JAMES STONE HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with JSO were assigned by the US Coast Guard to JAMES STONE of WINTON, CA. The company is recorded as out of business since 1990 — 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
JSO
Location
WINTON, CA
In business
since 1981
Status
Out of business (1990)
JAMES STONE built hulls across both HIN eras (1981–1990): 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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JAMES STONE HIN FAQ
What does a JAMES STONE HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "JSO" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to JAMES STONE — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. JAMES STONE built hulls across both HIN eras (1981–1990): 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 JAMES STONE still in business?
USCG records list JAMES STONE as out of business since 1990. 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 JAMES STONE HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. JAMES STONE built hulls across both HIN eras (1981–1990): 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 CA
Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "JAMES STONE HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/jso, last verified 2026-06-12.