Since November 1, 1972, federal law requires all boats, including inflatables like rafts, IKs and SUP boards, manufactured in, or imported into, the US to have a unique 12-character identifier called the Hull Identification Number (HIN). This is often referred to as the “boat serial number” or “boat ID number”. The number is usually found in the stern and can be engraved on a plate or stamped into the boat material.
For boats built or imported after August 1, 1984
To locate your kayak's serial number look at the right (starboard) side on the back (stern) of the boat on the outside of the hull. Most, but not all boats, have a recessed area here. Your serial number will always be in this area. The serial number consists of 12 alphanumeric digits. Cobra Kayaks offer you a range recreational kayaks to get you out on the water and having fun! Whether you are looking to splash out in a surf kayak, play with the kids in a fun kayak, haul in the big one in one of our popular fishing kayaks – or explore the coast and islands in our touring kayaks, Cobra Kayaks have the right kayak for you. Has this happened to you on tournament day? As Native Watercraft Pro-Staffer Kayak Outbreak knows, the best thing y 11 days ago; Kayak. Native Watercraft products are staying a step ahead of the evolving needs of today's paddlers. As Native Watercraft Pro-Staffer Kayak Outbreak knows, the best. Prijon Seayak - Serial Number info. July 2016 in Advice, Suggestions and General Help. I am a novice paddler who is in search of a used touring kayak as I get more involved in the sport of kayaking. I have found a used Prijon Seayak near me, but the owner does not have specifics on how old it is. I have no experience with.
The system for building the HIN changed after this date. Since most of you will be checking on boats after this date, we’ll cover this first.
Example: ABC12345J314
Manufacturer ID Code (MIC) | Hull Serial Number | Date of Manufacture | Model Year |
ABC | 12345 | J3 | 14 |
Manufacturer Identification Code (MIC)
Entering the MIC into this US Coast Guard database will get you the manufacturer and their location.
Entering the MIC into this US Coast Guard database will get you the manufacturer and their location.
Hull Serial Number
These five characters are assigned by the manufacturer. They are normally numbers, but letters (except I, O and Q) may also be used.
These five characters are assigned by the manufacturer. They are normally numbers, but letters (except I, O and Q) may also be used.
Date of Manufacture
The letter is for the month of manufacture:
The letter is for the month of manufacture:
- A = January
- B = February
- C = March
- D = April
- E = May
- F = June
- G = July
- H = August
- I = September
- J = October
- K = November
- L = December
The number is the last digit of the year of manufacture. Since there’s only one digit, it must be interpreted by the Model Year. In our example, J3 designates that the boat was built in October 2013.
Model Year
In our example, the year is 2014.
In our example, the year is 2014.
Note: Cataraft tubes are not considered to be a boat, until they are married with a frame. An abbreviated HIN of 4-5 numbers, followed by a letter denoting month of manufacture, and three numbers representing the year of manufacture and model year, as described above, may be attached to the tubes. Example: 1234(5)E516, would have been made in May 2015.
For boats built between November 1, 1972 and July 31, 1984
Note: This was the first attempt to create the HIN… and parts of it are a bit confusing.
Manufacturer Identification Code (MIC) and Hull Serial Number are the same as described above.
Date of Manufacture
Here’s where it gets confusing. Manufacturers were given the option of giving either the date of manufacture, or the model year.
Here’s where it gets confusing. Manufacturers were given the option of giving either the date of manufacture, or the model year.
HIN with Date of Manufacture
Example: ABC123451076 (October 1976) The 9th and 10th characters are the month, and the 11th and 12th characters are the last digits of the year.
Example: ABC123451076 (October 1976) The 9th and 10th characters are the month, and the 11th and 12th characters are the last digits of the year.
HIN with Model Year
Example: ABC12345M72D (November 1972) The 9th character “M” stands for model year. The 10th and 11th are the last two digits of the model year. The 12th is the letter designating the month of manufacture.
Example: ABC12345M72D (November 1972) The 9th character “M” stands for model year. The 10th and 11th are the last two digits of the model year. The 12th is the letter designating the month of manufacture.
Now, here’s where the government got cute:
- A = August
- B = September
- C = October
- D = November
- E = December
- F = January
- G = February
- H = March
- I = April
- J = May
- K = June
- L = July
Serial numbers are hand-engraved using a vibration tool. To find your boat’s serial number:
- On kayaks, serial numbers are located near the rear of the boat, on the underside on most models.
- On sailboats, serial numbers are located near the rudder attachment point.
Newer boats have a rectangular, raised ridge around the serial number to make it easier to find. Rubbing a small amount of graphite or soil into the serial number engraving may make it easier to read. Each serial number follows one of the following patterns:
- CCMB1234A708
- US-CCMB1234A708
Broken into its component parts (US- | CCM | B1234 | A | 7 | 08) , a boat serial number conveys the following information:
Oru Kayak Serial Number
- US- or FR- or CN-: Country of origin of the boat (Hobie boats are made in the United States, France, and China). The country of origin may not appear on older boats.
Kayak Serial Number Year
![Serial Serial](https://www.wcha.org/sites/default/files/OTC-05-95.jpg)
- CCM or HCC or HCE: Indicates the manufacturing company. CCM and HCC indicate boats manufactured by Hobie Cat Company (USA). HCE indicates boats manufactured by Hobie Cat Europe.
- B1234: Indicates the model and sequential serial number. In most cases, the model is indicated with a single letter, but sometimes two letters are used.
Ocean Kayak Serial Number
- A: Month of manufacture – A (January) through L (December).
- 7: Last digit of the year of manufacture.
- 08: Last two digits of the model year.