ALSTON FABRICATION & WELDING HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with AWU were assigned by the US Coast Guard to ALSTON FABRICATION & WELDING of FLIPPIN, AR. The company is recorded as out of business since 1987 — common for older hulls, and useful to know when hunting parts or records. Enter the full 12-character HIN below for build date, model year, and serial — free, no account.
MIC
AWU
Location
FLIPPIN, AR
In business
since 1985
Status
Out of business (1987)
ALSTON FABRICATION & WELDING hulls (1985–1987) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits.
Free · no account · the HIN is on the transom, upper starboard (right) corner
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ALSTON FABRICATION & WELDING HIN FAQ
What does a ALSTON FABRICATION & WELDING HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "AWU" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to ALSTON FABRICATION & WELDING — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. ALSTON FABRICATION & WELDING hulls (1985–1987) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits.
Is ALSTON FABRICATION & WELDING still in business?
USCG records list ALSTON FABRICATION & WELDING as out of business since 1987. That's common for older hulls — the HIN still decodes normally, and the out-of-business date helps date the boat and guides parts-hunting toward salvage and owner groups rather than a dealer network.
How do I decode the year on a ALSTON FABRICATION & WELDING HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. ALSTON FABRICATION & WELDING hulls (1985–1987) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits. Enter the full 12-character HIN above and the decoder works it out, including the legacy formats.
Other builders in AR
Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "ALSTON FABRICATION & WELDING HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/awu, last verified 2026-06-12.