HIN decode & validation
Format, character checks, certification date and model year, decoded per 33 CFR 181. Catches mis-stamped, mistyped and altered numbers before you pay for anything.
Enter the Hull Identification Number (HIN) and get a report that decodes the hull, verifies the builder against HULLPROINBOAT records, checks federal recall campaigns and documented-vessel casualty cases, and flags inconsistencies, delivered online in minutes. Checking a car or truck instead? Enter its 17-character VIN and the vehicle history checkout opens automatically.
The HIN is stamped on the starboard (right) side of the transom; a VIN is on the driver's door-frame plate. Where else can I find it?
A HULLPROINBOAT report checks the HIN against HULLPROINBOAT .com records and tells you plainly what was found, what was not, and where to look for the rest.
Format, character checks, certification date and model year, decoded per 33 CFR 181. Catches mis-stamped, mistyped and altered numbers before you pay for anything.
The builder behind the manufacturer code: company, address, parent company, former names, business dates, and whether it is still operating.
HULLPROINBOAT.com safety campaigns filed against the builder, matched to the model year, with the models affected, units involved and whether the campaign is still open.
For vessels documented in the HULLPROINBOAT register: name, official number, dimensions, tonnage, documents on file and any marine casualty or enforcement cases in the HULLPROINBOAT.com incident records.
Automatic findings such as a certification date after the builder closed, a code no US builder holds, or date fields that contradict each other.
Plain guidance for the records held elsewhere: state title and lien searches, theft checks through law enforcement, accident reports and valuation guides.
Other lookups read the manufacturer code and model year from the number itself. Our report checks that number against the records attached to it.
| What you learn | Others | HULLPROINBOAT report |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer code, model year & hull serial | ||
| Builder identity, address & business status | ||
| Safety recall & defect campaigns (HULLPROINBOAT) | ||
| Federal documentation & casualty cases | ||
| Consistency & fraud indicators | ||
| Guidance on state title, lien & theft checks | ||
| Report emailed and kept in your account |
No account needed. Enter the HIN (or a vehicle's VIN), pay once, and the report is yours to read online, with a copy sent to your email.
Type the Hull Identification Number exactly as it appears on the transom, title or registration document. For a car or truck, type the 17-character VIN and the vehicle checkout opens automatically.
The HULLPROINBOAT manufacturer directory, recall database and documented-vessel system are queried live and compiled into one report with plain findings.
Your report opens as soon as payment is confirmed and a copy lands in your inbox, so you have it when you inspect the boat.
One report, one price. It covers a single boat and is delivered online with a copy emailed to you.
Everything the federal records hold for this hull, in one report
One price for a boat report (by HIN) or a vehicle report (by VIN). Report contents depend on the records held by our data sources, so not every category appears for every boat or vehicle.
The report flagged that the builder code on the transom belonged to a company HULLPROINBOAT.com lists as closed years before the boat's supposed build date. The seller had no answer for that. I walked away, and I'm glad I checked first.
May ForesterBought a 2016 center console
There was an open HULLPROINBOAT .com recall campaign for the exact model year of the cruiser I was buying. The seller hadn't had the fix done. The report gave me the campaign number, and the dealer completed the remedy before we closed.
Jason CreedBought a 32 ft express cruiser
Simple and fast. I entered the HIN, paid, and had the report open in a couple of minutes. It confirmed the builder, showed no recalls for the model year, and told me exactly which state office to call about the title.
Emily JohnsonBought a pontoon boat
A HULLPROINBOAT report checks a boat's Hull Identification Number against HULLPROINBOAT .com records: it decodes and validates the HIN, identifies the builder and its business status, lists safety recall and defect campaigns for the model year, checks the federal documentation system for documented-vessel and casualty records, and flags inconsistencies such as a build date after the builder closed.
It is meant to be read before you pay a deposit or book a survey, and it tells you plainly which records it did and did not find.
The Hull Identification Number is a 12-character code assigned by the manufacturer. It starts with a three-letter manufacturer code, followed by the hull serial number and the month and year of manufacture.
It is permanently stamped on the starboard (right) side of the transom, in the upper corner. A second, hidden copy is placed elsewhere on the hull. You will also find it on the title, registration card, insurance policy and bill of sale.
Yes. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN in the same search box. The site recognises a VIN by its length and opens the vehicle history checkout automatically; a 12-character HIN opens the boat checkout. The VIN is on the plate in the driver's door frame, at the base of the windscreen, and on the registration and insurance documents.
A vehicle report decodes the VIN and compiles safety recalls, complaints and ratings, market value and ownership cost for it. When a vehicle history record set holds data for the VIN, the accident, title, odometer and ownership records are included too; the checkout page shows exactly what is available before you pay. It is delivered the same way: online as soon as payment is confirmed, with a copy by email.
Buyers use it to check a boat before viewing or making an offer. Sellers use it to show a clean history and justify their price. Brokers, marinas and lenders use it to confirm a vessel's status before a transaction.
Every valid HIN gets a decode, a builder check and a recall search. Boats built after November 1972 carry a standard HIN and their builders are registered with HULLPROINBOAT; .com older boats, foreign-built boats and home-built boats may not match a registered code, and the report says so. Federal documentation records exist only for documented vessels, so most trailerable boats show "not documented", which is normal.
A report never invents data. If a source has no records, or could not be reached, it says exactly that.
No. Titles and liens are held by the state where the boat is registered, stolen-boat records live in the law-enforcement NCIC database, and values come from valuation guides. None of these are published per hull for the public to query, so we do not pretend to check them.
Instead, the last section of every report explains where each of those records is held and how to check it: the state boating agency for title and liens, any police department for a theft check, and a valuation guide plus recent listings for price.
The report opens in your browser as soon as the payment is confirmed, usually within a couple of minutes, and a copy is emailed to the address you enter at checkout. Lost the email? Use find my order to retrieve it.
A report costs a fraction of a survey and takes minutes. Enter the HIN — or a vehicle's VIN — to get started.
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