There were a series of posts in 2012 about "13 character HIN" and I thought about replying to it but since this is not really about 13 characters but a new problem that has bubbled to the surface, I am starting a new subject.
An issue has come up that I think is important to many boat owners. I don't have a C-Dory but I was told by my county auditor's office (that handles boat registrations) that about 19,000 letters have gone to boat owners in the state of Washington titled: "NOTICE: New Hull Identification Number (HIN) Required." My boat is a Rosborough, made in Canada, which is the cause of my particular problem but I am sure there are not 19,000 Rosborough owners in the state. In fact, there was another person talking to the clerk as I waited in line and he had the same problem as I did--they were requiring a new HIN--and he did not have a Rosborough.
The letter was from the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) saying that I wouldn't be able to renew my registration (expires in June) until my Hull Identification Number (HIN) was changed. The Coast Guard says according to their new rules that apply nationwide, they can "only be 12 characters" long. My Rossi's number is 12 but it also has "CA -" in front of it and the DOL has the "CA" as part of the total HIN, thus 14 characters. This is an error on the part of the DOL but it hasn't mattered until now.
I went to the county auditor's office and they said that they would create a new HIN and I would then have to take that new number, make a "permanent" HIN and affix it to the boat (the letter recommend "molded"), and they'll send me a new title with the new number. The new number should be "applied adjacent to the original HIN" and thus there will be two HINs on the boat.
My HIN plate says: "CA - ZRL25446A808" and I have emailed them a photo of it. They have it in their records as "CAZRL25446A808" and thus 14 characters and that is why they say I need a new HIN. The "CA" is the "country of origin"--Canada--and per the Coast Guard rule, is not part of the HIN. However, the auditor's office has taken this to mean I have a non-compliant HIN and must be replaced.
Huh? Just because the "country of origin" is on the plate on the transom? A person at DOL said all I had to do is block out the "CA -" ("just put tape over it") and the county could redo the title with just the actual HIN in 12 characters. When I told the clerk at the auditor's office that DOL told me that, I was told that had to be wrong since I'd be "defacing" the HIN (subject to Coast Guard action) and they couldn't just change a title HIN, they had to reissue me a new one. Since the HIN has information about the manufacturer, what # boat it is that they've made, and the date of manufacture, I fail to see how they could duplicate that information without just recreating the same number. If they made up a new serial number, how do they know they aren't duplicating an existing number and what is gained? Doesn't this also defeat the Coast Guard rule about how the HIN must be structured to provide the information about the manufacturer and date?
They said unless I re-did the number, I couldn't get new registration tabs and I wouldn't be able to sell the boat. So selling the boat with some sort of "new" title and two HINs on the transom wouldn't raise eyebrows of a buyer as well as not having the original title but one created years later?
After a certain amount of back and forth, they agreed to contact the state DOL and see what they say. I got a call later and they said DOL was "looking into it" and maybe I'd get a ruling on Monday.
So, if you too are having this problem I suggest you hold off getting a new title until this is figured out. I'll post my update later.
An issue has come up that I think is important to many boat owners. I don't have a C-Dory but I was told by my county auditor's office (that handles boat registrations) that about 19,000 letters have gone to boat owners in the state of Washington titled: "NOTICE: New Hull Identification Number (HIN) Required." My boat is a Rosborough, made in Canada, which is the cause of my particular problem but I am sure there are not 19,000 Rosborough owners in the state. In fact, there was another person talking to the clerk as I waited in line and he had the same problem as I did--they were requiring a new HIN--and he did not have a Rosborough.
The letter was from the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) saying that I wouldn't be able to renew my registration (expires in June) until my Hull Identification Number (HIN) was changed. The Coast Guard says according to their new rules that apply nationwide, they can "only be 12 characters" long. My Rossi's number is 12 but it also has "CA -" in front of it and the DOL has the "CA" as part of the total HIN, thus 14 characters. This is an error on the part of the DOL but it hasn't mattered until now.
I went to the county auditor's office and they said that they would create a new HIN and I would then have to take that new number, make a "permanent" HIN and affix it to the boat (the letter recommend "molded"), and they'll send me a new title with the new number. The new number should be "applied adjacent to the original HIN" and thus there will be two HINs on the boat.
My HIN plate says: "CA - ZRL25446A808" and I have emailed them a photo of it. They have it in their records as "CAZRL25446A808" and thus 14 characters and that is why they say I need a new HIN. The "CA" is the "country of origin"--Canada--and per the Coast Guard rule, is not part of the HIN. However, the auditor's office has taken this to mean I have a non-compliant HIN and must be replaced.
Huh? Just because the "country of origin" is on the plate on the transom? A person at DOL said all I had to do is block out the "CA -" ("just put tape over it") and the county could redo the title with just the actual HIN in 12 characters. When I told the clerk at the auditor's office that DOL told me that, I was told that had to be wrong since I'd be "defacing" the HIN (subject to Coast Guard action) and they couldn't just change a title HIN, they had to reissue me a new one. Since the HIN has information about the manufacturer, what # boat it is that they've made, and the date of manufacture, I fail to see how they could duplicate that information without just recreating the same number. If they made up a new serial number, how do they know they aren't duplicating an existing number and what is gained? Doesn't this also defeat the Coast Guard rule about how the HIN must be structured to provide the information about the manufacturer and date?
They said unless I re-did the number, I couldn't get new registration tabs and I wouldn't be able to sell the boat. So selling the boat with some sort of "new" title and two HINs on the transom wouldn't raise eyebrows of a buyer as well as not having the original title but one created years later?
After a certain amount of back and forth, they agreed to contact the state DOL and see what they say. I got a call later and they said DOL was "looking into it" and maybe I'd get a ruling on Monday.
So, if you too are having this problem I suggest you hold off getting a new title until this is figured out. I'll post my update later.
