Understanding your boat identification number

We often receive inquiries about the identification numbers of boats; what goes in them and how to interpret them. Identification numbers specify the boat model, model year and year of production, among other things. Here are instructions on how to interpret your boat identification number.

In Buster boats, the identification number is located in the transom. It is also machine-engraved in each boat, on the surface of the bow deck. The identification number facilitates easy identification of the boat’s production year and model year, on older boats as well.

This number is currently known as Watercraft Identification Number, or ‘WIN’. Many boat owners are still familiar with the term Hull Identification Number, ‘HIN’. In 2006, a new term Craft Identification Number, ‘CIN’, was adopted, followed by ‘WIN’ ten years later.

The identification system was not made up by Buster and neither was its name. The system is based on and complies with the Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) of the European Union, applied since 1998.
For example, if your boat’s transom has been engraved with FI-BUSA0001K506, you will find the following information in it:

The ‘FI’ country code indicates that the boat was manufactured by or for a Finnish company.
‘BUS’ is the unique code of the manufacturer; in the model years 2011 to 2016, Buster boats were designated with ‘FI-FIS’ in accordance with the company Fiskars, Buster’s owner during that period.
What follows is the unique serial number of each boat, beginning with the letter that specifies the Buster model in question. Here, the serial number begins with an ‘A’ for Buster Magnum.
The letter following the serial number specifies the month of production. The calendar months run alphabetically beginning from ‘A’ for January, so in the example, the ‘K’ letter indicates November as the production month.
The number following the production month indicates the production year. Here, number ‘5’ means that the boat was manufactured in 2005.
The final two characters provide the model year; for this boat, it is 2006.

The serial number does not indicate the production volumes of individual boat models, because the numbering may have been changed from one month to the next.

Our web site features more specific instructions on how to identify Buster boats, including older ones: