CHIEF CANOES HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with DWE were assigned by the US Coast Guard to CHIEF CANOES of ROCKLEDGE, FL. The company is recorded as out of business since 2005 — 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
DWE
Location
ROCKLEDGE, FL
In business
since 1973
Status
Out of business (2005)
Parent company
JSM ENTERPRISES
CHIEF CANOES built hulls across both HIN eras (1973–2005): 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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CHIEF CANOES HIN FAQ
What does a CHIEF CANOES HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "DWE" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to CHIEF CANOES — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. CHIEF CANOES built hulls across both HIN eras (1973–2005): 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 CHIEF CANOES still in business?
USCG records list CHIEF CANOES as out of business since 2005 (associated with JSM ENTERPRISES). 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 CHIEF CANOES HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. CHIEF CANOES built hulls across both HIN eras (1973–2005): 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.
Other builders in FL
Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "CHIEF CANOES HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/dwe, last verified 2026-06-12.