HOWARD CUSTOM BOATS INC HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with HCB were assigned by the US Coast Guard to HOWARD CUSTOM BOATS INC of VALENCIA, CA. The builder is listed in the USCG MIC database. Enter the full 12-character HIN below for build date, model year, and serial — free, no account.
MIC
HCB
Location
VALENCIA, CA
In business
since 1972
Status
Listed active in USCG records
HOWARD CUSTOM BOATS INC built hulls across both HIN eras (1972–present): 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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HOWARD CUSTOM BOATS INC HIN FAQ
What does a HOWARD CUSTOM BOATS INC HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "HCB" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to HOWARD CUSTOM BOATS INC — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. HOWARD CUSTOM BOATS INC built hulls across both HIN eras (1972–present): 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 HOWARD CUSTOM BOATS INC still in business?
USCG records list HOWARD CUSTOM BOATS INC of VALENCIA, CA in the MIC database (registered 1972).
How do I decode the year on a HOWARD CUSTOM 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. HOWARD CUSTOM BOATS INC built hulls across both HIN eras (1972–present): 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, "HOWARD CUSTOM BOATS INC HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/hcb, last verified 2026-06-12.