NORTH AMERICAN ENGINEERING HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with ZAE were assigned by the US Coast Guard to NORTH AMERICAN ENGINEERING of LONDON 73, ON. The company is recorded as out of business since 1982 — 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
ZAE
Location
LONDON 73, ON
In business
since 1975
Status
Out of business (1982)
NORTH AMERICAN ENGINEERING hulls (1975–1982) predate the current HIN format — expect the legacy straight-year (MMYY) or model-year (M + year + month letter) date codes used 1972–1984.
Free · no account · the HIN is on the transom, upper starboard (right) corner
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NORTH AMERICAN ENGINEERING HIN FAQ
What does a NORTH AMERICAN ENGINEERING HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "ZAE" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to NORTH AMERICAN ENGINEERING — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. NORTH AMERICAN ENGINEERING hulls (1975–1982) predate the current HIN format — expect the legacy straight-year (MMYY) or model-year (M + year + month letter) date codes used 1972–1984.
Is NORTH AMERICAN ENGINEERING still in business?
USCG records list NORTH AMERICAN ENGINEERING as out of business since 1982. 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 NORTH AMERICAN ENGINEERING HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. NORTH AMERICAN ENGINEERING hulls (1975–1982) predate the current HIN format — expect the legacy straight-year (MMYY) or model-year (M + year + month letter) date codes used 1972–1984. Enter the full 12-character HIN above and the decoder works it out, including the legacy formats.
Other builders in ON
Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "NORTH AMERICAN ENGINEERING HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/zae, last verified 2026-06-12.