Hull Identification number HELP!!!!

[silverhand69]

Hi I need some educated information. I bought my dream boat on Ebay with a bill of sale. However I can't seem to find a HIN on it anywhere. It is a Aleutka 26' and may have had the Hull built by P&M in California and been finished as a homebuilt. I have some names of possible former owners but have no other contact info and the registration numbers are sanded and painted over, thus illegible. does anybody know anyone who had/has an Aleutka and may know where to find the HIN? Thanks-Will

[CharlieJ]

Depends on how old the boat is. If it was built prior to 1972 it won't have an HIN. After that it SHOULD be on the starboard side of the transom.

[AdriftAtSea]

As charlie said, boats constructed prior to 1972 did not require a HIN. If there is a HIN, it would normally be on the starboard side of the transom.  The law requires a second HIN located somewhere inside the boat, but the location varies by manufacturer.  If the boat was state registered, it should have a HIN, even if it is a state-issued number, located on the paperwork someplace. 

If the boat was USCG documented, it should have a USCG Documentation number located someplace inside the boat in the format "No. #######" where the numbers are at three inches high.  If you find a USCG documentation number, they can supply most of the information you might need, by contacting the USCG National Vessel Documentation Center.  If you find a USCG Documentation number inside the boat, you can look up the last information on it by the USCG Documentation number here.

[Godot]

The Aluetka is an appealing, if unusual, design.  I wonder, though, if it was bought as just a hull if the hull builder was required to have an HIN.  I'm trying to think back to when I built my boat.  As I recall, I was issued a number by the state, not by the USCG.  And they never inspected the boat to ensure I put it on.  I wonder if the rules are (or where) different for homebuilders, even if they bought the hull from a manufacturer.

[silverhand69]

Hi Thanks for your help.I was able to find more info due to the link to USCG. I also convinced the guy I bought it from to send me the extra "old paperwork" which oddly enough contained a line of ownership I needed to get my registration.Apparently he thought that the court order and subsequent Bill of Sale for an abandoned vessel were unimportant, as was the photo showing the NC registration number-go figure!

[AdriftAtSea]

D'oh....  The Bill of Sale and photo are kind of necessary. :) Can you post some photos of her.