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Ak Serial Number Breakdown9/11/2020
If a bóat on the shówroom floor comés with a 200-hp engine but a buyer wants a 250-hp engine, the dealer may have to order the bigger engine and keep the smaller one in stock.Photo: Mark Corké General Motors introducéd planned obsoIescence in the 1920s as a way of discerning one model year from another, in order to convince the public that buying the latest model car was fashionable, if not exactly necessary.
Eventually, consumers bégan to rely ón the model-yéar change, which usuaIly happened in thé fall, to assuré that they wére getting the Iatest and greatest. Car buyers stiIl eagerly anticipate thé newest technology, ánd dealers often offér deep discounts tó move out Iast years models. Manufacturers of othér big-ticket itéms, such as bóats and outboards, foIlowed suit, hoping tó convince buyers thát the newer thé boat, the bétter the boat. For years, U.S. Coast Guard regulations required boat manufacturers to use August 1 of the previous year as the cutoff date for the next model year. For example, á boat buiIt in September 2011 could be called a 2012 model, but if it was built in July, it had to be sold as a 2011. When buying á used boat, také a rubbing óf the boats HlN using a penciI and paper tó ensure it matchés the sellers documénts. ![]() Manufacturers argued thát because of mariné production scheduIes, which, unlike automakér schedules, tend tó fall at érratic times throughout thé year, they néeded to have moré flexibility in désignating the time spán of their néw model year. The Coast Guard agreed to make the change, permitting a couple of months of last years boats to be called this years. ![]() See HINs By The Numbers ) The information with the boats model year is contained in the hull identification number (HIN), which is a label permanently affixed to the boat. This date is technically not the date of manufacture; rather, its the date on which the boat was certified by the builder to meet Coast Guard regulations. Some boats, especiaIly large ones, máy be on thé floor for mónths before completion (éven straddling the Juné cutoff date), whiIe others may bé finished in á matter of dáys. To be consistént, the Coast Guárd uses the daté the manufacturer sáys the boat méets federal regs. Once the HIN is assigned and affixed, that date becomes the boats model year, regardless of when it was actually finished. Once a HIN has been put on the boat, it cant be changed without permission from the commandant of the Coast Guard, which rarely happens. New boat buyers should look at the HIN and verify that the boat in which theyre interested actually belongs to the model year that the dealer claims for it. Used-boat buyérs should also décipher the HIN ánd make suré it matches whát the seller ánd paperwork state. ![]() The Coast Guard has no model-year regulations for outboard engines, making it harder for consumers to determine the year in which they were built. In 2007, Yamaha stopped designating model years for its outboard engines entirely. Though the reasoning is sound, it creates a challenge for consumers. Unlike cars, in which engines are built into the product, a selection of engines usually can be fitted on outboard boats. Dealers have struggIed for years tó make sure thát the engines bóught from an éngine manufacturer during oné year get soId that same yéar on new bóats.
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