Recover Serial Number that has been removed...?

Question

How do you recover or read serial number that has been removed by a grinder?

I bought a boat from a police auction last week and now I noticed that there are no serial numbers on the outboard. I should have realized this when they said the boat's year was 1995-2000, but they do not have any records of the serial number on the boat outboard. The outboard is mercury and you can clearly see that the serial number has been removed by a grinder. You can see the first number but can't read the 2nd number...

Is there a way to recover the number from the metal or not?

Answer 1

Numbers on hand guns that have been ground off are frequently recovered by acid. Concentrated acid dissolves the metal around the stamped number faster than the compressed stamped area making it visible. Look up how that is done. Shorter is to take the paperwork from the auction and apply for any ownership documents that way. Or just make sure you hold onto them. Boat registrations are for the boat with a motor and don't normally have the outboards numbers as they change too often. Just to have the sale paperwork from the police should be enough. To find the number might be the kiss of death and your motor might be returned after your payment was made and forfeited.

Answer 2

not really, if it was the original motor from the boat, the Manufaturer would go by the serial on there boat to see what it was.. but no serial on the boat. Means no way to get it.