Identify Model and Year of Construction of a Boat Believed to be a Boston Whaler

[ginodm]

Hi everyone. On the cockpit of the boat is this number 3B8734, written in black; then on the outside of the transom there is an aluminum plate with this code 5152 82 H. I would be very grateful if any of you could tell me the model and year. Greetings to all from Italy.

[Original post]Ciao a tutti, Sul pozzetto della barca c'è questo numero 3B8734, scritto in nero; poi sull'esterno del tramson c'è una targhetta di alluminio che riporta questo codice 5152 82 H. Sarei molto grato se qualcuno di voi riuscisse ad indicarmi modello e anno. Un saluto a tutti dall'Italia.

[padrefigure]

I believe you are looking for the year of manufacture and model number of a (possibly) Boston Whaler boat with the characters 3B8734 stenciled in black on the transom and an aluminum tag with the characters 5152 82 H imprinted. I don't believe this matches the Boston Whaler character sequence. Perhaps there are missing characters or perhaps this is not a Boston Whaler boat. The reference section in this site provides good instructions on deciphering this information.

[Phil T]

Please post a photo.

Many times there are boats labeled as Boston Whaler that are not.

Grazie Dino.

[jimh]

There is a great deal of advice given in the FAQ about interpretation of hull identification numbers. See

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q2

Now I will use that advice to give you some insight into the boat being discussed in this thread. All that I know about this particular boat is contained in this sentence:

On the cockpit of the boat is this number 3B8734, written in black; then on the outside of the transom there is an aluminum plate with this code 5152 82 H

The sequence "3B8734" sounds like a stenciled number that identifies the hull, and this sort of indicator is unique to Boston Whaler. A stenciled number beginning with "3B" indicates a 16/17-foot Boston Whaler hull.

The metal tag is probably a federal hull identification number. Unfortunately, old metal tags often had pre-printed ink elements (letters or numbers) on them which have faded away due to exposure to weather. The original tag was probably something like

MIC = Manufacturer's ID Code (and here that would have been BWC for Boston Whaler printed in ink, but now faded away)
NNNNN = 5-character production or serial number (these were usually embossed into the metal tag so remain readable for many years)
"M" = "M" --> an indicator of the Model Year Format (which was printed in ink and here has faded away)
XX = 2-digit model year ( (again, embossed into the metal tag)
Z = Month of Production (and also embossed into the metal tag)

In this case the last three elements "82 H" probably indicate that boat was made in 1982 and the H encodes the month was March.

But because the MIC or Manufacturer's ID Code is missing, there is nothing to identify the boat as a Boston Whaler boat from this partial HIN sequence.

I would be very grateful if any of you could tell me the model and year.

As mentioned above, the year is likely 1982. But the particular model is not encoded in either the stenciled number of the federal hull identification number. To determine the particular model you have to have a photograph that shows the details of how the hull was finished off with accessories.

The Boston Whaler Method of Using Metal Tags for Federal Hull Number Identification

I will elaborate on the Boston Whaler company's approach to creating these metal tags. The static information for the metal tag to indicate the hull identification number was pre-printed onto blank metal tags using ink. The pre-printed tag for a Boston Whaler boat would probably have contained this arrangement of letters printed onto the metal:

BWC [then space for a five character sequence to be embossed] M [then space for three characters to be embossed]

There was also a scheme designed for assigning the five character production code employed, and in some cases the first character of the production code would be the same for all hulls of a particular length. This could mean that that first character could also be pre-printed in ink on tags that were going to be used for that particular hull model.

Many such metal tags were be made in advance, awaiting to be used on individual boats.

When a tag was prepared for a particular boat, the tag would be completed by using small metal dies to emboss into the metal the letters and numbers that were to be unique to a particular hull.

Looking at the fragment of the HIN mentioned for this boat, we can presume that the printed elements on the tag that were done in advance would then have been

BWC [some unknown prefix number or letter] [space for four characters] M [then space for three characters]

When the boat was manufactured, a blank tag of suitable pre-printing was taken and then the four characters for production code and the three characters for model year and month were embossed.

As the tag now appears the only characters remaining visible are "5152 82 H."

If we combine them with what may have been pre-printed and now not visible, then the original HIN may have been

BWC [unknown] 5151 M 82 H

We can make a good guess at the one unknown character by using the HIN-SEQUENCE chart (available in the FAQ). Since we have some basis to think this hull is a 16/17 foot hull, the missing or unknown character could have been one of several letters in the sequence A-B-C-D-E.

Another element of the HIN that seems to fit well is that the HIN-SEQUENCE would only go as high as the number sequence 7999. Since the humber 5151 is below 7999, this correlates with the HIN-SEQUENCE for a 17-foot hull.

So my final guess at the identification number for the HIN is

BWC [A/B/C/D/E] 5151 M 82 H

This HIN identifies a Boston Whaler 16/17-foot hull made in March of 1982 and sold as a Model Year 1982 boat.

[ginodm]

Thank you for the valuable information and the time you have dedicated to me. I wanted confirmation that it was an original Boston Whaler.

I am attaching photos of the metal plate and the two codes.

Fig. 1. The stenciled number.

stencilNumber.jpg (11.37 KiB) Viewed 3340 times

Fig. 2. The HIN tag.

HINtag.jpeg (35.88 KiB) Viewed 3339 times

If it is as you assumed, parts of the code may have been deleted over time

Let me know what you think.

Thank you


[Original post]Grazie, per le preziose informazioni ed il tempo che mi avete dedicato.
Volevo la conferma che fosse una baleniera Boston originale. Vi allego qui le foto della targhetta di metallo e dei due codici. Se è come avete ipotizzato, parti del codice possono essersi cancellate con il tempo Fatemi sapere cosa ne pensate
Grazie

[ginodm]

Here I attach the photos of the hull.

Fig. 3. The boat to be identified from this photo.

boat.jpg (58.44 KiB) Viewed 3340 times

Fig. 4 The boat to be identified from this photo.

boat2.jpg (100.12 KiB) Viewed 3337 times

Fig. 5. The boat to be identified from this photo.

boat3.jpg (104.59 KiB) Viewed 3334 times

Can you [tell] me the model?

How I can get an official Boston certification of the authenticity of the boat?

Is there a Boston website that I can ask for this kind of document?

Thank you

[Original Post]Qui allego le foto dello scafo. Sapete indicarmi il modello?

Poi volevo chiedere se sapete come posso avere una certificazione ufficiale Boston dell’autenticità della barca? Esiste un sito internet Boston al quale posso chiedere questo genere di documento?

Grazie, siete preziosi

[jimh]

How long is the boat hull? Please measure and tell us in feet and inches if possible. It looks like a 16/17-foot hull.

The boat looks like it has been modified. There is an opening in the deck for the rigging tunnel, but that opening is now forward of the side console. I suspect that someone has modified the boat from the original configuration.

The console is a shorter console that usual. This shorter console was used in the NEWPORT and STRIPER models.

The wooden foredeck may not be original.

[ginodm]

Length in feet is 16-feet 7inches.

[jimh]

I am quite sure you have a legitimate Boston Whaler boat. The hull is a 16-foot 7-inch hull made in March 1982, which was sold as a model year 1982.

Can you [tell] me the model?

As I mentioned earlier, the boat looks like it has been modified since its original production. The closest model that matches what you have may be the STRIPER, based on the use of the short console and side mounting. However, I think the console location has been moved to be farther aft that the original location, based on the relationship to the rigging tunnel location in the deck.

How I can get an official Boston certification of the authenticity of the boat?

The element of the boat that would be useful in certifying it was a Boston Whaler boat is the stenciled number. The stencil number is intact. Boston Whaler usually has records for the stencil number of a hull. Whether or not they have a record of this 1982 boat is unknown to me, but I would expect they should have that information

Is there a Boston website that I can ask for this kind of document?

The website WHALER.COM is the website of the Boston Whaler company. There should be a section of that website where you can initiate a contact with CUSTOMER SERVICE.

There is a form you can fill out for contacting customer support. See

https://www.bostonwhaler.com/customer-support.html

Tell customer support that you have a 16-foot 7-inch hull with stencil number 3B8734 and also with partial HIN number which you believe was originally BWC [A/B/C/D/E] 5151 M 82 H. If you can attach photographs, send the photograph that shows the stencil number and the photograph that shows the metal tag that was the HIN.

I am sure Boston Whaler customer service can send you a reply email confirming what I have mentioned above, that is, that indeed the boat shown in the photos in this thread is a Boston Whaler boat.

They may even be able to tell you the original model that the hull was finished off as when the hull left the factory in 1982.

You should probably communicate in English.

Again, I am quite confident the boat you have is a legitimate Boston Whaler boat, but with some modification to the interior arrangements.

[ginodm]

jimh--I will follow your advice. Thank you for your kindness, patience, and availability.
--a big hug
Gino

[Original post]Buongiorno Jimh, seguirò il tuo consiglio. Ti ringrazio per la cortesia, pazienza e disponibilità prestate.
Un grosso abbraccio Gino

[ginodm]

Grazie a voi sono riuscito ad ottenere il certificato ufficiale della Boston. Unico dubbio: nel documento è riportato come potenza Hp max 50. Secondo voi è corretto? A me risultava 100 Hp max.
Grazie per la risposta.
De marchi Gino

TRANSLATION:
Thanks to you I was able to get the official certificate of Boston. The only doubt: in the document it is reported as maximum power is 50-HP. Do you think it's correct? I found 100-HP maximum.

Thanks for the reply.

De marchi Gino

[jimh]

... I was able to get the official certificate...[indicating the boat was made by] Boston [Whaler]. The only doubt: in the document it is reported as power maximum is 50-HP. Do you think it's correct? I found 100-HP max.

My assumption is the boat is a classic 16-footer, based on the clear hull stencil number beginning with the prefix 3B. The 3B prefix is known to be used with Boston Whaler boats molded with the 16-foot hull mold. The usual horsepower rating for a 16-foot hull is at least as high as 80-HP and in most cases as 100-HP.

How Boston Whaler sent you a document with the horsepower rating indicated as a maximum of 50-HP is unknown to me.

I believe you will be using this boat in Italy. The horsepower rating of the boat from the manufacturer in the USA in c.1982 may not be particularly restrictive for your use in Italy.

You can try to contact Boston Whaler again. Ask Boston Whaler how the c.1982 16-foot hull came up with a rating of only 50-HP.

The 100-HP engine that is on the boat now should be a good set-up.

[ginodm]

Grazie mille.