Frequently and Infrequently Asked Questions: Hull Identification Numbers; Conformance Markings

[ivob]

Q1: on a Boston Whaler boat where is the hull identification number located?

Q2: on a Boston Whaler boat are there other hull identification numbers?

I may buy a used [1998] MONTAUK 17.

Q3: is there a source on-line for a manual [for a 1998 MONTAUK 17]?

Q4: are there certifications on conformity [for a 1998 MONTAUK 17] available online?

I have read that there are two [boat identification] numbers [associated with Boston Whaler boats]. One [identification number is molded into] the gelcoat [on the inboard face of the transom and] under the engine. For example [an identification number molded into the gel coat might be] 5B5165.

[There would also be another identification number of a] plate [and this number would begin with ] BWC.


--IVO

[jimh]

Q1: on a Boston Whaler boat where is the hull identification number located?

Please read the answer to this frequently asked question in the FAQ section of the website in the REFERENCE section of the website.

The REFERENCE section of the website for Boston Whaler boat is located at

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/

The FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS section is located in the REFERENCE section at

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

The FAQ answer pertaining to hull identification numbers is located at

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

Q2: on a Boston Whaler boat are there other hull identification numbers?

See the FAQ at Q2 as linked above

Q3: is there a source on-line for a manual [for a 1998 MONTAUK 17]?

Yes. I have created an HTML version of the Boston Whaler owner’s manuals. Visit the REFERENCE section at

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/manual9-17/

Q4: are there certifications of conformity [for a 1998 MONTAUK 17] available online?

If you need a certification of conformance with a particular regulatory agency for a particular manufacturer and model and model year, you should contact the manufacturer, which in this case is Boston Whaler. You can inquire with Boston Whaler through a submission form at their website.

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

If you are in a country that requires CE Marking for import, sale, or registration, and you have a question about a particular Boston Whaler boat, I recommend you contact the nearest Boston Whaler dealer in your country to get the best advice. I am certain a dealer selling Boston Whaler boats in a country that requires a CE Marking or compliance would be able to give you the best possible answer.

Whether or not Boston Whaler certified their 1998 MONTAUK 17 boat as conforming to the CE Marking standard is unknown to me. There is prior discussion in 2009 that mentions the 170 MONTAUK was given a CE marking as an INSHORE or class C rating. See

New Outrage CE Certification Design Category
https://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum8/HTML/003890.html

Also see the archives at

CE certification of old Whalers
https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3883

CE certificate for 13-footer
https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1339

Note: the CE Marking for use in the European Union is a program that began in c. 1993. On that basis, boats made before 1993 would probably be unlikely to have been certified to comply with the CE Marking program.

[ivob]

Thank you so much for all the information. I have no idea how I missed the FAQ section in the references. Anyway I'm reading through all of the information now.

Getting the CE certificate will be a tough one. There are two options:.
1. Getting it directly from the manufactorer
2. Pay the certification agency, in this case Germanische Lloyd, to produce this certificate.
They get it from Boston Whaler. This process costs almost half of what boat is worth: 4000-Euros.

I think I will have to make some calls directly to Boston Whaler company in the US.

I really really want this boat.

[jimh]

Thank you so much for all the information.

You are most welcome.

The principal purpose of the CONTINUOUSWAVE.COM website and its resources is to collect, organize, and preserve useful information about this two major topic areas, Boston Whaler boats and Small Boat Electrical and Electronic topics.

If you need help with interpretation of a particular federal hull identification number or hull stencil number, just post those numbers in a follow-on post. I will try to help you with interpretation of them.

[ivob]

If you need help with interpretation of a particular federal hull identification number or hull stencil number, just post those numbers in a follow-on post. I will try to help you with interpretation of them.

I asked the seller to provide them. I'm going to see the boat on Tuesday anyway.

Here is the boat:

https://www.subito.it/nautica/boston-wh ... 788871.htm

[ivob]

Hi, even though I've read the FAQ section I'm still having problems with determining the year of production for this boat.
Can you help me out a little bit based on [the stencil number 3B1083].


Figure 1. The stencil number 3B1083 as seen on the boat under discussion


Fig. 2. A view of the boat under discussion.


Fig. 3. A view of the boat under discussion.

[ivob]

Fig. 4. The mandatory capacity plate identifying the boat as a Boston Whaler 16-foot 7-inch hull. There are two horsepower ratings: with remote steering, 100-HP; without remote steering, 50-HP. There are two capacity ratings: maximum persons capacity, 1154-lbs; maximum weight capacity, persons and [illegible], 1154-lbs. The plate certifies compliance with USCG regulations at time of certification. Location of manufacture, Rockland, Massachusetts.


Fig. 5. The metal tag containing the required federal hull identification number, which appears fastened to the hull on the port side of the transom. See below for long and detailed explanation of the interpretation of this partial HIN code. Note that the original fasteners were rivets; two rivets have been replaced with screw fasteners.

[jimh]

... help me out a little bit based on [the stencil number 3B1083].

To interpret the stencil number 3B1083 I use the resources in the FAQ at

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

The first observation is there is a difference in the gel coat color immediately surrounding the stencil number and the rest of the hull. This suggests that the hull has been repainted. The original hull color was probably DESERT TAN, and now the hull looks white or at the least a different shade of off-white or tan.

In the stencil number 3B1083, the "3B" sequence was used for the 16/17-foot hulls. A list of stencil number ranges is given in the REFERENCE article for the 16/17 HULL, but the table only goes as high as 1972 model year, when the stencil number would have been in the range 3A5201 thru 3A6700. From this the inference is the hull was made after 1972.

ASIDE: the reason the tables listing the correlation between stencil numbers and years of production stop in 1972 is due to the passing of a federal regulation that required all boat builders to use a standard method of identification of their boats by encoding data according to a method designed by the federal government after November 1972. Boston Whaler boats made after November 1972 can have their production epoch deduced from the federal HIN, so the stencil number correlation table is not needed.

FEDERAL HIN INTERPRETATION

The photograph of the metal tag that has the federal hull identification number or HIN shows embossed characters
__ __ __ __ 6768 _76J . This tag used the MODEL YEAR FORMAT, as follows

MODEL YEAR FORMAT prior to August 1984

MIC-NNNNN-M-YY-Z

  MIC = Manufacturer's ID Code  BWC=Whaler
NNNNN = 5-character production or serial number    
  "M" = "M" --> an indicator of the Model Year Format
   YY = 2-digit model year
    Z = Month of Production, coded
        
        A = August
        B = September
        C = October
        D = November
        E = December
        F = January
        G = February
        H = March
        I = April
        J = May
        K = June
        L = July

This is interpreted as follows:

The manufacturer's Identification code or MIC was painted onto the metal plate and has completely worn off. This would have been BWC. Adding that to the HIN we have

BWC_6768 _ 76J



Next we look at the chart showing the allocation of HIN hull production number sequences, as mentioned in the FAQ. Looking at the sequences for the 17-foot hull, we see the numbers must be in the range 5000 to 7999. The number 6768 fits into that range. Usually there would be a letter prefix A, B, C, and so on, but that may have been painted on instead of embossed, and thus worn away. So we can add that to the HIN

BWC [missing character letter A/B/C/D/E] 6768 _ 76J

Following the production sequence number there should be an M inidicating the model year format is used. The M may have been painted on, and is now worn away. So we would then have the HIN as

BWC [missing character letter A/B/C/D/E] 6768 [M] 76J

The remaining characters 76J contain two digits for model year, and one letter for month of production. They indicate the model year is 1976 and the month of production is MAY.

In summary, the HIN at one time would have read

BWC[A/B/C/D/F]6768[M]76J.

The boat is a Boston Whaler 17-footer made in May of 1976 as a 1976 model year.

WHY SOME CHARACTERS WERE PAINTED ON THE METAL TAG

The use of painted characters for certain portions of the federal HIN when using the MODEL YEAR FORMAT is probably because those elements would remain constant for all boats in production during several months. By pre-painting those characters onto the metal tag, only the variable elements unique to each boat would need to be embossed onto the tag when the boat was finished.

For example, the characters BWC for Boston Whaler would not change, and were typically painted onto the metal tag.

For a particular HIN production sequence number, the first character would be a letter followed by four numerals. Four numerals could cover many thousand boats in production, so the letter prefix character would be painted onto the metal tag.

The character M indicates use of the model-year format for the HIN. This would never change as long as the model year format was going to be used.

In summary, for many federal hull identification number (HIN) metal tags which were in use after November of 1972 and prior to August of 1984, the letters BWC and M would always be painted onto the tag. The initial letter character for the hull production sequence number would also typically be painted on. As a result, the metal tags with these pre-printed characters would need to only have four digits embossed onto the tag to identify the hull production sequence number, two digits embossed onto the tag to identify the model year last-two-digits, and one letter to indicate which month of the year the hull was produced.

I hope this explanation helps you to understand how the metal tag on your Boston Whaler boat originally appeared.

The only ambiguity that remains is the letter used as the prefix to the hull production sequence number. That information may be obtained from Boston Whaler if their customer service is willing to look up older records, and assuming Boston Whaler still has those older records.

What is certain is the boat is a 16/17 foot Boston Whaler boat made in May of 1976.

[Phil T]

Ivo -

You can get authentic reproduction capacity plate and the HIN plate from Magic Brush in the US state of Florida.

She will authenticate your hull with the factory and produce the accurate plate and tag. Request the metal plate not the decal option. She made a set for me.

She ships international orders every Wednesday.

www.magicbrushsigns.com
(386) 736-1142
info@magicbrushsigns.com

I have been told by my EU owner friends getting the CE done via the dealer is the way to go.

[jimh]

Since there is now very good evidence the boat under discussion was made in 1976, and there is also very good indication that the CE Mark policy was implemented in 1993, the process by which this boat could be certified to be in compliance with a regulation that was created after it was manufactured is going to be an interesting story. Please let me know what happens.

As I already mentioned in the first reply, I think your best action to learn about getting a conformance certification will be to contact a Boston Whaler dealer in your country. If you need the CE certification, perhaps a Boston Whaler dealer in another CE Mark country could also be helpful if your local dealer is not familiar with the process.

[ivob]

@jimh
Thanks again for plethora of useful information and time you invested into clarifying all of this.
Yes, I was suspecting this boat is from the year 1976 but I needed confirmation.

I'm in the process of negotiating with the boat dealer and local appropriate authorities.
Will let you know on how things will resolve in the end.

@Phil T
Thank you too. That's good to know. I will give them a call once I get things sorted out.

Best Regards,
Ivo

[ivob]

UPDATE

As I promised, here is a follow-up on how how things turned out in the end regarding being able to buy the boat and import it.

I had everything arranged with local marine authorities--I even got the boat's [future registration] number. I scheduled a meeting with Bureau Veritas to measure the boat and give me the paperwork needed. All that remained was to present a valid sales contract ["bill of sale"] that gets verified in an Italian municipality--a paperwork that takes half an hour.

The seller didn't want to go there and sign this contrac--even after a long persuasion from a native Italian speaker. The seller returned my advance payment and that was it--the deal was off.

I was quite disappointed, and I went on a vacation. And now I am in the process of finding another boat. However, I learned a lot.

Regards and thanks for all the help and useful information.

--Ivo

[jimh]

IVO--thanks for the follow-up, which reports the end of your attempt to buy the Boston Whaler.

Perhaps this was just not meant to happen, and this particular Boston Whaler was not going to be the right boat for you.