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You may remember reading in a past tip that the first three letters of the Hull Identification Number are a three letter code that identifies the manufacturer. To decipher the code and determine the manufacturer of a boat, click on the link "USCG Manuf. ID Code (MIC)" and you will find a page similar to the following:
Recreational Boats sold or imported into the United States are required to have a twelve character Hull Identification Number (HIN). The first three letters of that number are the Manufacturer's Identification Code (MIC). Manufacturers are required to apply in writing to the United States Coast Guard for assignment of a MIC. The Coast Guard maintains a database of all recreational boat manufacturers in the United States, and U.S. importers of recreational boats. This database contains active, out of business, and Canadian manufacturers...
At the bottom of the page you have two choices. You can enter the 3-digit Manufacturer's Identification Code (that you copied from the HIN on the transom) to retrieve a list of indexed companies. Or, if you want to find the MIC number of the manufacturer, you can do a reverse lookup to verify that the MIC number on the transom is the correct one. You wouldn't want a seller to tell you you are buying a Hatteras when the MIC number says it is a Bayliner.
Let's assume that the MIC code that you copied was "SER". Just enter this in the MIC box
and click the "Search Now" button. Once the search is complete you will see the following:
Search Results
The Manufacturers Index code is: SER
SEA RAY BOATS INC
200 SEA RAY DRIVE
MERRITT ISLAND
FL32953
You now know the manufacturer of the boat. Perhaps you should check to see if there are any inherent defects in this model or if it is on the USCG recall list. How to use the USCG Boating Recall Database
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