32-3 Mast/Spar Height Info needed

[bgary]

AFAIK it shows the month and year that the hull was laid up.

When the standard was changed in August 1984, the format became:



What's interesting (+/- annoying, in my case) is that some perfectly-valid-on-the-old-standard HINs conflict with the change.

My HIN, for example, indicates the hull was started/certified in 1984, but is a 1985 "model year". So, build-year and model-year are different which, In the infinite wisdom of the Great State of Washington, makes it an "invalid HIN". Their solution was to issue me a new HIN indicating that my Ericson was "home-built" in 2016. Because, yeah, that's much more valid </rant>

 

[Loren Beach]

Worth remembering is that HIN was (likely still is) placed in the mold with a "reverse Dymo lable" machine when the first gel coat was sprayed. That info tells us when the hull layup was started.

 

[BlueCanoe]

Worth remembering is that HIN was (likely still is) placed in the mold with a "reverse Dymo lable" machine when the first gel coat was sprayed. That info tells us when the hull layup was started.

So if the hull layup on my boat started in July 1990 then it does seem likely that this was sold by pacific sea craft. After Ericson was out of business. The really high serial still seems odd.

 

[bgary]

So if the hull layup on my boat started in July 1990 then it does seem likely that this was sold by pacific sea craft. After Ericson was out of business. The really high serial still seems odd.

Ericson started the hull-numbers of the E32-3 at #601 which was (presumably) an arbitrary round number for hull #1 of a new series after the end of the 32-2 run.

It's possible that PSC chose #901 as a similar arbitrary round number for hull #1 of a new series after the end of Ericson's 32-3 run.

 

[Loren Beach]

Ericson started the hull-numbers of the E32-3 at #601 which was (presumably) an arbitrary round number for hull #1 of a new series after the end of the 32-2 run.

It's possible that PSC chose #901 as a similar arbitrary round number for hull #1 of a new series after the end of Ericson's 32-3 run.

Thanks for the info, and I quickly found that our boat was HIN-labeled hull #108, actually being hull #8. A friend in the business once told me that it was common for boat builders to start numbering on a new model with #100, to sort of kinda reassure customers that the factory already had some experience with that model. I really doubt that any buyers were "fooled"... but that's the rumor.

Further, in the early days of required HIN codes, the builders had some latitude in the hull and model part of the code. When I was selling some sailboats for Ranger Boats, back in 1980, I found that they were continuing their early-on practice of numbering all hulls, whether 8 foot dinghy or a Ranger 20, sequentially. i.e. whichever was being laid up next got the next number! A simple system, but it provided some entertainment when we were one-design racing Ranger 20 boats and checking on the appropriate sail number for each entry. And that "one design" sail number would not....match a part of the HIN.

 

[bgary]

boat builders to start numbering on a new model with #100, to sort of kinda reassure customers that the factory already had some experience with that model.

Heh, I used to do that when opening a new checking account - I'd ask them to start my initial check order with check # 4201 or something. So that whoever I first wrote checks to wouldn't worry about it being a brand-new account. Like your example, I kinda doubt it fooled anyone....

 

[jtsai]

So if the hull layup on my boat started in July 1990 then it does seem likely that this was sold by pacific sea craft. After Ericson was out of business. The really high serial still seems odd.

Interesting discussion. My 32-3 hull number is 760 built in June 1990. I always wondered if it was the last one built by Ericson.