Any idea what year this Alumacraft is?

[TexasJim]

I re-habbed a 1959 SportsCraft 12' and a 1958 BlueStar 14'. Both of them had the hull number at the bow. Neither I, nor the Game Warden could find the number on the SportsCraft, so Texas issued a HIN. Later, when I painted it, I found the number stamped in the gunwale cap, just behind the bow. I don't know when the transom became the standard location for the HIN. My BlueStar had a riveted number plate under the bow "cap", and I moved it to the transom. The hull number was the model initials, SC14 XXX(SuperChief XXX). Parks & Wildlife didn't find any previous registration for that number, so they issued a title and registration for it. The TX numbers on the boat were for a 21-foot inboard/outboard, so I quickly scrapped those. They "want" to give you a registration, if there's a way. Good luck! TexasJim

 

[mbullen]

I re-habbed a 1959 SportsCraft 12' and a 1958 BlueStar 14'. Both of them had the hull number at the bow. Neither I, nor the Game Warden could find the number on the SportsCraft, so Texas issued a HIN. Later, when I painted it, I found the number stamped in the gunwale cap, just behind the bow. I don't know when the transom became the standard location for the HIN. My BlueStar had a riveted number plate under the bow "cap", and I moved it to the transom. The hull number was the model initials, SC14 XXX(SuperChief XXX). Parks & Wildlife didn't find any previous registration for that number, so they issued a title and registration for it. The TX numbers on the boat were for a 21-foot inboard/outboard, so I quickly scrapped those. They "want" to give you a registration, if there's a way. Good luck! TexasJim

Hey TexasJim...Just for a matter of record, the Federal HIN system began in 1972. This Act required the 12-digit universal Coast Guard code to be attached to the transom.
Earlier boats may or may not have a model/serial number. Each manufacturer had their own system and location. (and in many cases, the absence of a system)
Additionally, each state has it's own requirements on whether that model/serial can be used as a modern HIN.
Many states are now creating their own 12-digit number on the older boats. These do not have the manufacturer info encoded in it and are recognizable by a Z in the third position preceded by the state's initials.