RAT CAT BOATS HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with RZQ were assigned by the US Coast Guard to RAT CAT BOATS of REDWOOD VALLEY, CA. The company is recorded as out of business since 2006 — 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
RZQ
Location
REDWOOD VALLEY, CA
In business
since 2001
Status
Out of business (2006)
RAT CAT BOATS hulls (2001–2006) 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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RAT CAT BOATS HIN FAQ
What does a RAT CAT BOATS HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "RZQ" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to RAT CAT BOATS — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. RAT CAT BOATS hulls (2001–2006) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits.
Is RAT CAT BOATS still in business?
USCG records list RAT CAT BOATS as out of business since 2006. 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 RAT CAT BOATS HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. RAT CAT BOATS hulls (2001–2006) 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 CA
Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "RAT CAT BOATS HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/rzq, last verified 2026-06-12.