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I don't get the exact meaning of "V number out of Tampa" in the following context from Hemingway's To Have and Have Not.

Freddy Wallace's boat, the Queen Conch, 34 feet long, with a V number out of Tampa, was painted white.

"V number out of Tampa" means that the boat is called V number out of Tampa? Tampa is a region? It is too difficult to understand...

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The boat named Queen Conch had a Vessel registration number from Tampa, Florida

Out of Tampa means that the boat was normally moored in Tampa, Florida

The name of the boat is additionally a play on the nickname of people from Key West called "Conchs"

the V-number is likely the FL XXXX YY here

enter image description here

and not the HIN which is
* not mandatory until 1972,
* too small to be seen from more than a few meters away
* will identify the maker of the hull and not where the boat came from

HIN
(source: georgiawildlife.com)

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  • So, the V number for the picture above, is 11, right? :)
    – Windy Forest
    Commented May 21, 2014 at 15:33
  • No - fl 9361 nx like a number plate
    – mplungjan
    Commented May 21, 2014 at 15:34
  • yeah, 11 is too short to identify each boats. Thanks.
    – Windy Forest
    Commented May 21, 2014 at 15:41
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'V number' is a mistake/slang for vehicle identification number (VIN); a boat has a Hull Identification Number (HIN)

The first 2 numbers indicate the State. There was and is no law that restrict(s) you from choosing a boat name that is already in use and this likely is why a boat displayed the 'V number' in a well-used port before the implementation of the statute.

The preferred location of the HIN is the starboard outboard side of the hull aft. The HIN is also located on the transom of a boat. The HIN is required by law to be located in 2 places of the boat, usualy the hull aft and the transom. Since 1972 The HIN is a series of alphanumeric characters which determine Manufacturer, Series, and Date of Certification

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  • I very much doubt that a HIN is large enough to be visible from more than a meter away.
    – mplungjan
    Commented May 21, 2014 at 15:09
  • I am suffering for so many mistakes and contraction in this book... But I like this novel. Thanks for your help.
    – Windy Forest
    Commented May 21, 2014 at 15:11
  • The first three characters are a MIC (Manufacturer Identification Code) - does not tell you from where the boat hails, only what state the manufacturer came from.
    – mplungjan
    Commented May 21, 2014 at 18:49
  • 'To Have and Have Not' was written in 1937 and the confusion is in quoting post-publication references or statutes. Private boats were registered with a 'V' number -as any insurable property- for the purposes of identification.
    – Third News
    Commented May 21, 2014 at 20:05
  • This explanation seems (though incorporating the new law) explains the history: "M means motor and the V means vessel. On govt vessels like navy ships the letters tell you what govt or country the ship is owned by. On small private boats in the states the initials of the state will be present that it was registered in plus a number. EX: CA. 453387 This would mean California registration number 453387." answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070612195346AAB7RhL
    – Third News
    Commented May 21, 2014 at 20:07

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