DaySailer.org Forum

My boat is supposed to be a 1983 DS II and has an O'Day Manufacturer's plate on the inside of the transom. It states: "Hull # 26242, and Model Class 4983." My suspicion is the HIN (hull ID #) is covered by an outboard bracket (stardboard transom). Jib sheets cleats are on the CB trunk and the mainsheet is rigged off the back of the boom in the triangle fashion as a traveler. I have run into registration problems for the boat because I am trying to register in a different state from where previously registered, and a HIN of "26242" being pretty low numerically, comes up as an existing vessel in new state. If my boat is a 1983, were HIN's required to be etched into the hull at that time, and if so, would the actual HIN appear elsewhere on the boat, or do the numbers on my plate (above) solve the mystery. Thanks for any assistance.

HIN's were required after Nov 1972. On the DS they are typically (but not always as in your case) between the rudder gudgeons dead center on the outside transom. DS II's were only made between 1972 and 1984.

If yours is indeed an 83 then the HIN should be XDYD26242_4_983.

Note the underscore of the 4, which is likely an error. Check your plate again. The 4th and third last numbers are the month of manufacture and there is no 49th month, but there is a 9th month.

Thanks for the reply. The odd thing, or it seems odd to me, is the manufacturer plate doesn't have a serial of HIN number in sequence (as you quoted, and approximating a car VIN), it has two separate entries on the plate, e.g. "Hull # ____" and "Model # ____." I've not seen similar displays of HINs in my lurking of the boards. Thanks again, - PJL.

Are you sure your boat is an 83? If you go into the technical info section on this site there is a hull number index. Your hull number is actually your "Model Class" number of 4983, which is kind of low to be an '83. Could it be a '73 instead? (the first DSII , built in 1972 is 4522)

The plate you have sounds similar to the one on my DS1, where it has the hull number and the class number on it. (I can't remember my hull number, but my class number is 1868) I've read elsewhere on this site that the hull number is the total number of boats of all types produced by O'day up to and including mine, and the class number is the number of DS' produced to that time.

Huntington WV isn't too far from me in Columbus, OH. Ever get up this way?

Thanks, J.P. Can't say I am sure its an '83, thats at least what the prior owner had it registered as. I travel to Columbus often, but have not sailed there - seems like there is an active club at Alum Creek. My boat is at Cave Run Lake, KY, Morehead, KY, in between Huntington, WV and Lexington. The lake is in the Daniel Boone Nat'l forest, so between the National Fish and Wildlife Rangers and the Army Corps, its a well-policed lake (8700 acres - age limits on jet skis enforced!). Our local club is the Cave Run Sailing Assoc (www.caverunsailing.org) - for the end of the season "Grand Annual" regatta, we have a fair number of participants from Ohio. Main boat for our club racing is the Flying Scot, and the Grand Annual has Catalina 22's, several Nat'l One Designs, a cruiser class, and one a design class. I'm a fairly new racer and am usually the only DS on the course.

I'm with JP on this.

I'll wager that your DS is a '73.

I used to sail at Alum, but the powerboats and long lines at the boat ramps scared me away. I sail at O'Shaugnessy Res, now over near the Columbus Zoo. (At Leatherlips Yacht Club. Yeah I know, weird name.) We have a Fleet of 9 Daysailers, 5 of which are pretty active. If you are up on a Friday evening, or Sunday afternoon, let me know and I'll get you a ride on one.

I've been to Huntington once or twice, I played Rugby at Marshall when I was in college (about 15 years ago,) but I don't think I've been back since.

Oh I almost forgot, Ohio let me use my Hull number (the one I can't remember) as my HIN, when I registered my boat. They needed a unique number that was perminantly fixed to the boat, in order for it to be registered. They didn't care that it wasn't an official HIN with all the codes etc. (my boat is a 1965, so it was pre-HIN.) Ohio got a bug a few years ago, that all boats (even the pre 1971 boats) had to have a HIN, and if it didn't they would assign you one, and come out and affix it for you. I guess it saved us both the trouble to use my hull number, and it served their purpose. Perhaps you could convince WV of the same thing?