big as the one you're buying.

For our old 40 foot boat, we were automatically issued a HIN with our WA state registration renewal this year. Then go to a trophy engraving shop, get a couple pieces of your material of choice made with the number (you need two), and install them. The shop I went to in Bellingham said they've been doing a lot of them this year.

More info:

WA State Licensing (DOL) Official Site: Register a boat in Washington state
 
You have good advise here. Ask the seller to show you where the HIN number is. If you can't find the number, don't buy this boat. HIN are often removed if the boat has been written off by an insurance co. because it sank, or some other catastrophe. You will need the number for insurance and registration.

The HIN includes a code for the manufacturer, the year the boat was built, as well as the serial # of that individual boat. Once you find the number, post it. There are lots of experts here who will interpret it for you.
 
The HIN should be not only on the back of the transom, but also on an interior surface, perhaps inside a lazarette or other hold.
You could also federally document (USCG) the boat; i believe it would prevent you from having to apply or deal with unique WA state registration and numbering...
 
You could also federally document (USCG) the boat; i believe it would prevent you from having to apply or deal with unique WA state registration and numbering...

It does not. You don't need to display the WA registration number if you are documented, but you do need to register.
 
When we registered our old boat a few years ago, I could not find the HIN. (I know where it is now.). So I told the DOL that it was GB42-572. They took that and it has been on the registration since.

Now that we have to conform to the new requirements, I went to the DOL with the right HIN. They told me it didn't matter since the boat was documented. So the registration still shows GB42-572.

The dingy, on the other hand, had a perfectly good HIN on the stern. But, the DOL thought one of the digits should be different so we got an entirely new HIN from the state. Went to a trophy shop, had a new number plate made, and glued it on just above the one that came from the manufacturer.
 
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It does not. You don't need to display the WA registration number if you are documented, but you do need to register.

Sorry, QB is right. i got this mixed up and forgot the OP apparently is going to keep it as a Washington boat.
If he was documented and only staying in WA temporarily it would be a different story.
 
While out cruising I realized that the HIN number was not on the transom of our 49 Defever. I found a piece of stainless in my stash, cut it to the length I thought would be right, punched the HIN into it with a punch, and epoxied it on the transom. Looks like a factory job.
 
Hull numbers became the law in 1972. Boats older than 1972 generally don't have a standard hull identification number although they may have a manufacturers code of some sort.
 
Hull numbers became the law in 1972. Boats older than 1972 generally don't have a standard hull identification number although they may have a manufacturers code of some sort.

And it's a US law, applicable to US manufacturers and boats imported into the US for sale. A foreign manufacturer might not bother.
 
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