HIN doesn't match "standard"

[TomAnderson20619]

I'm looking at the HIN for the boat I'm planning to buy (from the PO's insurance declarations page) and it doesn't meet the "standards" for decoding it. The last four digits are "M485" and I know it is a 1985 model. The "standard" states that 4 indicates the last digit of the year of manufacture, and the "M" SHOULD be the month. However, "M" doesn't correspond to a month (M would be the 13th month).

Ideas?

I recall some discussions in the forums about HIN decoding, but I couldn't get the search function to find them.

Thanks

 

[psneeld]

Sure the M isn't an H?


Tiny letters/numbers in gel coat are not always clear...I had a problem on my last boat with a number being misinterpreted by the surveyor.

 

[Comodave]

Sure the M isn't an H?


Tiny letters/numbers in gel coat are not always clear...I had a problem on my last boat with a number being misinterpreted by the surveyor.

+1. Probably misread. Try doing an rubbing of it, lay a piece of paper over it and use the side of a pencil lead and go over the HIN and see what the paper reads.

 

[menzies]

+1. Probably misread. Try doing an rubbing of it, lay a piece of paper over it and use the side of a pencil lead and go over the HIN and see what the paper reads.

Sounds like he is not at the boat and is looking at insurance documentation.

My take. Brokers earn a heck of a lot of money on the sale of a boat. Call the selling broker and ask him for an explanation. He should be very motivated to finding the answer.

 

[psneeld]

If on insurance papers...It could be a typo...I have spent years trying to get stuff corrected on my old ones.

 

[alfamike]

VIN # - reading code rules

Here is what your missing.

Be Advised: - The letter "I" is always skipped as per federal law for all vehicle or vessel VIN # as it could be misread as a 1 - !

So January is an "A" .

and

so that makes "M" to be December.

Thanks,

Alfa Mike

 

[TomAnderson20619]

Thanks Alfa Mike - I read many discussions about the numbers & letters never used and still didn't put two and two together.

 

[JLD]

Maybe a typo? Can you ask what is the HIN on the title or for a picture of the HIN on the boat?

Typos are quite common on documents. When I bought my sailboat ten years ago, I was the 3rd owner. When I titled the boat, I used the HIN off the 2nd owner's title. One day I was checking the actual HIN and found that two numbers were transposed on the title.

Since I had all the records for the boat, I found out the builder of the boat had made an error on the original bill of sale, and this had carried over to the previous three (including mine) titles of the boat.

I was very easily able to get a corrected title from the Maryland DNR with the correct HIN.

Lesson learned, since then I ALWAYS check the actual HIN/VIN against the title whenever I buy any type of vehicle.

Jim

 

[menzies]

Again guys, what's the brokers role?

 

[alfamike]

Manufactured date & year model decoding vin

OK so the vin code is: "M485"

M = December
4= mean 1984
85 = year model.

that look just fine to me.

Built in December 1984 & sold as a 1985 year model.

Many cars & boats are built before the year model year they are sold as.

Tons of cars are built that way every year which are for example the 2021 year model year cars & are for sale on dealers lot in September & October & November & December of 2020 -- of the year before the year model, 2021 .

Normal.

Good Luck.

Alfa Mike

 

[SoWhat]

The number on the boat must match the number on the registration and title.
They're very OCD about this. Insurance doesn't seem like they would care.
As long as someone isn't trying to foist a 85 boat as a 95, then it's all good.

 

[psneeld]

OK so the vin code is: "M485"

M = December
4= mean 1984
85 = year model.

that look just fine to me.

Built in December 1984 & sold as a 1985 year model.

Many cars & boats are built before the year model year they are sold as.

Tons of cars are built that way every year which are for example the 2021 year model year cars & are for sale on dealers lot in September & October & November & December of 2020 -- of the year before the year model, 2021 .

Normal.

Good Luck.

Alfa Mike

Not quite sure why this explanation is getting missed.... sounds good to me.
Not that there aren't mistakes on the insurance papers...but this seems to be the confusion solver.

 

[JLD]

Not quite sure why this explanation is getting missed.... sounds good to me.
Not that there aren't mistakes on the insurance papers...but this seems to be the confusion solver.

I don't think Alfa Mike's explanation is getting missed, as I think the post is a good one.

The point of my post, however, is to check and see what HIN is actually on the vessel, at least before one buys the boat, as errors do happen. I learned to never assume that what is on the paperwork is correct!

Jim

 

[TomAnderson20619]

I’ll swing by the boat this evening to verify what’s on the transom and let y’all know.

 

[TomAnderson20619]

Well I did indeed verify, without a doubt, that the last four digits are "M485" on the transom. So, it must be (thanks, Alfa Mike) build started in December 1984 on a 1985 model.

Interesting that none of the so-called HIN decoders accept M485 as valid.

Thanks for the help.