My hull # is OQTL0522K708 and has a sticker in the cockpit saying sail number 192030. If I follow the instructions to determine the sail number from the hull number I come up with a totally different sail number of 210522. How can this be???
192030 is the correct number. Vanguard dropped the sail number from the HIN and replaced that part with a "L0123" format in the late 2000s, which may or may not have coincided with PSE buying them (and rebranding the whole business as LaserPerformance a few months later). The "K7" in this HIN points to a building date of November 2007, which is a perfect match with a 1920xx sail number. No worries
192030 is the correct number. Vanguard dropped the sail number from the HIN and replaced that part with a "L0123" format in the late 2000s, which may or may not have coincided with PSE buying them (and rebranding the whole business as LaserPerformance a few months later). The "K7" in this HIN points to a building date of November 2007, which is a perfect match with a 1920xx sail number. No worries
The first three characters usually form the builder id. The rest of the numbers identify the hull. In North America, these first 3 characters may be: PFS = Performance Sailcraft (1971-1974) (Montreal, Québec, Canada: still manufacturing outside...
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OQT = Vanguard Sailboats Inc., RI (March 1997 to 2007) Initials stand for Quarter Moon Inc. Production continued in SLI facility which Vanguard purchased.
In 2007, Vanguard dropped the sail number from the HIN and replaced that part with a "L0123" format, which may or may not have coincided with PSE buying them (and rebranding the whole business as LaserPerformance a few months later). All Lasers and ILCA’s manufactured after this time have the sail number stamped in the cockpit.
You can do a lot of things... but if you have no number you don't race That's the short answer.
But,
have you looked for an embossed code on the transom, sticker or plaque on the aft wall of the cockpit, and/or a number under the bow eye?
Does the boat have an original sail? Is it blank, or carrying an obviously-wrong number?
How old is the boat approximately? Which decade would you say it's from? Who built it (that should say on a sticker in the cockpit)?