Decode a hull identification number (HIN) right here in your browser, and look up a boat’s public Coast Guard file by HIN or official number. This is the Coast Guard’s file — not a title search, not a lien search, and not a statement the boat is seaworthy.
The decoder above runs in your browser and reads only how the number is built. It is not a title search and not a lien search.
Current format (boats from August 1, 1984), 12 characters: 1–3 the manufacturer identification code (MIC) the Coast Guard assigns to the builder; 4–8 the builder’s serial (letters and digits, never I, O or Q); 9 the month the boat was certified or built, as a letter from A (January) to L (December); 10 the last digit of that year; 11–12 the model year. Example: ABC12345D404 is serial 12345, built April 2004, model year 2004.
Model year format (November 1972 to July 1984): 9 is the letter M; 10–11 the model year; 12 the month of production as a letter counted from the start of the model year, A (August) to L (July). Example: ABC12345M83J is model year 1983, built May 1983.
Straight year format (November 1972 to July 1984): 9–10 the month of production as two digits; 11–12 the year. Example: ABC123451272 was built December 1972.
Look up who a manufacturer code belongs to on the Coast Guard’s MIC search.