METAL BOAT BUILDER HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with MQB were assigned by the US Coast Guard to METAL BOAT BUILDER of VANCOUVER, WA. The company is recorded as out of business since 1997 — 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
MQB
Location
VANCOUVER, WA
In business
since 1983
Status
Out of business (1997)
METAL BOAT BUILDER built hulls across both HIN eras (1983–1997): 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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METAL BOAT BUILDER HIN FAQ
What does a METAL BOAT BUILDER HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "MQB" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to METAL BOAT BUILDER — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. METAL BOAT BUILDER built hulls across both HIN eras (1983–1997): 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 METAL BOAT BUILDER still in business?
USCG records list METAL BOAT BUILDER as out of business since 1997. 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 METAL BOAT BUILDER HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. METAL BOAT BUILDER built hulls across both HIN eras (1983–1997): 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 WA
Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "METAL BOAT BUILDER HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/mqb, last verified 2026-06-12.