CAROLINA CAT BOATS HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with HCI were assigned by the US Coast Guard to CAROLINA CAT BOATS of TARBORO, NC. The company is recorded as out of business since 2015 — 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
HCI
Location
TARBORO, NC
In business
since 2010
Status
Out of business (2015)
Parent company
HC COMPOSITES LLC
CAROLINA CAT BOATS hulls (2010–2015) 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
The optional $19.99 Boat History Report adds stolen-boat, salvage/auction, incident, and USCG documentation checks — one-time, no subscription (typical boat-history services charge $25+).
CAROLINA CAT BOATS HIN FAQ
What does a CAROLINA CAT BOATS HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "HCI" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to CAROLINA CAT BOATS — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. CAROLINA CAT BOATS hulls (2010–2015) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits.
Is CAROLINA CAT BOATS still in business?
USCG records list CAROLINA CAT BOATS as out of business since 2015 (associated with HC COMPOSITES LLC). 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 CAROLINA CAT BOATS HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. CAROLINA CAT BOATS hulls (2010–2015) 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 NC
Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "CAROLINA CAT BOATS HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/hci, last verified 2026-06-12.