PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY HIN Decoder — MIC ZFO
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with ZFO were assigned by the US Coast Guard to PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY of OSHAWA, ON. 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
ZFO
Location
OSHAWA, ON
In business
since 1983
Status
Listed active in USCG records
PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY built hulls across both HIN eras (1983–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 PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY HIN breaks down
A current-format (1984–present) Hull Identification Number is 12 characters. Using the example ZFO45678D424 (illustrative):
| Characters | Segment | In example | What it identifies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Manufacturer (MIC) | ZFO | Identifies PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY, assigned by the US Coast Guard. |
| 4–8 | Hull serial number | 45678 | PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY's own production number for the specific hull (the letters I, O, Q are never used). |
| 9 | Certification month | D | Month built — A=January … L=December (D = April). |
| 10 | Certification year | 4 | Last digit of the certification year. |
| 11–12 | Model year | 24 | The boat’s model year. |
Free · no account · the HIN is on the transom, upper starboard (right) corner
Buying this PORTAGE 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
PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY HIN FAQ
What does a PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "ZFO" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY built hulls across both HIN eras (1983–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 PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY still in business?
USCG records list PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY of OSHAWA, ON in the MIC database (registered 1983).
How do I decode the year on a PORTAGE 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. PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY built hulls across both HIN eras (1983–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 PORTAGE 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 "ZFO" MIC the same as a PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY serial number?
No. "ZFO" is the Manufacturer Identification Code — characters 1–3 of the HIN — that identifies PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY. The hull serial number is characters 4–8: PORTAGE 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 PORTAGE 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 PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY records, the title, or a marine survey to confirm the exact model and configuration.
Other builders in ON
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, "PORTAGE CANOE COMPANY HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/zfo, last verified 2026-06-15.