> You could use letter punches to punch into .060 aluminum sheet.

Hopefully you are familiar with the acronym for Keep It SSimple, or other similar phrases.

You could use those same punches to punch (indent) the wood, and fill the indentations with a bit of paint or ink for visiblility

After construction of a beautiful boat is it altogether fitting and proper that you should sign it. If you autograph a deck plank, and simply write the Hull Identification Number by your name, before applying the resin and glass you should be able to easily meet the requirements.

In his book, Gil Gilpatricks suggests using a laser printer and thin paper for putting designs under the glass. The epoxy resin soaking into the paper makes it translucent. If you trim the paper close to the words or design you print on it, the paper base is almost invisible. If you are able to plan ahead, you can put it in when you are glassing the boat. Gilpatrick shows some examples of using this technique to put his logo on paddles.

There should be plenty of other, simple ways to do this. On the other hand, an elaborate way would be to use wood veneer in a contrasting color. Those who are truly skilled could inlay this.

This whole topic sounds like a possible chapter for Nick's sequel.

My Sevylor inflatable boats have HINs painted or printed on them, and a title form that I always thought was something of a joke. I guess it wasn't.

In Illinois I did not need to have a HIN to register my stripper canoe with the state. The application for state registration mentioned that there was a process for home-built boats which involved an inspector coming to look at them. I sent them the address where they could see the thing, but to the best of my knowledge, no one came by to look at it, and I got my state registration numbers in the expected time. I suspect that as long as the proper fee is enclosed they are easily satisfied.

Before the numbers arrived I took that canoe to the boundary waters in Minnesota, and some pf the portages were on Canadian turf. All I had was my copy of the application form, which I kept in a ziplock bag in the canoe to show that all the proper numbers had been applied for. If I had known I might get in trouble with both states and the coast guards of two countries I might have stayed home. Does anyone know what the penalty for NOT having these HINs might be? Is the rule rigidly enforced outside of Oklahoma?

When the Coast guard starts getting a hundred calls this week, all of them asking for manufacturer ID's, I think they may wonder what is going on. Hope they appreciate our dilligence.

Paul Jacobson