Yes indeedie, CLM0033M0674

Posted By: Greg CM26 Seattle CLM005771173
Date: 5/29/08 5:10p.m.

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In Response To: HULL ID number and what it means (Greg)

Welcome Greg, I can't tell you a lot but I'll tell you what I can: CLM means Clipper Marine, at least on boats manufactured in the seventies (it means Classic Marine now, but that's an entirely unrelated company). The 0033 is the serial number. The "M" in this particular position identifies it as a Mexican-manufactured version. Finally, the last four characters identify the date of manufacture, in your case June, 1974. To put things in perspective: the CM26 was introduced in mid-1972, before the federal requirement for HINs went into effect. The earliest CM26 with a proper HIN that I'm aware of is hull number 158, built in October, 1972. In April of 1974, the Clipper plant in Mexico started producing CM26s, while the Santa Ana plant continued building the domestic version (they were on hull number 750, give or take, about that time). So the boat you describe is the 33rd hull built in Mexico, although CM21s were being produced there also, starting about June, 1974. The nearest serial numbers I have in the database are 0021, last reported in Virginia, and 0038, belonging to Norman in Colorado. By the way, thanks for supplying your HIN voluntarily, every little bit contributed adds to our collective knowledge. Anybody out there who hasn't revealed your HIN yet, pipe on up! What also helps is to know particulars about how the versions differ. I'm inclined to believe that the Mexican CM26 lifts its keel from an attachment near its aft tip (at the bottom), unlike the domestic boats, where the keel lift is at the center of gravity. Is that true of your (potential) boat? There is also reason to believe that a window in the hull, usually on the starboard side, might have been standard on the Mexican boats. There are probably other differences as well, but I've never actually seen one. Is yours a flush deck? My CM26 is the only boat I've ever owned, and I bought it in 1986. I think they're a great deal, although diamonds in the rough: with a lot of customizing, you can wind up with a nice boat (check out Mike in Hungary). My two cents about the crushed forward keel pocket: I would be surprised if there is a single DOMESTIC CM26 on the planet that has not sustained damage there, and that's largely because of the huge engineering blunder they made with the original keel winch design. It's fixable, and doesn't make a particular hull worthless. As I said, your Mexican boat should have the improved winch layout. Good luck, Greg