[ScottM]

One other thing to be aware of - most states will assign a 12-character HIN to those boats that are either missing the original HIN or were built before standardized HINs were created. My '72 Seabird has a HIN that was assigned by the MA registration bureau. When I first saw it on the title, I questioned the number because it looked strange, but after talking with MA registry officials, they explained what it was.