AMERICAN BOATWORKS INC HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with OAW were assigned by the US Coast Guard to AMERICAN BOATWORKS INC of BALTIMORE, MD. The company is recorded as out of business since 2003 — 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
OAW
Location
BALTIMORE, MD
In business
since 1998
Status
Out of business (2003)
AMERICAN BOATWORKS INC hulls (1998–2003) 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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AMERICAN BOATWORKS INC HIN FAQ
What does a AMERICAN BOATWORKS INC HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "OAW" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to AMERICAN BOATWORKS INC — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. AMERICAN BOATWORKS INC hulls (1998–2003) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits.
Is AMERICAN BOATWORKS INC still in business?
USCG records list AMERICAN BOATWORKS INC as out of business since 2003. 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 AMERICAN BOATWORKS INC HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. AMERICAN BOATWORKS INC hulls (1998–2003) 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 MD
Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "AMERICAN BOATWORKS INC HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/oaw, last verified 2026-06-12.