[Bruce_Sailboatdata]

Apologies to allenmedia but I have to correct the record regarding HIN’s (Hull Id Numbers). The format is as follows… All boats manufactured or imported after November 1, 1972 must have a HIN. HIN’s are 12 digits. The first three letters are the manufacture’s code (MIC). For example, the MIC for Dockrell Yachts in the US is JLD. The next five digits are the boat’s serial number. The serial number is determined by the manufacturer and can be anything but often contains the boat’s hull number. The final four digits indicate the date of manufacture and the model year. The format for displaying the date changed in August 1984. In the example above, M82H indicates a model year ’82 manufactured in March (it’s actually the H that indicates the boat was built in March, not the M).
If this boat had been built in March 1985, after the format change, the final four digits would be C585 (March ’85, model year ’85). On the other hand, the same boat manufactured in November 1984 would end in K485 (November ’84, model year ’85).
Hope this helps clarify HIN formats.