BRIGHTWOOD BOAT COMPANY LLC HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with HGV were assigned by the US Coast Guard to BRIGHTWOOD BOAT COMPANY LLC of APPLETON, WI. The company is recorded as out of business since 2004 — 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
HGV
Location
APPLETON, WI
In business
since 1998
Status
Out of business (2004)
BRIGHTWOOD BOAT COMPANY LLC hulls (1998–2004) 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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BRIGHTWOOD BOAT COMPANY LLC HIN FAQ
What does a BRIGHTWOOD BOAT COMPANY LLC HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "HGV" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to BRIGHTWOOD BOAT COMPANY LLC — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. BRIGHTWOOD BOAT COMPANY LLC hulls (1998–2004) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits.
Is BRIGHTWOOD BOAT COMPANY LLC still in business?
USCG records list BRIGHTWOOD BOAT COMPANY LLC as out of business since 2004. 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 BRIGHTWOOD BOAT COMPANY LLC HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. BRIGHTWOOD BOAT COMPANY LLC hulls (1998–2004) 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, "BRIGHTWOOD BOAT COMPANY LLC HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/hgv, last verified 2026-06-12.