Bear Island Boatworks — HIN at a glance
| Manufacturer | Bear Island Boatworks |
|---|---|
| City | Poulsbo |
| State | Washington |
| Country | United States |
| MIC code | BIW |
| HIN format | USCG (12 characters) |
| Status | Active |
| Boat types | Open motorboat |
Decode a Bear Island Boatworks HIN
Paste any HIN starting with BIW — we'll decode the serial number, build month, build year and model year instantly.
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About the USCG HIN format
Bear Island Boatworks is registered with the US Coast Guard and stamps a standard 12-character Hull Identification Number on every vessel produced for the US market. The format breaks down as:
BIW NNNNN M Y YY └┬┘ └──┬──┘ │ │ └┬┘ │ │ │ │ └─ Model year (last two digits) │ │ │ └──── Production year (last digit, 1972 standard) │ │ └────── Production month (A=Jan, B=Feb ... L=Dec, skipping I) │ └──────────── Hull serial number (alphanumeric) └─────────────── MIC: Manufacturer Identifier Code (BIW)
Federal regulation 33 CFR § 181 requires every US-built or imported recreational vessel to display this HIN permanently on the upper starboard side of the transom, and a duplicate HIN in a hidden location inside the hull.
Other Washington boat manufacturers
- Allied Boats (
ABI) - Aspoya Boats (
ABZ) - Achilles USA (
ACH) - Armstrong Consolidated (
ACO) - Ahab Marine LLC (
AHA) - Thunder Jet Boats (
AHQ) - Karl'S Welding (
AKL) - Aleko (
AKO) - Aksano Catamarans (
AKS) - Alexander Boat Works CO. (
ALE) - Aspen Power Catamarans LLC (
APE) - Aquaglide INC (
AQG)
Frequently asked questions
What is the MIC code for Bear Island Boatworks?
Bear Island Boatworks is assigned USCG Manufacturer Identifier Code (MIC) BIW. All Bear Island Boatworks boat HINs begin with these three characters.
How long is a Bear Island Boatworks HIN?
Bear Island Boatworks uses the US HIN format: 12 characters total. The first 3 are the MIC, followed by 5 serial-number characters, 1-letter month, 1-digit year, and 2-digit model year.
Is Bear Island Boatworks still in business?
Bear Island Boatworks is currently listed as active in the US Coast Guard MIC database (last published October 2019). Even out-of-business manufacturers' HINs remain valid identifiers for the boats they built.