HIN interpretation (Ericson 26-2)

[Alan Gomes]

I have some questions about interpreting my hull identification number.

I have an Ericson 26-2 and I show a hull number of ERY26209M84G. I think I can interpret most of it, but I am not entirely sure about all of it.

Here is what I think I know/don't know:

ERY = Ericson Yachts
26 = An Ericson 26.
209 = Hull number 209
M = I have no idea what this stands for
84 = 1984 year of manufacture
G = The 7th month of 1984, i.e., July

So my questions are: (1) What does the "M" stand for? (2) Have I interpreted the rest of the numbers/letters right?

Thanks,
Alan Gomes

 

[Carefree Sailor]

Hi Alan,

Have a look at this site: http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/hin.html. I believe M is simply a separator.

 

[markvone]

HIN Decrypter

Hi Alan,

The "M" is in all the HINs before the format change in 1984. Note per the link from Carefree that the letter for the month starts with AUGUST and rolls over Dec and back to July (i.e. A = August, L = July) - gotta love Uncle Sam for that logic.

HOWEVER, looking at the E36RH HIN list (built 1981 - 1984) that I have accumulated over the years, it's pretty obvious that Ericson goofed up the HINs for the E36RHs built in 1981 and started with A = January (which is the letter/month format used AFTER 1984). Can't tell if this continued with the E36RHs built in 1982 (missing a few HINs). I think this is a rare exception so the HIN system in the link is probably good.

BTW, I owned a 1984 E26 # 205 back in the 80s. Great boats!

Mark

 

[mark001]

Hi,

I have a large brass plate over the V-berth that has the following engraved into (it is VERY prominent).... NRT 5.59 ON825186

Any ideas what that might mean?? It is not related to HIN is it?

I found the following hand written HIN on a piece of paper (a printout of the website mentioned above) where the PO was obviously trying to identify the hull number. What he wrote was... ERY36X40M761
I understand all of it except the X. This would make the hull number X40 but what does the X mean. The PO had a question mark against it so he obviously didn't know. I also do not know where he got this from as I can't find it anywhere on the boat. Perhaps it has been mis-transcribed somewhere along the way.

Mark.

 

[markvone]

The 'X' is a placeholder for hull numbers less than 100

Mark,

My E36RH (1981) is hull number 21 my HIN is ERY36X21M81J.

The brass plate is not related to hull HIN. I'm guessing it's your vessel's AUS MSA national registration number equivilent to our US Coast Guard Documentation number.

http://www.amsa.gov.au/Shipping_Registration/

US documented vessels are required to have the documentation number and net tonnage "engraved in a beam of the vessel". Usually it's engraved in a wood board attached to the boat on a fiberglass boat of our size. You can do a web search of USCG documented vessels by name or number - don't know if that can be done for AUS. In the US you can also order an Abstract of Tittle which will show the ownership history for as long as the vessel has been registered.

Mark

 

[Morgan Stinemetz]

HIN Interpretation

The "X" you mentioned was put in by the factory and it means that X-rated behavior is allowed on your boat at the skipper's discretion. If you live in the antipodes, this rating is known to attract brown snakes and tiger snakes, so be careful where you dock.

 

[mark001]

Thanks Mark. I did in the end find the HIN on the transom so can confirm I have hull # 40.

The other number may be a USCG number as the boat has only just arrived in Australia (where I bought it of the PO who sailed it in). It is not an Australian number. Is there a way of searching historical vessel registrations in the US?

Morgan: Love it

 

[markvone]

NOAA Documented vessel search link

Mark,

Here is the link to the NOAA documented vessel search site:

http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/CoastGuard/VesselByName.html

I searched for "moana", "afriki" and only moana gets results but none of the 32 vessels listed near your year or length is an Ericson. My experience is that only current vessels or expired vessels that have NOT been renamed show up in the vessel name search. Searching by number will show the vessel expired or not.

I searched "825186" in the number search and no results.

Note that USCG documentation numbers do not have any letters just 6 or 7 digits such as mine: 909685.

I don't know of a way to search for a vessel by it's (state) registration number and vessels that are documented (national) do not display state registration numbers, just a name and hailing port. I would think that any US vessel travelling internationally would want to be USCG documented to prove nationality but I don't know that it is "required".

Mark

 

[mark001]

Thanks Mark.

I had tried that website but not searching by name only number. I have figured it out though.

One of the previous owners, who had done the most sailing that I could figure (5 years cruising all over the world) is Canadian, so I popped 825186 in the Canadian equivalent and bingo got this ...
http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/4/vrqs-srib/d.aspx?lang=e&shipid=825186

and by deduction...
NRT = Net Registered Tonnage (so 5.59 ton)
ON = Official Number (825186)

Mark