US: year made?

[ScowDoc]

How does one determine the year of manufacture for US Lasers, specifically Sunfish/Laser and Vanguard? Is it the the last two digits of the hull number? If not, is there a registration somewhere, where it can be researched? Thanks.

 

[ryan199538]

Yes, that's the year if manufacturing

Look at this exert from a website on reading and interpreting vin numbers

• CHECK THE SERIAL NUMBER TO FIND OUT WHEN THE BOAT WAS MADE AND WHERE. Check the transom (rear) of the boat for the serial number. It will look something like PFS 800000779, with the first three letters indicating the builder, followed by a mix of letters and numbers.

PFS = Performance Sailcraft (1971-1974) (Montreal, Québec, Canada: still manufacturing outside of the Americas.)

ZFS = Performance Sailcraft (1974 [as per hulls 16950-51626]-1985) (Point Claire, Québec)

PSC = Performance Sailcraft (19??-19??)

PSL = Performance Sailcraft USA (Owner Don Trask, San Rafael CA, 1973 to early '80s?)

PSI = Performace Sailcraft International (South Africa, until 1989)

ZID = Laser International (Ontario 1984-1991) Reincarnation of original Laser builder. (Also known as Performance Sailcraft Canada.)

PSB = Pearson Small Boats (1989-1991) (RI)

SLI = Sunfish Laser Inc (1991 to March 1997) New manufacturing facility.

OQT = Vanguard Sailboats Inc., RI (March 1997 to present) Initials stand for Quarter Moon Inc. Production continued in SLI facility which Vanguard purchased.

Next 5 digits are the Sail Number. If the sail number is greater than 99,999, then the first digit is a character, where A=10, B=11, C=12 etc. (i.e. a letter followed by 5 digits). Last 4 characters indicate when the boat was built and the model year. Usually 1 letter followed by 3 numbers. The letter indicates the month of manufacture (according to Sunfish/Laser Inc.): A=Aug, B=Sept, C=Oct, D=Nov, E=Dec, F=Jan, G=Feb, H=Mar, I=April, J=May, K=June, L=July. The next number indicates the year the boat was built (not model year!), followed by a 2 number model year. Eg. D494 = Built Nov (D) 1994 (4) for 1994 model year (94). F697 = Built Jan (F) 1996 for 1997 model year (97) For example: SLI F1234 F494 = Sunfish Laser Inc, Sail number 151234, Built in January 1994 for Model Year 1994. Older lasers: Last four digits of sail number may be missing or belong to an unknown code (e.g. ZFS 33426 0376 = march '76?). 1971 to 1973 Hulls: Sail number is found only on the deck under the bow eye. It is also reported that following the Laser prototypes, the first mass-manufactured Laser was numbered 101.

 

[ScowDoc]

Yes, that's the year if manufacturing

Look at this exert from a website on reading and interpreting vin numbers

• CHECK THE SERIAL NUMBER TO FIND OUT WHEN THE BOAT WAS MADE AND WHERE. Check the transom (rear) of the boat for the serial number. It will look something like PFS 800000779, with the first three letters indicating the builder, followed by a mix of letters and numbers.

PFS = Performance Sailcraft (1971-1974) (Montreal, Québec, Canada: still manufacturing outside of the Americas.)

ZFS = Performance Sailcraft (1974 [as per hulls 16950-51626]-1985) (Point Claire, Québec)

PSC = Performance Sailcraft (19??-19??)

PSL = Performance Sailcraft USA (Owner Don Trask, San Rafael CA, 1973 to early '80s?)

PSI = Performace Sailcraft International (South Africa, until 1989)

ZID = Laser International (Ontario 1984-1991) Reincarnation of original Laser builder. (Also known as Performance Sailcraft Canada.)

PSB = Pearson Small Boats (1989-1991) (RI)

SLI = Sunfish Laser Inc (1991 to March 1997) New manufacturing facility.

OQT = Vanguard Sailboats Inc., RI (March 1997 to present) Initials stand for Quarter Moon Inc. Production continued in SLI facility which Vanguard purchased.

Next 5 digits are the Sail Number. If the sail number is greater than 99,999, then the first digit is a character, where A=10, B=11, C=12 etc. (i.e. a letter followed by 5 digits). Last 4 characters indicate when the boat was built and the model year. Usually 1 letter followed by 3 numbers. The letter indicates the month of manufacture (according to Sunfish/Laser Inc.): A=Aug, B=Sept, C=Oct, D=Nov, E=Dec, F=Jan, G=Feb, H=Mar, I=April, J=May, K=June, L=July. The next number indicates the year the boat was built (not model year!), followed by a 2 number model year. Eg. D494 = Built Nov (D) 1994 (4) for 1994 model year (94). F697 = Built Jan (F) 1996 for 1997 model year (97) For example: SLI F1234 F494 = Sunfish Laser Inc, Sail number 151234, Built in January 1994 for Model Year 1994. Older lasers: Last four digits of sail number may be missing or belong to an unknown code (e.g. ZFS 33426 0376 = march '76?). 1971 to 1973 Hulls: Sail number is found only on the deck under the bow eye. It is also reported that following the Laser prototypes, the first mass-manufactured Laser was numbered 101.

Thanks much. Where is this registry located?