interpret my Serial Number please

[ppmeis]

Its a 1978 36 foot Albin.

The Serial number is HH36157M78L

A lot of info is pretty evident like the 78 at the end being the year, the 36 in the beginning being length, but what do the other numbers and letters mean? It's a documented hull but those documents don't say much.

I'm spending a lot of time on A.O.G., Trawler Forum, Great Loop Cruising Assoc websites. I think I am getting cabin fever, Still 4 feet of standing snow here in Northern Wisconsin.

Pete

[jleonard]

I think HH stands for Ho Hosing (spelling?) which is the yard it was built in. The 40s and larger were built in a different yard Kashing (again spelling?). I was told by a friend who was a dealer at the time that since the larger boats are wider they could not fit down the streets at the HH yard to get to the cargo ships.

And I'd guess 157 might be the hull #.

Don't know what the M means, could possibly be build month.

[Pitou]

Its a 1978 36 foot Albin.

The Serial number is HH36157M78L

Some manufacturers used the following format:
1). Manufacturer Identification Code (MIC) - HH
2). Hull or Serial Number - Hull: 36, SN: 157
3). Model year("M") followed by a two digit year - 78, followed by a single letter for the manufacture month - L = December

Note that the "Model Year" changeover was assumed to have happened in August with this format, so its possible the boat was built before its model year. Your boat was probably built in December 1977