KAISER DISTRIBUTORS HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with ZKD were assigned by the US Coast Guard to KAISER DISTRIBUTORS of RICHMOND, BC. The company is recorded as out of business since 1994 — 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
ZKD
Location
RICHMOND, BC
In business
since 1981
Status
Out of business (1994)
KAISER DISTRIBUTORS built hulls across both HIN eras (1981–1994): 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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KAISER DISTRIBUTORS HIN FAQ
What does a KAISER DISTRIBUTORS HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "ZKD" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to KAISER DISTRIBUTORS — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. KAISER DISTRIBUTORS built hulls across both HIN eras (1981–1994): 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 KAISER DISTRIBUTORS still in business?
USCG records list KAISER DISTRIBUTORS as out of business since 1994. 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 KAISER DISTRIBUTORS HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. KAISER DISTRIBUTORS built hulls across both HIN eras (1981–1994): 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 BC
Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "KAISER DISTRIBUTORS HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/zkd, last verified 2026-06-12.