Utilizing the key below, locate the model year code in your model number to ascertain the year.
Note: Yamaha stopped using the year in the model number starting in 2005. The transom bracket of motors manufactured after 2004 will display the production date.
There is no year information contained in the model or serial numbers of Chrysler Outboard engines.
See this graphic showing the years associated with Chrysler serial numbers. By hitting CTRL+F, you can determine the matching year by searching for your serial number.
There is no year information contained in the Force Outboard engine model or serial numbers.
See the Force serial number year chart, which is available here. By hitting CTRL+F, you can determine the matching year by searching for your serial number.
Nothing in the model or serial numbers of Mercury Mariner Outboard engines immediately indicates the year.
The starting serial number is determined by the first serial number sold within a year. The serial numbers that are between the first serial number of that year and the next belong to the same year. To discover the starting serial number for the range that includes your engine, look up the horsepower of your engine on the Mercury Mariner serial number year chart, which is found here.
In This Article...
How are the serial numbers on Honda outboard motors read?
Although every model name begins with “BF,” these two letters are absent from the engine.
The frame’s serial number is stamped into a piece of metal on or close to the stern bracket.
This could also be called a vehicle identification number or a product identification number (VIN).
How can you determine a boat motor’s year from its serial number?
- Find the serial number on the outboard motor mounting bracket or the silver plug on the motor’s top.
- Record the serial number.
- As the key code, use “INTRODUCES” to decode the serial number.
- To find the year, find the last three numbers.
How old is a boat motor, exactly?
Looking at a paper could be all it takes to determine the year your outboard motor was constructed. For certain motors, the hints are on the motor and are awaiting your use of a key word to solve them. Because neither the model number nor the serial number will provide you any information, you must ask the dealer for at least one if you want to know more than a general time period during which that particular model of motor was created.
If you reside in a state that mandates registration, check the registration certificate the state provided, or the title if you call Utah, Texas, Ohio, South Carolina, Oklahoma, or Missouri home. Both the registration and the title clearly state the model year or the date of manufacturing. This may be one of only two options available to owners of Honda outboard motors to locate the information without calling the Honda dealer.
Look for the details the dealer included about your motor in the operator’s manual for your motor. You must employ a different technique if you don’t have the motor operator’s manual that was packaged with your motor when it was brand-new.
Go to the motor and look for an embossed, metalized tag or plate with the manufacturer’s name prominently stamped at its top on the motor’s swivel bracket. The model year, or the year the motor was created, is also displayed on this manufacturer’s tag, with the exception of Honda motors.
Pull the motor’s top cowling away. This information is engraved on the top center of the engine block of some well-known outboard motor models, although it may also be on a tag that is often located on the right side of the engine block.
If you have an Evinrude or Johnson outboard, check the model number. The 10-letter word “introduces” provided the final two letters of the model number. Up until the letter “E,” which equals nine, each letter equals a different number: the first letter is “1,” the second, “2,” the third, etc. The numbers are the last two numbers of the motor’s year of construction, and the final letter of the word, “S,” stands for “0.” In 2009, a model with the number XXX-XX-XXX-XYX-X SE was created since “S” stands for “0” and “E” for “9.
Tips
- Ask the closest dealer who carries the outboard motor brand you own if none of these options are available to you. Many outboard-parts websites offer a “lookup capability,” but their main objective is to sell components rather than provide information.
On a boat motor, where is the serial number located?
We’ll need as much information as possible if we need to repair or replace the motor on your boat. It may be simpler to replace your motor with the appropriate parts if you know the make, model, and serial number. Contrast this with the brand, model, and year of your boat.
You’ll see a plate on the side of your motor. You can find the make, model, and serial number here. If it’s an outboard motor, the serial number is the only thing you’ll need.
The information is the same on each model plate, although the layout may change. The model and serial numbers are typically labeled, but if they are not, ask the repairer if you are unclear or get assistance from a dealer.
- Serial numbers for Mercury are typically labeled.
- Honda: The model name typically begins with BF and is followed by the letters on the motor’s rear, such as BF50. The serial number, also known as the product identification number, has the format “BXXX-XXXXXXX.”
- A Parsun’s plate can be found on the bracket’s left assembly or the upper portion of the bracket swivel. The serial number has the designation SN.
- The serial number for Yamaha is on the far right of the second line, while the model code is the top number.
- The second half of the number on the second line is the serial number for Suzuki.
- Evinrude – An Evinrude’s transom or mounting bracket is where the serial number is found. The serial number has a label. The model number is especially significant because it provides information about the motor’s type, year, and horsepower.
Can a boat’s serial number be used to locate it?
Every boat made in the United States or imported into the country must have a special hull identification number, or HIN. You may check the validity of a boat’s HIN and find out more about the boat’s past using an online database, such as the one run by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Is the serial number and the hull ID the same?
Similar to the VIN on a vehicle, the Hull Identification Number (Hull ID or HIN) is a serial number provided by the manufacturer that uniquely identifies a boat. Hull identification numbers assist deter theft by identifying one vessel from another. Any vessel constructed on or after November 1, 1972, must have a 12-character HIN that is unique and adheres to a US Coast Guard-approved format. It’s possible for vessels constructed before November 1, 1972, to have a non-standard Hull ID format.
The HIN is commonly located on a metal or plastic plate that is attached to the boat’s transom, usually on the right starboard (right) side, two inches below the highest point of the transom, the lowest point of the gunwale, or the lowest point of the hull/deck joint. The HIN is typically attached to the starboard (right) outboard side of the hull, aft, within a foot of the stern and within two inches of the top of the hull side, gunwale, or hull/deck joint, depending on which is the lowest. The HIN is typically fastened to the aft crossbeam of catamarans and pontoon boats with replaceable hulls, just one foot from the starboard (right) hull attachment.
How should I interpret my HIN number?
ABC12345D404 is an example of a standard hull identification number (HIN), which is made up of 12 letters and numbers.
Here are the meanings of the letters and numbers:
ABC: This is the manufacturer identification number given by the U.S. Coast Guard (MIC). To view the MIC database maintained by the Coast Guard, go to the USCG Manufacturers Identification page.
The manufacturer provided the hull a serial number, which is 12345. This could have both letters and digits. I, O, and Q are not included because people might mistake them for numbers.
D: This is the certification month, which denotes the month when building started. “A” stands for January, and “L” for December. In our illustration, “D” denotes April.
4: The certification year is now. The last digit of the year the yacht was built is represented by the number. In this context, “4” stands for 2004.
While some boats, especially large ones, may take weeks or even months to complete (even finishing after the June deadline), others might only take a few days. The Coast Guard consistently uses the boat’s manufacturer’s claim that it complies with federal regulations. Regardless of when the boat was actually constructed, the model year is established once the HIN is assigned and attached.
Once an HIN has been assigned to a vessel, it cannot be modified without the commandant of the Coast Guard’s approval, which rarely occurs. Buyers of new boats should check the HIN to make sure the boat they’re interested in genuinely belongs to the model year the dealer claims. Buyers of used boats should also understand the HIN and make sure it agrees with what the vendor and documentation claim.
How can I determine the serial number of my Mercury outboard’s year?
There is a serial number label on the transom bracket region of every Mercury outboard motor. The most recent serial number labels have a 2-digit number in a box in the label’s lower right corner. The last two digits of the year the outboard was made are the same as these digits.
What does a boat’s transom do?
- The transom is the part of the stern where an outboard motor is attached.
- The gunwales are located at the upper edges of the boat’s hull. The gunwales provide the hull additional stiffness.
- A boat’s hull is just its physical structure.
- Additionally, most boats come with navigational lights. Sidelights in the colors of red and green as well as a white light that surrounds the boat are typical navigation lights for powerboats.
- Metal fittings known as cleats are located on the top of the boat. You attach a rope or cable to the cleats to secure your boat when docking.
What Are The Front, Back, Left, and Right of a Boat Called?
Let’s now study the names of the boat’s front, back, left, and right sides.
- A boat’s bow and stern are the terms used to describe its front and back, respectively.
- The right side of a boat is referred to by the word starboard.
- The left side of the boat is the port side when looking toward the bow.
Remembering that left and port have the same number of letters will help you recall which side is the port.