ssr registration and finance

[jfm]

Am I correct that most boats have a HIN number stamped in the hull?

Could this be used as a unique identifier just like a vin number on a car. Appreciate things can be tampered with but having said that, it's probably tricky to do that with something stamped into fibreglass and make it look right.

An online database using the HIN number to show finance attached wouldn't be complex or onerous..

They're moulded not stamped (the mould tool might have a stamped plate, but that's different). Moulded HINs are very easy to change. I had the HIN remoulded on my 2009 squadron 58's transom as one of the pre-delivery jobs by the supplying dealer. A good GRP guy can do it in an hour and you'd never tell.

 

[Mr Googler]

Thanks for that John. I didn't realise it would be that easy.

I've no doubt there would be ways to ensure a boat has a unique identifier but if there is paperwork in place and no motivation to change things for what is a small market I guess a boat hpi app isn't round the corner. It's a shame as often the amounts of money involved and therefore risk are large.

 

[ari]

I would imagine that a convincing HIN number change would be very difficult for the average person (and it would be equally difficult to explain to a dealer or GRP specialist why you wanted him to potentially be complicit in fraud if that was your intention for changing it).

Add engine and gearbox serial numbers to a HPI registration and whilst you might not put off the hardened fraudster, you're certainly going to make life very tricky for an individual who might be in financial dire straits and who may decide that keeping quiet about his boat loan upon sale of his boat would ease his cashflow issues (perhaps with every intention of keeping the payments up), leaving some poor sod to legally inherit a potentially massive debt that he knows nothing about.

At the moment, even with Full Part One, all he needs to do is remove the Official Number (if it were ever attached in the first place - no one checks) and peel the name off the stern, maybe even stick a new one on if he's feeling thorough - no real need to though, impossible to check. Without Full Part One of course, he doesn't need to do anything at all.

Still, probably be alright, it usually is.

 

[petem]

There used to be a scheme called "Boatmark" I think run by the same company as HPI. There's plenty of references to it on the web but I don't know if its still going.

 

[ari]

The problem with Boatmark was that there was no necessity for anyone to use it, so they didn't. So you could check it for sure, but not finding a boat on there meant nothing.

I think it's long since been scrapped, it literally didn't do anything.