FRUGAL TOONS HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with FQJ were assigned by the US Coast Guard to FRUGAL TOONS of SURING, WI. The company is recorded as out of business since 2006 — 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
FQJ
Location
SURING, WI
In business
since 2000
Status
Out of business (2006)
FRUGAL TOONS hulls (2000–2006) 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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FRUGAL TOONS HIN FAQ
What does a FRUGAL TOONS HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "FQJ" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to FRUGAL TOONS — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. FRUGAL TOONS hulls (2000–2006) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits.
Is FRUGAL TOONS still in business?
USCG records list FRUGAL TOONS as out of business since 2006. 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 FRUGAL TOONS HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. FRUGAL TOONS hulls (2000–2006) 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 WI
Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "FRUGAL TOONS HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/fqj, last verified 2026-06-12.