Straight from BW ...

Posted By: Gene Bragalone - #485/5.2
Date: 9/21/06 4:49p.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: HIN for mine (nm) (Jenny)

I recently sent an inquiry to BW directly about my HIN and what my sail number would be. My stenciled number has long been painted over. The response I got was more than planned. They actually told me where my Whaler had been shipped at the time of purchase and when. But what I was also told was that the HIN on the metal tag has no relation to the actual boat number other than coincidental. The stenciled serial number is the actual boat number for the class/size. As a follow on, I asked if they would provide me with copies of the information for all of the boats so I could then extract and format it and subsequenty publish it on our site. They polititely declined. But, it seems that they are still willing to help anyone who has a need to know just by contacting their customer service. At least the CSR I got was more than helpful. I have found similar info on other sites and posts so I beleive that the HIN (metal tag) had no relation to sail number except by accident.