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Q1: what is the interpretation of a federal hull identification number of BWCL7257B888?

BACKSTORY
I recently purchased what was advertised as a 1988 Montauk 17. According to the seller and from information I gathered online, the boat appears to be a genuine albeit slightly modified article.

This boat was one of a fleet of fishing charter boats in northern British Columbia, Canada. As is typical in these parts, a heavily used boat definitely shows its wear, that that is fair given its purpose.

The hull was repainted about 15-years ago (2010), and the console was replaced with what looks to be a non-original console.
Because of the repainting, I cannot find a stencil number, even with considerable sanding. I do however see a very worn metal HIN plate on the starboard side of the transom.

To read the HIN number is diffcult, even with multiple lights and angles and using a magnifying glass. I cannot tell if I am if I am seeing it correctly.

In order to purchase insurance for the boat, I need to have the HIN number. Above I indicate what is my best guess at what the metal tag shows.

ROMUS007 wrote:Q1: what is the interpretation of a federal hull identification number of BWCL7257B888?

Advice on how to interpret the federal hull identification number or HIN number of a Boston Whaler boat is given in an answer in the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS section of the REFERENCE section of the WHALER section of the website. Visit

Q2: Where is the hull identification number?
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q2

Using the number you have provided (BWCL7257B888), the interpretation according to the advice given in the FAQ would be as follows:

BWCL7257B888 = the format used after August 1984


BWC = the manufacturer identification code for Boston Whaler
L7257 = a five character production or serial number
B = the month of production, encoded as B indicating February
8 = the year of production encoded as a single digit
88 = model year

In summary, the HIN you have provided indicates a Boston Whaler boat made in February of 1988 and designated as a 1988 model year boat.

The production or serial number of L7257 is more difficult to interpret. To interpret the five character code one must use the H.I.N NUMBER SEQUENCE drawing.

Careful examination of the information contained in the HIN sequence drawing, which is dated in 1992, suggests that for a 17-foot hull, the production sequence began with A5000 and continued through E7999. At this point there is now a conflict in the HIN you have provided.

The boat is very likely to be a 1988 model year boat, so its production sequence number should fit into the range shown in a document provided in 1992. But the five character sequence of L7257 does NOT fit into the range indicated.

I suggest you visually re-examine the HIN to see of the character you have interpreted to be "L" could be some other character, and particularly if it could be in the range of A to E.

Also, if this hull were ordered as a special build and to have commercial hull construction, it would have been build by the Commercial and Government Division of Boston Whaler, and on that basis there could be a different range of five character production sequence numbers used.

If the hull your have was originally owned and used at a well-known fishing lodge on Vancouver Island, it probably was built as a custom commercial hull. For example, it could a boat previously owned by the OAK BAY MARINE GROUP and used for guided fishing tours. As I recall, when I visited the April Point Lodge in c.2003 they had a fleet of custom-built 17-foot Boston Whaler boats. See Figure 1 below.



There was no center console on these boats. This would explain why the boat you may have, although a 17-footer, lacks the OEM center console that was associated with the 17-foot hull being built as a MONTAUK model. Note that the model designation is seldom encoded in the federal hull identification number; only the hull length is encoded in most cases.

At one time you could contact Boston Whaler customer service and inquire about the federal hull identification number with them, but recently they tend to refuse to help owners of older boats and just refer them to the continuousWave.com website for advice. I presume the reason they do not try to answer questions about older boats is the people in customer service are not familiar with them and probably cannot reliably answer those questions. A boat made in 1988 is now 37-years-old, and many of the people who work in customer service might not have been born yet in 1988.

jimh—Thank you. It is likely you’ve helped me solve the puzzle already, for which I’m very grateful!

I’ll have another look at the HIN plate as its entirety possible that what looks like an “L” is actually an “E”, which would make it all make sense.

Q2: other than the HIN plate, and without access to the stencil numbers, is there any other place to look for ID numbers on a Boston Whaler boat?

[Sources on the] internet [are] very vague on this. They are obviously confusing and possibly misleading. The “front locker” comes up often as well as “secret location.”

Q3: is there any merit to [the two suggested locations mentioned above where the concealed federal duplicate HIN might be found or that those are misleading and intentionally confusing]?

A 1988 hull may have a second HIN plate. My 15-foot hull had [a second HIN plate] in the forward compartment. The second HIN plate was much easier to read than the weathered one on the transom

Boston Whaler boats have always had duplicate hull identification. Before the federal government got involved, Boston Whaler applied the hull stencil number in two places. The most visible location was on the inboard face of the transom. The second location was usually inside a locker in the forward part of then hull, and in plain view once you opened the locker.

The federal regulations now in effect also require that the federal hull identification be attached to the hull in two locations, with attachment to the outboard face of the transom the most obvious and visible. But in 33CFR181.29 (b) a second location is specified as follows:

The duplicate hull identification number must be affixed in an unexposed location on the interior of the boat or beneath a fitting or item of hardware.

Note carefully the language “unexposed” or “beneath a fitting.” I believe the intent is to hide from view the second HIN so that it cannot normally be seen. See the full regulation at

§189.29 Hull identification number display
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/c ... ion-181.29

I have never located a second (hidden) HIN on any of my three Boston Whaler boats. Also, I don’t recall any post that disclosed a specific location where the hidden HIN could be found. I suspect a second federal HIN tag might be under a federal capacity plate, but since the capacity plate is attached by rivets, I have not drilled out the rivets to test my theory.

goldstem wrote:My 15-foot hull had [a duplicate ID] in the forward compartment.

Q4: are you referring to a duplicate stencil number or are you referring to a hidden duplicate federal HIN plate mounted under some hardware or otherwise unexposed?

Before the federal government got involved, Boston Whaler applied the hull stencil number in two places.

My experience does not support that assertion. Neither my 1966 13-foot Sport nor my 1970 16-foot Whaler had visible duplicate stencil numbers. I am pretty confident they hadn't been painted over.

Tom Hemphill wrote:My experience does not support [that Boston Whaler boats have dual stencil numbers]. Neither my 1966 13-foot Sport nor my 1970 16-foot Whaler had visible duplicate stencil numbers. I am pretty confident they hadn't been painted over.

I don't know exactly when the dual stencil number process began. The oldest Boston Whaler boat I have owned was a 1976, and--as best as I can recall--it had the stencil number in two places.