WESTERN HOUSEBOAT BUILDER LTD HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with ZWZ were assigned by the US Coast Guard to WESTERN HOUSEBOAT BUILDER LTD of KELOWNA, BC. The company is recorded as out of business since 1995 — 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
ZWZ
Location
KELOWNA, BC
In business
since 1985
Status
Out of business (1995)
WESTERN HOUSEBOAT BUILDER LTD hulls (1985–1995) 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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WESTERN HOUSEBOAT BUILDER LTD HIN FAQ
What does a WESTERN HOUSEBOAT BUILDER LTD HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "ZWZ" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to WESTERN HOUSEBOAT BUILDER LTD — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. WESTERN HOUSEBOAT BUILDER LTD hulls (1985–1995) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits.
Is WESTERN HOUSEBOAT BUILDER LTD still in business?
USCG records list WESTERN HOUSEBOAT BUILDER LTD as out of business since 1995. 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 WESTERN HOUSEBOAT BUILDER LTD HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. WESTERN HOUSEBOAT BUILDER LTD hulls (1985–1995) 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 BC
Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "WESTERN HOUSEBOAT BUILDER LTD HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/zwz, last verified 2026-06-12.