There is a great deal of advice given in the FAQ about interpretation of hull identification numbers. See
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q2Now 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:
ginodm wrote: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.
ginodm wrote: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.