Cheoy Lee Offshore 40 HIN number location?

[dancamp]

Can anybody tell me where I might find the HIN numbers on a 1967 Offshore 40' sailboat built at Cheoy Lee boat yards in Hong Kong?
thinking of buying a boat but can't find HIN on starboard aft or transom.
any help appreciated.

[sailingdog]

Dan-

It may not have one. HIN numbers weren't required until 1972. A 1967 boat may only have the builder's plate for identifying information.

[dancamp]

thanks for the info. That being true, then wouldn't the plate, which does exist, at least have a boat number included in it. I found an oval plate over the doorway in the midship bulkhead going into the folksil cabin. It had the shipyard # 1902 and the title says the HIN is 902. Could this HIN number be made up if I can't even find it anyplace else? or could this boat be stolen?
thanks again?

[dancamp]

I can't find any numbers imprinted into this boat anyplace. I only find the shipyard number. The owner has no idea where to find the HIN number or any other number on this boat. Weren't all 40' sailboats marked with a boat number someplace back in 1967 in Cheoy Lee boat yards?

[dancamp]

is the shipyard number the same as the boat number?

[sailingdog]

Sure, the boat could be stolen. However, sailboats aren't generally high on the list of boats to steal, due to their somewhat limited utility to most boat thieves... who often steal go-fast boats to use in other operations...rather than for resale. A Cheoy Lee 40 sailboat is not a go-fast boat.

The shipyard number may well be the same as the hull number for that series boat...but a HIN number would be a bit more complicated, since it would have the builder's MFG ID code, HULL Serial Number and Date of Certification (often when the boat was constructed, but not always).

The oval plate sounds like a builder's plate, and that may well be the only number you'll find on the boat. A HIN number would normally have the format shown here:



A pre-1972 boat may not have any at all. A typical builders plate looks more like this:

[dancamp]

thanks SailingDog

[sailingdog]

Glad to help.

[btrayfors]

As was stated, I doubt if a Cheoy Lee O/S 40 has a HIN number. These were built in Hong Kong BEFORE the HIN system was put in place.

FYI, I've visited the Cheoy Lee yard several times and have one of their boats (not an O/S 40). At the time of my visits, I was very much interested in the Rhodes Reliant 41 and its knockoff, the O/S 40, and even talked with Phil Rhodes about them prior to his death.

Essentially, Cheoy Lee stole the RR41 design, and built a very similar boat with a mirror image cabin arrangement, an iron keel rather than a lead keel, and a few other changes. Believe it or not, at the time the real RR41 was selling for $29K new and the O/S 40 for $19K new. Oh, for the good old days :-))

These are very beautiful boats, but unless they've been well maintained over the years they could be a real handful. I've seen a couple of lovely ones which received good care, and I've seen some real beaters. If the one you're considering is in the latter category, be sure not to underestimate the amount of time, labor, and expense involved in getting her back to good condition. If you're not sure how to get a reasonable estimate, think about the absolute maximum it could cost. Then, multiply that by three to ten times!

Also, be sure to check out the Cheoy Lee Owners Association website...lots of good info there.

Bill