Hull Identification Number

• 1). Walk to the stern of the boat, on the starboard side.
  
  
• 2). Locate a 16-digit letter and number group that's no less than 1/4-inch tall, stamped into the transom, within two inches of the lower of the hull-deck joint, or the top of the gunwale.
  
  
• 3). Identify the last two digits -- these represent the year the boat was built. For example, if the last two digits are "99," the boat was completed 1999.
  
  

Boat Documentation

• 1). Open the "Malibu Owner's Manual." Locate the HIN recorded by the dealer inside the cover, which includes the date when the boat was built.
  
  
• 2). Inspect the boat's state registration. The registration certificate -- called the "Certificate of Number" -- includes the HIN and the date when the boat was built.
  
  
• 3). Inspect the Builder's Certification and First Transfer of Title, U.S. Coast Guard form USCG 1261, also called the Manufacturer's Statement of Origin. Section 1 of that form includes the year when the boat was completed.