Mystery HIN

[partingclouds]

Sure would like to find the Hull ID Number on my Doug Peterson 35' ocean racer. I've searched in all the usual locations on the starboard stern, and the within the lazarette. No plate, no stamped ID, nothing anywhere. I phoned the Martin yard in Vancouver where l believe it was made, but came up empty handed. It was built around 1976 l think. The fuel tank has a manufacturing plate dated with that year. Anyone have an idea where to find the HIN? I feel like I'm sailing an orphan.

[markwesti]

They started doing that in 72' . It should be on your pink and yearly registration . The only thing I can think of , was your boat repaired or regel coated ? You could get in touch with the CCG .

[Mal Reynolds]

FWIW, I know Jeanneau puts an HIN on the inside of the engine mount rail, stbd side.

[capt jgw]

There usually is a secret, hidden spot somewhere inside the boat. You'd have to contact the maker for that if they're still around. The US started requiring HIN's in 1972, my 1969 boat didn't have one but my 1973 does. If foreign built it might not have one. Some importers put their own numbers on foreign boats when they entered the country, but not all.
You may have paperwork with the number on it, but the purpose of engraving it into the hull is to verify that the paperwork belongs to that boat.

[partingclouds]

Thanks for the help. Maybe I'll discover it someday when I'm not looking for it, kind of like falling in love. I refer to my boat as my girlfriend. The discovery could be imminent. I guess I'll stop
looking for it.

[dfelsent]

Various interwebs sources (grain of salt please) say August 1981 was the start of HIN requirements in Canada. Different countries had different start dates for HIN.

[partingclouds]

Thank you, defelsent, for clearing that up! I appreciate your input. Canada really is a different country. We are like a third-world enclave, slower to enact maritime regulations than south of the border. We are too busy just trying to stay warm.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by partingclouds

Sure would like to find the Hull ID Number on my Doug Peterson 35' ocean racer. I've searched in all the usual locations on the starboard stern, and the within the lazarette. No plate, no stamped ID, nothing anywhere. I phoned the Martin yard in Vancouver where l believe it was made, but came up empty handed. It was built around 1976 l think. The fuel tank has a manufacturing plate dated with that year. Anyone have an idea where to find the HIN? I feel like I'm sailing an orphan.

If as you suggest, the boat was built in Canada in 1976 ... In 1981 Transport Canada agreed to piggyback on the US HIN/MIC system and require the same on all Canadian vessels. Prior to 1981 Canadian builders may or may not have marked these codes on their boats depending on whether or not the boat was being exported to the USA.

ZYJ was the HIN/MIC (first 3 characters of the code) for Martin Yachts Ltd. #6 - 8091 Capstan Way, Richmond, BC

I have some more general info on HIN/MIC codes here ... http://www.pcmarinesurveys.com/Whats%20a%20HIN%20.htm

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by markwesti

They started doing that in 72' . It should be on your pink and yearly registration . The only thing I can think of , was your boat repaired or regel coated ? You could get in touch with the CCG .

CCG has no involvement in these matters, that's handled by Transport Canada and they keep no database of HIN/MIC's.