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View Full Version : Yeee Haaa, I Found My HIN!



Looped
03-09-2002, 04:15 PM
After taking more parts off my I think 1967 18’ Classic I decided to check one more time for my Hull Identification Number on the backside of my dash. Once my eyes became use to the darkness under there I started to see some backwards black marker writing on the shotgun side (left hand helm Donzi) of the dash. It was too faint to read so I got some motor oil to dab on where the writing is and the numbers appeared like they were just written, but backwards. It turns out that they wrote the hull numbers on the inside of the first layer of fiberglass so that it would be preserved but you may need to use something to bring it back some (like motor oil that I used). After triple checking, I now have a HIN of 18-103 without the “C” at the beginning. Going threw the Donzi Registry I only found two 18’ Classics with this Hull Number sequence that is like my “18-103” and the first one was “18-105” and it is stated to be a 1966 Classic.

I have heard from a few sources now that all of the original 18’ Barrelbacks were made from 1966 –1967 and that Donzi held on to them from the factory and sold them to the Dealers up to 1970. Because of this, this is why we see some 1968 - 1970 Barrelbacks & non-Barrelbacks (mine is a Barrelback) sold and registered within this same year era. Any thoughts anyone?

Craig

BERTRAM BOY
03-09-2002, 05:09 PM
Craig,
Mine is hull #105. When speaking to Allen Mobray at Donzi, He determined that my boat was built in Dec. of 1966. If I had to make a guess as to the date of manufacture for your boat, I would have to guess either November or December of '66. He didn't have a build card for my boat. However, hulls #106 & 107 were also built in December. Hope this helps.
BERTRAM BOY :D :D :D

RH
03-09-2002, 05:35 PM
Craig, My 72' Hornet has the hull idenfication of
C19H62 on the foil sticker that is located behind
the back seat. Where would I go to find out what this means? Would the 19 stand for length, the
"H" stand for Hornet, 6 stand for hull number and 2 for the year? If so, what would the "c" stand for? Thoughts on this anyone? Thanks for your help.
RH

Richard
03-09-2002, 07:44 PM
RH
My guess is that you have the 67th Hornet made,
If they made a boat for every number.

Looped
03-09-2002, 09:38 PM
RH,
I'm with you being clueless on this HIN thing???

Bertram Boy,
We almost have twins! I first found this poor whacked out paint jobbed Donzi with the Dealer telling me that it was a 69, then after the NY registration came back to me it showed it was a 1967 (with the NY reg #’s as the HIN) and now it could be a 1966 with the HIN ####’s I’m all confused. Does Allen Mobray still have access to this info?

Oh well, anyone want to toss in some old info with these HIN’s like maybe, BROWNIE?

Richard,
It's good to see that you still lurk these waters :D

Thanks,
Craig

RH
03-09-2002, 10:50 PM
Richard, Where do you get 67 out of my hull number? I am not trying to be a smart @$$, but just am interested in trying to decipher the Donzi code. I think part of the mystique and nostalgia is learning about the history of our craft. I have a Chris Craft and a Century woody, and the hull number search was quite rewarding with the information that it provided. Anyone else out there with similar experiences that you would like to share?
RH

Richard
03-10-2002, 09:06 AM
RH, sorry 62 not 67 . I am old and they say the eyes are the first to go. I think the boats are just numbered in sequence when built. RW

BERTRAM BOY
03-10-2002, 10:08 AM
Craig,
Allen Mobray is no longer at Donzi, However I'm sure that someone else at Donzi can help you.
They might ever have your build card. It is kinda cool knowing that both our boats were probably popped out of the same mold over 30 years ago.
I wonder also why they stopped making "barrel back" 18's and switched over to the conventional style back. Does Brownie know the answer to this question?
BERTRAM BOY :D :D :D

David Ochs
03-10-2002, 11:53 AM
RH, I think the "C" stands for Chisholm. Check me on this, since this is just from my memory bank.

olredalert
03-10-2002, 01:28 PM
Bertram Boy,

------The answer I always believed to be true about the end of the barrel-backs is that they were more labor intensive.The fitting of the aluminum rub-rail to an early boat had to be much more difficult,as well as other parts of the construction process.
------Thinking rationally about both designs,though,one could make the argument that the newer deck and hull design had a bit more inherent strength.Maybe some of us with more design and engineering experience than I could comment on this?......just ol seat of the pants red!

Ralph Savarese
03-10-2002, 01:56 PM
I think mine fell into that origin somewhere I have a triple hatch 66 but even doing a complete deck off restore. I was unable to fond the HIN.My Father bought the boat new in 66 I wonder if I could get the original build card on it somewhere?
RalpH

Rich
03-10-2002, 03:04 PM
Hull number 18-75 - Built June 1966
18-83 - Built July 1966
Both are triple door barrel backs.

Ralph....
Yours should be one of the earliest built because if I remember, you had an Eaton 'B' outdrive. During the 1966 production year, Eaton had switched to Volvo 200's which is what the two boats above came with. By the way, is your rear light a rectangular one in the transom?