First Water — Boat HIN Decoder (USCG MIC FWB)

Q: Is First Water still in business?

First Water is currently listed as active in the US Coast Guard MIC database (last published October 2019).

First Water — HIN at a glance

Manufacturer	First Water
City	Bozeman
State	Montana
Country	United States
MIC code	`FWB`
HIN format	USCG (12 characters)
Status	Active
Boat types	Inflatable boat

Decode a First Water HIN

Paste any HIN starting with FWB — we'll decode the serial number, build month, build year and model year instantly.

Try a sample:

About the USCG HIN format

First Water 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:

FWB 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 (FWB)

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 Montana boat manufacturers

Warlen LTD Dba Adipose Boatworks (ADP)
Anaconda Construction & Fabrication, INC. (AFI)
All River Equipment (ARV)
Bahr Custom Boats (BHL)
Big Horn Boat Manufacturing (BHR)
Big Sky Inflatables (BSI)
Aeneas Originals (BWL)
Devil'S Club Marine LLC (DCM)
Gravitas Drift Boats (GDR)
Jet Boats Of Montana INC. (JBM)
Montana Cabinet & Canoe (JDZ)
Jackson Garage (JKG)

See all Montana manufacturers →

Frequently asked questions

What is the MIC code for First Water?

First Water is assigned USCG Manufacturer Identifier Code (MIC) FWB. All First Water boat HINs begin with these three characters.

How long is a First Water HIN?

First Water 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 First Water still in business?

First Water 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.