BAY AREA MRNE INSTIT. HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with NMV were assigned by the US Coast Guard to BAY AREA MRNE INSTIT. of SAN FRANCISCO, CA. The company is recorded as out of business since 1987 — 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
NMV
Location
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
In business
since 1980
Status
Out of business (1987)
BAY AREA MRNE INSTIT. built hulls across both HIN eras (1980–1987): 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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BAY AREA MRNE INSTIT. HIN FAQ
What does a BAY AREA MRNE INSTIT. HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "NMV" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to BAY AREA MRNE INSTIT. — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. BAY AREA MRNE INSTIT. built hulls across both HIN eras (1980–1987): 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 BAY AREA MRNE INSTIT. still in business?
USCG records list BAY AREA MRNE INSTIT. as out of business since 1987. 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 BAY AREA MRNE INSTIT. HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. BAY AREA MRNE INSTIT. built hulls across both HIN eras (1980–1987): 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, "BAY AREA MRNE INSTIT. HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/nmv, last verified 2026-06-12.