Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdog
"...It does not have a 'HIN'
(Hull Identification Number), anywhere to be found. Doesn't seem to exist on boat or was removed...?"
|
First, make sure your newly purchased sailboat IS a Sunfish!
A Sunfish logo on the sail doesn't make it a Sunfish: many look-alikes were sold with that sail!
Otherwise:
1) Look up high on the transom—to the right side of the rudder. The year of manufacture can be extrapolated from the
Hull Identification Number.
Is there
anything on the Bill of Sale that indicates numbers—a year or a model? (You don't want to contradict registration-data unnecessarily).
2) Check
the sail for a very
large 5- or 6-digit number. (
A lot of Sunfish have been sold
). That number can be traced to the original hull. (
And the previous owner).
Replacement (and some original) sails from other sail manufacturers won't have a number.
3) Check the hull behind the splashguard: Pre-1971 Sunfish have an oval aluminum plate with the necessary S/N. Sunfish manufactured with a HIN won't have S/N plates.
http://www.sunfishforum.com/showthread.php?t=31827
4) If your boat has
bronze fittings at the rudder, there's a pretty good chance the manufacturing date of your Sunfish
pre-dates the HIN requirement. That said, a common update is to replace the bronze fittings with a standard
stainless-steel retrofit.
(Making the HIN task yet more difficult).
5) All you need is a Bill of Sale for registering your Sunfish.
If the HIN can't be read (or seen) the registration's
HIN space can be filled in with the appropriate message. Since
saltwater Sunfish take a particularly heavy beating at the rudder attachment, I suggest "Erased prior—due to fiberglass repair".
BTW:
Congratulations, bigdog...You're finally getting out on the Lake—boating gently—and saving a lot of money!