CLASSIC ERA WATERCRAFT HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with CQA were assigned by the US Coast Guard to CLASSIC ERA WATERCRAFT of ORLANDO, FL. The company is recorded as out of business since 1995 — 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
CQA
Location
ORLANDO, FL
In business
since 1983
Status
Out of business (1995)
Parent company
ELITE CRAFT INC
CLASSIC ERA WATERCRAFT built hulls across both HIN eras (1983–1995): boats before August 1984 carry legacy straight-year or model-year date codes; later hulls use the current month-letter format. The decoder handles all three.
Free · no account · the HIN is on the transom, upper starboard (right) corner
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CLASSIC ERA WATERCRAFT HIN FAQ
What does a CLASSIC ERA WATERCRAFT HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "CQA" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to CLASSIC ERA WATERCRAFT — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. CLASSIC ERA WATERCRAFT built hulls across both HIN eras (1983–1995): boats before August 1984 carry legacy straight-year or model-year date codes; later hulls use the current month-letter format. The decoder handles all three.
Is CLASSIC ERA WATERCRAFT still in business?
USCG records list CLASSIC ERA WATERCRAFT as out of business since 1995 (associated with ELITE CRAFT INC). 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 CLASSIC ERA WATERCRAFT HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. CLASSIC ERA WATERCRAFT built hulls across both HIN eras (1983–1995): boats before August 1984 carry legacy straight-year or model-year date codes; later hulls use the current month-letter format. The decoder handles all three. Enter the full 12-character HIN above and the decoder works it out, including the legacy formats.
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Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "CLASSIC ERA WATERCRAFT HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/cqa, last verified 2026-06-12.