FRANKS BOAT CO, VIC HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with VFB were assigned by the US Coast Guard to FRANKS BOAT CO, VIC of SEATTLE, WA. The company is recorded as out of business since 1988 — 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
VFB
Location
SEATTLE, WA
In business
since 1972
Status
Out of business (1988)
FRANKS BOAT CO, VIC built hulls across both HIN eras (1972–1988): 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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FRANKS BOAT CO, VIC HIN FAQ
What does a FRANKS BOAT CO, VIC HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "VFB" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to FRANKS BOAT CO, VIC — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. FRANKS BOAT CO, VIC built hulls across both HIN eras (1972–1988): 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 FRANKS BOAT CO, VIC still in business?
USCG records list FRANKS BOAT CO, VIC as out of business since 1988. 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 FRANKS BOAT CO, VIC HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. FRANKS BOAT CO, VIC built hulls across both HIN eras (1972–1988): 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, "FRANKS BOAT CO, VIC HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/vfb, last verified 2026-06-12.