Missing HIN - Hull Identification Number

[bstreep]

We bought this boat 12 years ago, and it was missing the HIN at that point. We known the entire history of the boat from new, so we really aren't worried that it was "stolen" or something else.



We've recently had the boat painted, and the painter was SUPPOSED to put the HIN back on, but didn't.



Does anyone have a decent solution for this? We are contemplating taking the boat out of the US, so we think we might need it in place. And no, we've not been able to find the second place that the HIN is supposed to be on the boat, and they only made 16 of them. That boat was painted with Awlgrip.



TIA,

[bstreep]

98 Views... And NO ONE can come up with something? Well, I can't seem to either. Hmm.

[Breaking Waves]

Why not take an engraver or dermel and carefully engrave the hin on?

I see David Walters has an identical model for sale - you might ask them - they might well know where the 2nd hin is on the boat.

[mabowers]

Originally Posted by bstreep

98 Views... And NO ONE can come up with something? Well, I can't seem to either. Hmm.

You never said what make of boat she is.

[sailormed]

Put the HIN on an aluminium plate. Create a space deeper then the thickness of the HIN plate on the hull. Epoxy the HIN plate in the created space, level it with the hull surface. Finish off with gelcoat.

[derekslife]

After our boat was painted we had a similar problem. We ordered new engraved HIN tags (link below) without holes and applied them with 3M-5200.

https://nationalband.com/hin-tags-order-form/

[bstreep]

Originally Posted by mabowers

You never said what make of boat she is.

Macintosh 47. It's in my profile, upper right.

[glcalahan]

I spent 18 months and exhausted every conceivable way I could think to find a hull # on a 1972 Pearson 33. One day it dawned on me that those early boats typically had a hull number on the main and headsail. I was lucky and contacted the PO who bought the boat in 1980. I asked if they had pics from 1980. 15 mins later had pics of the boat under sail.....hull # 193.


Good luck!

[Donald Bryden]

We have been cruising internationally since 2004 and do not have a HIN on my hull. There is a HIN listed on the USCG Document (registration). I can't say off hand how many countries we have visited, but lets just say many. No official at any country has ever asked to see the HIN on the boat. A few years ago in Mexico Customs Officials went to the marinas and impounded all the boats that did not have a visible HIN on the hull. By impounding I mean they told the marina the boat was not to move. It took a while, but that mess all got cleared up. I have sailed in Mexico many times over the years and I believe a number made with a label-maker stuck on the transom would pass muster. In the USA for a Federally documented boat you must have the Official Number assigned by the Coast Guard permanently mounted inside the boat. That number is not a HIN, but is the number used by officials everywhere we have been.

[Dooglas]

So you know the correct HIN? As others say, engrave or affix the HIN to the hull. Problem solved.

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by glcalahan

I spent 18 months and exhausted every conceivable way I could think to find a hull # on a 1972 Pearson 33. One day it dawned on me that those early boats typically had a hull number on the main and headsail. I was lucky and contacted the PO who bought the boat in 1980. I asked if they had pics from 1980. 15 mins later had pics of the boat under sail.....hull # 193.

Well yeah, sort of. That is the manufacturers hull number all right, but that is not the full HIN. The HIN is a 12 digit number which also includes the code for the manufacturer, the code for that hull (model and number in sequence), month and year of certification, and year of construction (some manufacturers used a 4 digit code for month and year of construction without a separate model year designation). With a little more hunting around, you should be able to reconstruct the correct HIN. Pearson Yachts was a major builder in its day, so you shouldn't have much trouble finding the HIN of another 33 Pearson of the same year, or a year forward or back. That should give you all the information you need.

[FabioC]

In one of my past boats, the HIN had been "engraved" by the manufacturer very obviously by hand directly into the gelcoat. It was not outrageously horrible, and ultimately hardly noticeable. If you really want to be fancier, get a plaque and epoxy it, but I would do the same.

[Donald Bryden]

My second post on this subject: My previous boat was built in Taiwan and I was the first owner. The HIN was just stamped into the teak toe rail at the stern. After a few seasons of maintaining the wood and it getting wet and drying multiple times, the HIN disappeared. I never replaced it on the hull, but the number was included in the state registration and later Federal documentation. In your case, I wouldn't worry about it.

[CarinaPDX]

Documented vessels still need an HIN. My builder forgot to put the embossed tape in the mold, so no HIN on the transom. The USCG would not let me document her until it was there, proven by a photo of it. I bought a stencil of 1/2" lettering from an office supply store, then used a Dremel with an appropriate bit to cut the number into the transom. Finally I put some gel coat on the exposed fiberglass. It looks reasonably professional, and passed muster with the documentation officer and all officials since who have checked it.


Greg

[Cheechako]

The painter forgot, so dremel it in and ask him to touch up over it. If not sand/polishable paint, he could just mask a rectangle around the HIN. Some boats have the HIN inside a locker somewhere, so there's that option also.