Why does it matter?
Now, lets talk about the benefits of researching the HIN before making a purchase. First- would you ever buy a car without know the history? What about a house without inspecting it? Well it's the same thing with a boat, especially considering each time it is in use, you are putting everyone on boards lives at risk. You should NEVER purchase a boat without visually inspecting it yourself and verifying it's history. Although some things in its history may or may not affect the integrity of the boat, other issues could drastically reduce the safety of the hull.
Running the HIN though a boat fax type service such as Boat History Report allows you to access all public and many private records pertaining to the individual HIN. If the HIN has been registered with the US Coast Guard, the history of registration will appear in the report. If the HIN has been involved in an accident that was documented, you will get details about it. Salvages, government seizures, hurricane damage, fires- All of it is included in the reports. The main difference between services like Carfax.com and Autocheck.com and a boat history site like BoatHistoryReport.com is that the car equivalent is able to provide mechanical details whereas boat records are not maintained the same way and therefore are not typically available. However, you can always email Boat History Report and see if they have any further information on the reports they provide to you.
In short, it would be stupid to invest in a boat (already referred to as Bend Over And Takeit) without spending the $35 to check out its history. Should you get a clean report, you should be glad you spent the money for the peace of mind. If you get a negative history- be glad you didn't spend the money on the boat!
Running the HIN though a boat fax type service such as Boat History Report allows you to access all public and many private records pertaining to the individual HIN. If the HIN has been registered with the US Coast Guard, the history of registration will appear in the report. If the HIN has been involved in an accident that was documented, you will get details about it. Salvages, government seizures, hurricane damage, fires- All of it is included in the reports. The main difference between services like Carfax.com and Autocheck.com and a boat history site like BoatHistoryReport.com is that the car equivalent is able to provide mechanical details whereas boat records are not maintained the same way and therefore are not typically available. However, you can always email Boat History Report and see if they have any further information on the reports they provide to you.
In short, it would be stupid to invest in a boat (already referred to as Bend Over And Takeit) without spending the $35 to check out its history. Should you get a clean report, you should be glad you spent the money for the peace of mind. If you get a negative history- be glad you didn't spend the money on the boat!