If you are buying or selling a recreational boat in Western Australia, it can be difficult to work out how old the boat is, especially if it was built before 2001. Many boats are advertised with the incorrect model year, mainly because people dont know and guess, or because they assume the Hull Identification Number on the boat contains the year it was built or sold new. This can sometimes mean the 2005 boat you just bought is in fact a 1982 model and maybe worth less than what you paid.
Please read the info below to understand the ways your boat year can be identified and checked.
Before Hull Identification Numbers (HIN) became compulsory for all recreational boats built after February 1st, 2001 many boats were built without any identifers such as a HIN or builders plate. That makes it extremely difficult to work out just how old the boat is.
HIN's are now compulsory not only for boats built after February 2001, but also for boats that were built before then, when they are registered for the first time, change hands or are re-registered after being unregistered for a time.
Most boats built after February 2001 that have been built by a boat manufacturer will have a manufacturers HIN. This HIN starts with the country of manufacture, followed by the manufacturers unique code, then their own serial number, then a date code consisting of a letter for the production month (A = January, B = February etc), followed by a number for the build year and two more numbers for the model year of the boat. An example is below:
What this HIN tells us is the boat was built in Australia, the manufacturers code is AMB, the manafacturers serial number is B3701, the boat was built in August 2014 for the 2015 model year.
This type of HIN tells you the month and year the boat was built!
The other type of HIN you will see in WA is the Transport WA HIN. These HIN's have been issued and affixed to boats that were either built before Feb 2001 ond didnt have a HIN issued and affixed by the manufacturer, or were built after Feb 2001 by a manafacturer who was registered to issue a HIN, maybe becasue they were a small volume producer or they only built one boat.
This HIN also starts with the country code, which is always AU for Transport WA HIN's, followed by the issuing authority code (WA Hin's are always TWA) followed by a sequential number (the total amount of HIN's issued to that actual HIN), followed by the agent code (the code for the HIN Provider who issued and affixed the HIN), follwed by a single digit number, which is the date code for the year the HIN was fitted by the HIN Provider.
This type of HIN DOES NOT tell you the year the boat was built! See an example of a TWA HIN below:
This HIN shows that its a Transport WA HIN, the 51,192 HIN issued by HIN Provider DG in either 2001, 2011 or 2021. We could probably guess that this was issued in 2021, based on the number being in the 50'000s.
If your boat, or the boat you want to buy has a HIN similar to this, you cant tell its age from the HIN.
So, just how do you tell how old a boat is when it has a TWA HIN, or no HIN at all?
1: Look for a builders plate. If the boat manufacturer put a builders or serial number plate on the boat, it may contain the build date. This is pretty rare on older boats.
2: Use the registration number. The registration number on recreational boats in WA is issued when the boat is first registered and stays with the boat for the time the boat stays in and is registered in WA. Even if the boat registration is allowed to lapse, the boat keeps the same registration number.
This is handy for us as it allows us to work out when the boat was first registered. Whilst this doesnt neccessarily mean the boat was built the same year as the boat was registered, its usually pretty close, within 12 months.
If you have a boat that was first registered in January 1975, then you can reasonably assume the boat was built sometime in 1974. Its not a foolproof system, but it really does help to narrow the year of the boat down.
The registration number date system only works for boats that were registered first in WA and still have the original WA regisitration number. If a boat was first registered in NSW, then brought to WA and registered a number of years later, then the WA registration on the boat will be from the year it was registered here, not the year it was first built.
So, if you are buying or selling a boat and are unsure of the year of the boat, or are suspicious of a claimed year that seems to be far more recent than the boat style, type and model would suggest, use the chart below to work out when it was first registered in WA.
For any registration numbers newer than 2013, use the manafacturers HIN to age the boat.
| Registration number | Date issued |
| 001-5000 | January - February 1963 |
| 5001-6000 | March - October 1963 |
| 6001-8000 | November 1963 - January 1964 |
| 8001-19300 | February 1964 - November 1969 |
| 19301-21400 | December 1969 - October 1970 |
| 21401-30000 | November 1970 - July 1974 |
| 30001-33100 | August 1974 - February 1975 |
| 33101-34650 | March 1975 - July 1975 |
| 34551-36000 | August 1975 - November 1975 |
| 36001-39000 | December 1975 - June 1976 |
| 39001-45800 | July 1976 - December 1977 |
| 45801-51300 | January 1978 - December 1978 |
| 51301-55999 | January 1979 - December 1979 |
| Except: | |
| 55333-55400 | 16/01/80 - 06/02/80 |
| 55609-55699 | 11/01/80 -25/02/80 |
| 55901-55999 | 16/01/80 - 24/01/80 |
| 56000-60300 | January 1980 - December 1980 |
| Except: | |
| 56754-56800 | 21/01/81 - 06/03/81 |
| 57548-57600 | 06/01/81 - 21/01/81 |
| 57765-57800 | 08/01/81 - 08/05/81 |
| 58822-58889 | 06/01/81 - 06/02/81 |
| 59218-59300 | 09/01/81 - 02/02/81 |
| 59486-59745 | 05/01/81 - 17/12/81 |
| 59746-59800 | 12/01/82 - 06/05/82 |
| 59801-59900 | 12/03/81 - 12/01/82 |
| 59902-60020 | 20/12/79 - 28/12/79 |
| 60301-62999 | January 1981 - December 1981 |
| Except: | |
| 61360-61400 | 12/01/82 - 11/02/82 |
| 62143-62200 | 12/01/82 - 25/03/82 |
| 62305-62327 | 23/06/82 - 22/12/82 |
| 62328-62374 | 14/01/83 - 29/11/83 |
| 62375-62400 | 12/01/84 - 28/05/84 |
| 62721-62794 | 11/01/82 - 01/12/82 |
| 62795-62800 | 11/03/83 - 03/11/83 |
| 63000-63999 | December 1981 - February 1982 |
| 64000-65000 | February 1982 - September 1982 |
| 65001-65999 | September 1982 - December 1982 |
| 66000-66999 | December 1982 - March 1983 |
| 67000-67999 | March 1983 - October 1983 |
| 68000-68999 | October 1983 - January 1984 |
| 69000-69999 | January 1984 - May 1984 |
| 70000-79999 | May 1984 - December 1984 |
| 70000-71999 | December 1984 - March 1985 |
| 72000-72999 | March 1985 - August 1985 |
| 73000-73999 | August 1985 - December 1985 |
| 74000-74999 | December 1985 - April 1986 |
| 75000-75999 | April 1986 - October 1986 |
| 76000-76999 | October 1986 - December 1986 |
| 77000-77999 | December 1986 - April 1987 |
| 78000-78999 | April 1987 - September 1987 |
| 79000-79999 | September 1987 - January 1988 |
| 80000-89999 | January 1988 - March 1988 |
| 81000-81999 | March 1988 - December 1988 |
| 82000-82999 | December 1988 - January 1989 |
| 83000-83999 | January 1989 - April 1989 |
| 84000-84999 | April 1989 - July 1989 |
| 85000-85999 | July 1989 - December 1989 |
| 86000-86999 | December 1989 - July 1990 |
| 87001-87911 | July 1990 - June 1991 |
| 90000-90999 | April 1990 - January 1991 |
| 91000-91619 | January 1991 - June 1991 |
| A001-A999 | July 1991 - October 1991 |
| AA001-AA999 | October 1991 - January 1992 |
| AB001-AB999 | January 1992 - May 1992 |
| AC001-AC999 | May 1992 - October 1992 |
| AD001-AD999 | October 1992 - December 1992 |
| AE001-AE999 | December 1992 - February 1993 |
| AF001-AF999 | February 1993 - July 1993 |
| AG001-AG999 | July 1993 - September 1993 |
| AH000-AH999 | September 1993 - January 1994 |
| AI001-AI999 | January 1994 - May 1994 |
| AJ001-AJ999 | May 1994 - October 1994 |
| AK000-AK999 | October 1994 - December 1994 |
| AL000-AL999 | December 1994 - March 1995 |
| AM000-AM999 | March 1995 - September 1995 |
| AN001-AN999 | September 1995 - November 1995 |
| AO001-AO999 | November 1995 - February 1996 |
| AP000-AP999 | February 1996 - May 1996 |
| AQ000-AQ999 | May 1996 - September 1996 |
| AR001-AR999 | September 1996 - November 1996 |
| AS001-AS999 | November 1996 - January 1997 |
| AT000-AT999 | January 1997 - April 1997 |
| AU000-AU999 | April 1997 - September 1997 |
| AV000-AV999 | September 1997 - November 1997 |
| AW000-AW999 | November 1997 - January 1998 |
| AX000-AX999 | January 1998 - April 1998 |
| AY000-AY999 | April 1998 - September 1998 |
| AZ000-AZ999 | September 1998 - November 1998 |
| BA000-BA999 | November 1998 - January 1999 |
| BB000 - BB999 | January 1999 - April 1999 |
| BC000 - BC999 | April 1999 - September 1999 |
| BD000 - BD999 | September 1999 - November 1999 |
| BE000 - BE999 | November 1999 - December 1999 |
| BF000 - BF999 | December 1999 - March 2000 |
| BG000 - BG999 | March 2000 - June 2000 |
| BH000 - BH999 | June 2000 - August 2000 |
| BI000 - BI999 | August 2000 - October 2000 |
| BJ000 - BJ999 | October 2000 - February 2001 |
| BK000 - BK999 | February 2001 - March 2001 |
| BL000 - BL999 | March 2001 - September 2001 |
| BM000 - BM999 | September 2001 - October 2001 |
| BN000 - BN999 | October 2001 - February 2002 |
| BO000 - BO999 | February 2002 - April 2002 |
| BP000 - BP999 | April 2002 - August 2002 |
| BQ000 - BQ999 | August 2002 - October 2002 |
| BR000 - BR999 | October 2002 - December 2002 |
| BS000 - BS999 | December 2002 - March 2003 |
| BT000 - BT999 | March 2003 - June 2003 |
| BU000 - BU999 | June 2003 - September 2003 |
| BV000 - BV999 | September 2003 - November 2003 |
| BW000 - BW999 | November 2003 - January 2004 |
| BX000 - BX999 | January 2004 - March 2004 |
| BY000 - BY999 | March 2004 - June 2004 |
| BZ000 - BZ999 | June 2004 - October 2004 |
| DA000 - DA999 | October 2004 - December 2004 |
| DB000 - DB999 | December 2004 - January 2005 |
| DC000 - DC999 | January 2005 - March 2005 |
| DD000 - DD999 | March 2005 - June 2005 |
| DE000 - DE999 | June 2005 - September 2005 |
| DF000 - DF999 | September 2005 - November 2005 |
| DG000 - DG999 | November 2005 - December 2005 |
| DH000 - DH999 | December 2005 - March 2006 |
| DI000 - DI999 | March 2006 - April 2006 |
| DJ000 - DJ999 | April 2006 - July 2006 |
| DK000 - DK999 | July 2006 - September 2006 |
| DL000 - DL999 | September 2006 - November 2006 |
| DM000 - DM999 | November 2006 - December 2006 |
| DN000 - DN999 | December 2006 - February 2007 |
| DO000 - DO999 | February 2007 - March 2007 |
| DP000 - DP999 | March 2007 - May 2007 |
| DQ000 - DQ999 | May 2007 - August 2007 |
| DR000 - DR999 | August 2007 - October 2007 |
| DS000 - DS999 | October 2007 - December 2007 |
| DT000 - DT999 | December 2007 - January 2008 |
| DU000 - DU999 | January 2008 - March 2008 |
| DV000 - DV999 | March 2008 - May 2008 |
| DW000 - DW999 | May 2008 - August 2008 |
| DX000 - DX999 | August 2008 - October 2008 |
| DY000 - DY999 | October 2008 - December 2008 |
| DZ000 - DZ999 | December 2008 - February 2009 |
| EA000 - EA999 | February 2009 - May 2009 |
| EB000 - EB999 | May 2009 - September 2009 |
| EC000 - EC999 | September 2009 - November 2009 |
| ED000 - ED999 | November 2009 - January 2010 |
| EE000 - EE999 | January 2010 - May 2010 |
| EF000 - EF999 | May 2010 - September 2010 |
| EG000 - EG999 | September 2010 - November 2010 |
| EH000 - EH999 | November 2010 - January 2011 |
| EI000 - EI999 | January 2011 - March 2011 |
| EJ000 - EJ999 | March 2011 - July 2011 |
| EK000 - EK999 | July 2011 - October 2011 |
| EL000 - EL999 | October 2011 - December 2011 |
| EM000 - EM999 | December 2011 - March 2012 |
| EN000 - EN999 | March 2012 - July 2012 |
| EO000 - EO999 | July 2012 - November 2012 |
| EP000 - EP999 | November 2012 - January 2013 |