Are you intrigued by the purpose of that long number present on the starboard of your boat? Well, that number is known as the pontoon Hull Identification Number (HIN).
A pontoon HIN number can quickly help you identify your boat’s essential data. This number is encoded in a certain method to keep the information of the boat owners and manufacturers secured.
You can decode the pontoon NULL number for various boats by applying specific techniques. These methods differ depending upon the manufacturing time of these boats.
A Detailed Look Into The Pontoon HIN –
The pontoon identification number is a 12-digit alphanumeric combination with no space. This number may look very complicated but has many details hidden in plain sight that may explain how it works.
The Hull Identification Number can be divided into various parts to learn about its information. Hull Identification Numbers are 12 digit long numbers assigned to each vessel manufactured after 1972, which is different for every ship and distinguishes it from other vessels.
New boat owners can go to the department of vehicle regulation to apply for their Hull Identification Number(HIN). The pontoon identification number must be clearly visible and understandable, and therefore it is suggested to get this number written on the boat in simple and clear text styles.
Where Can You Find The HIN –
On most boats, the HULL Identification Number is deeply engraved onto the fiberglass or the metal plating attached near the starboard on the transom’s right side. Specifically, the Hull Identification Number is on the stern side near the starboard hull attachment on pontoon boats.
An additional hidden secondary number is located on the boat’s interior side just beneath the fitting. If the owner loses the primary HIN number in some emergency case, they should call the manufacturers to find the secondary HIN number and notify the authorities of this misplacement.
Every HIN number must be either bonded, embossed, molded, carved, stamped, burned, or permanently affixed on the boat’s surface. This makes the replacement or removal of this number extremely difficult. If you print this number on a separate plate, you must attach it to the boat’s hull.
You should attach it to remove this plate would cause massive damage to the hull area. Anyhow, no one should be able to separate the identification number from the boat’s body.
Decoding The Hull Identification Number –
There are a lot of components involved in the process of decoding the Hull Identification Number. These factors majorly include the year of manufacturing, the type of serial number, and the writing style.
This is basically done because of the privacy issues and to keep all the data safe. With this decoding method in play, it becomes almost impossible to decipher the real meaning behind this number.
Now, let’s look at a list of various Hull Identification Numbers manufactured and distributed in different years and try to decode these numbers.
Hull Identification Numbers For Different Boats Between 1972 And 1984 –
All the boats manufactured during this period were divided into three simple parts. The authorities and the manufacturers used a simple English alphabet to write the first part of the Hull Identification Number.
The department of vehicle registration management used simple numbers to write this part. The third part also used numerical values to depict the certification date of the boat.
This part had four numbers, two digits for the month followed by two digits for the year. To sum it up, the whole Hull Identification Number looked like ABC 12345 1176
Alternatively, there was one more way to depict numbers manufactured between 1972 and 1984. The procedure to decode this variant of the identification number is as follows: ABC 12345 M76D
1. Manufacturer’s Identification Code (MIC): This code can be treated equally to the manufacturer’s full name and address.
This number makes the tracking procedure of the vessel and its manufacturer a simple task. The MIC for every manufacturer is unique and contains all the essential details.
2. Hull or serial number – It is a unique number provided to every person and helps identify the owner’s information and the current owner’s address.
3. In the example above of HIN, you can see the letter M followed by two digits, ending with another note. The’M’ here signifies the model year; the two-digit numbers state the year of manufacturing.
Finally, the last letter, which is ‘D,’ represents the month of the manufacturing. The authorities had decided upon the system in which they used alphabets to describe months.
System A stood for January and L for December, which means that April’s manufacturing month is the mentioned above number.
Hull Identification Number For Vessels After 1984 –
For all the boats manufactured after 1984, the authorities simplified HIN into a simpler version. The whole identification number was divided into four simpler parts in this system, and it is decoded as follows:
1. This part is the manufacturer’s identification code (MIC)
2. this part is known as the hull number or the serial number
3. In this, the alphabet stands for the month of manufacturing, and the number stands for the manufacturing date.
4. These two numbers stand for the year of manufacturing.
Conclusion –
In this article, I made simple one of the most overwhelming work, i.e., to decode a Pontoon HIN/NULL number. It’s easy once you know what to do. If you like the article, share it with other pontooners to let them know what this identification number on their boat really means.