RANGER CANOE COMPANY HIN Decoder — MIC RAN

Hull Identification Numbers beginning with RAN were assigned by the US Coast Guard to RANGER CANOE COMPANY of ASHLAND, NH. The builder is listed in the USCG MIC database. Enter the full 12-character HIN below for build date, model year, and serial — free, no account.

MIC

RAN

Location

ASHLAND, NH

In business

since 1973

Status

Listed active in USCG records

RANGER CANOE COMPANY built hulls across both HIN eras (1973–present): 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.

How a RANGER CANOE COMPANY HIN breaks down

A current-format (1984–present) Hull Identification Number is 12 characters. Using the example RAN45678D424 (illustrative):

CharactersSegmentIn exampleWhat it identifies
1–3Manufacturer (MIC)RANIdentifies RANGER CANOE COMPANY, assigned by the US Coast Guard.
4–8Hull serial number45678RANGER CANOE COMPANY's own production number for the specific hull (the letters I, O, Q are never used).
9Certification monthDMonth built — A=January … L=December (D = April).
10Certification year4Last digit of the certification year.
11–12Model year24The boat’s model year.

Free · no account · the HIN is on the transom, upper starboard (right) corner

Buying this RANGER CANOE COMPANY? Check it before you pay.

Decoding the HIN confirms the year and serial, but not the safety record. The $9.99 Boat Report adds the full CPSC marine-recall check, a HIN consistency check, a verify-before-you-buy checklist, and the USCG builder record for this hull — one downloadable report, one-time, no subscription. See what's included

RANGER CANOE COMPANY HIN FAQ

What does a RANGER CANOE COMPANY HIN look like?

It starts with the three characters "RAN" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to RANGER CANOE COMPANY — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. RANGER CANOE COMPANY built hulls across both HIN eras (1973–present): 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 RANGER CANOE COMPANY still in business?

USCG records list RANGER CANOE COMPANY of ASHLAND, NH in the MIC database (registered 1973).

How do I decode the year on a RANGER CANOE COMPANY HIN?

On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. RANGER CANOE COMPANY built hulls across both HIN eras (1973–present): 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.

Where is the HIN on a RANGER CANOE COMPANY boat?

On the outside upper-starboard (right) corner of the transom, within two inches of the top — required by 33 CFR 181.29. Since August 1984 an identical duplicate HIN is also molded into an unexposed interior location as an anti-theft measure. Both should match the title, registration, and insurance card exactly.

Is the "RAN" MIC the same as a RANGER CANOE COMPANY serial number?

No. "RAN" is the Manufacturer Identification Code — characters 1–3 of the HIN — that identifies RANGER CANOE COMPANY. The hull serial number is characters 4–8: RANGER CANOE COMPANY's own production number for that specific boat (the letters I, O, and Q are never used). The full 12-character HIN combines the MIC, the serial, and the date code.

Can a RANGER CANOE COMPANY HIN tell me the exact model?

Not on its own. A HIN encodes the builder, hull serial, certification month/year, and model year — not the model name or length. Match the decoded year and serial against RANGER CANOE COMPANY records, the title, or a marine survey to confirm the exact model and configuration.

Other builders in NH

Sources: verified against the USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR Part 181, Subpart C. Reviewed by Sam Reynolds, Lead Researcher, CarWhere. Cite this page: CarWhere, "RANGER CANOE COMPANY HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/ran, last verified 2026-06-15.