How to Tell the Year on a Malibu Boat

When you need to identify the year that your Malibu boat was built, you have several sources of information that can tell you exactly what you want to know. One source is the boat itself, others include the boat's documentation -- the paperwork that identifies your boat and tells you almost exactly when Malibu completed the vessel. Some quick investigative work will tell you everything you need to know, and perhaps a bit more.

Things You'll Need

  • Malibu Owner's Manual
  • Builder's Certificate and First Transfer of Title
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Instructions

  1. Hull Identification Number

    • 1

      Walk to the stern of the boat, on the starboard side.

    • 2

      Locate a 16-digit letter and number group that's no less than 1/4-inch tall, stamped into the transom, within two inches of the lower of the hull-deck joint, or the top of the gunwale.

    • 3

      Identify the last two digits -- these represent the year the boat was built. For example, if the last two digits are "99," the boat was completed 1999.

    Boat Documentation

    • 4

      Open the "Malibu Owner's Manual." Locate the HIN recorded by the dealer inside the cover, which includes the date when the boat was built.

    • 5

      Inspect the boat's state registration. The registration certificate -- called the "Certificate of Number" -- includes the HIN and the date when the boat was built.

    • 6

      Inspect the Builder's Certification and First Transfer of Title, U.S. Coast Guard form USCG 1261, also called the Manufacturer's Statement of Origin. Section 1 of that form includes the year when the boat was completed.