HOWMAR BOATS INC HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with HBY were assigned by the US Coast Guard to HOWMAR BOATS INC of EDISON, NJ. 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
HBY
Location
EDISON, NJ
In business
since 1977
Status
Out of business (1995)
HOWMAR BOATS INC built hulls across both HIN eras (1977–1995): 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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HOWMAR BOATS INC HIN FAQ
What does a HOWMAR BOATS INC HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "HBY" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to HOWMAR BOATS INC — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. HOWMAR BOATS INC built hulls across both HIN eras (1977–1995): 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 HOWMAR BOATS INC still in business?
USCG records list HOWMAR BOATS INC as out of business since 1995. 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 HOWMAR BOATS INC HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. HOWMAR BOATS INC built hulls across both HIN eras (1977–1995): 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.
Other builders in NJ
Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "HOWMAR BOATS INC HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/hby, last verified 2026-06-12.