I am hoping to put an age on a Grumman 15’ canoe, and though read the how-to’s posted a year ago on identifying a Grumman’s date of manufacture, find that the HIN (on the bow) does not follow what the conversation described. 5098-3-15. Does it mean 15’ length produced in March of 1950? The “8” might be a “B” (scratched). Appreciate any help with this. Betsy
That’s a serial number, not a HIN. If it’s a post-1972 Grumman it will have the HIN either stamped on the hull or on a number plate, more likely midships or at the stern. If you can find a HIN, you can look it up online and get the year of manufacture.
Did you find that serial number on a badge plate? If so, are there any other markings besides the serial number? The badge usually includes where it was manufactured. Production moved from Bethpage, NY (Long Island) to Marathon, NY in 1952. The early canoes made in Bethpage that I’ve seen have a cursive ‘G’ on the bulkheads and v-shaped decks, so they are somewhat distinctive.
HINs weren’t required until 1972, so from 1952 to 1972 it is hard to pin down when a Grumman canoe was manufactured. The typical Grumman serial number format I’ve seen on boats from that time is 1234-G-5-15, where 1234 is the SN, G is a batch code, ‘5’ is the hull thickness (.050") and ‘15’ is the length. Your serial number is 5098-3-15 or 509B-3-15. A ‘B’ makes more sense to me than an ‘8’ here. That suggests an early batch ‘B’ with a correspondingly low SN of 509. The ‘3-15’ indicates you have the lightweight 15’ model with 0.032" hull thickness.
If I’m correct about the ‘8’ being a ‘B’, and your boat wasn’t made in Bethpage, then it was probably one of the earliest boats made in Marathon in the early 1950s. Unfortunately, Marathon doesn’t have all the records going back that far to give you an exact year. But they may be able to give you a year range if that ‘B’ is what I think it is.