I’m in the process of restoring a wooden 17 foot GW model Hatteras. This boat was powered by a VolvoPenta I/O. It may have been a retro fit given the odd looking fins that were required to deal with the height of the motor. The only hull number I can find is on the inside of the transom- B2782T. What should this number tell me about this boat?
Hull ID Interpretation
- Thread starter James perry
- Start date
In late 1972, HIN numbers became mandatory and they have a standard format. Your number is not a HIN but probably a serial number. Grady support may or may not have records.
What year do you suspect your hull is?
What year do you suspect your hull is?
What kind of information are you looking for? Even newer HIN's don't really tell you much about the boat other than when it was produced. Most of the serial number is strictly for internal use such as tracking, identification and where it was produced (more important for companies with multiple manufacturing locations). In reality, it's pretty useless for the end user. You may be able to get a list of what options the boat originally came with, but even that is useless for us as it doesn't really matter what it originally came with - all that is important is what it has it now.
I wouldn't say that knowing the model year and when the boat was "made" is unimportant. If I ran into a seller who said his boat was a certain model year and the HIN said otherwise, I would make walk away. The HIN number can also be used to look up recalls. Finally, the HIN can be used to see if a hull is stolen, although you may need help to access that database.
I probably didn't explain myself, or use the right wording. I agree that knowing the year can be important. But from the wording in the OP's post, I was trying to respond to his particular scenario specifically. Meaning, there's really not a whole lot of specific boat info to be gained from the number that would help in restoring his boat. Realistically, even knowing what the original engine was isn't going to mean much at this point. That's why I was wondering exactly what he was looking for.
Thanks fellows. I intend to replace the transom and convert to an outboard. I ‘m trying to determine if the current configuration is worthy of restoration(i.e., was this a unique GW option that should be preserved).