Unless I'm mistaken, the last two digits in the VIN should be the year, they are 00.

Sometimes back then, when stamping the VIN the factory distinguish the digit 0 from the letter O with the line through it (like this: ө), which is confusing because it looks like an 8(IMO). Sometimes the factory would hand write it into the finish. It couldn't be 8's, that would make the boat an 1988 (didn't exist yet).

In your case, I believe the boat to be a 2000 for the reasons mentioned above. FWIW, when I purchased it, the seller represented the boat to me as a 2001, which didn't match the VIN. So, I checked with Jack at the factory and he confirmed that it was a 2000, and the title listed it as a 2000, and Boat US insured it as a 2000. I could be wrong, but I just don't believe that there is any way possible that the boat is an 98.

Crap, the character didn't work. To see it, type (NUM LOCK) on + ALT + 1257 from the number keypad.