Quote:
Originally Posted by 2savage
After owning maybe 25 boats from 12 feet to 36 feet there's not much I can't fix. Electronics installations, GPS, VHF etc. I'm an accomplished wood refinisher and can do gel coat too. Diesel trouble shooting and general systems fixes such as water systems are also run of the mill for me. Oh, and I was a sail maker for twelve years. Currently I am rebuilding the steering system on my C&C 34/36+ and this job includes pedestal removal and sourcing Edson steering parts that are no manufactured. I'm also rewiring the compass light and swapping out an old Silva compass for a Ritchie with appropriate adapter plates. All new fastenings from Edson.
I'm sort of retired but prefer to work on boats and when my own restoration is complete (in a few weeks) I want to seek out others who need work done but do not want to pay yard prices.
What is the need? I'm in Western Long Island Sound.
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My background, besides some general
boat system experience, also includes electrical/electronic (20+ years in a different field) and one
marine industry
certification. Obviously, different part of the world than you.
I have worked professionally on boats, but these days I mainly do other work (software) that's more steady and pays better. I do hope to do some part-time
boat work as part of
retirement.
Some answers, based on that:
1) if you're good there's screaming demand, depending on the area. A few years back, I worked part of a season assisting one of our area's busiest boat
electrical guys. In-season there's no lack of work. He's younger than me, but he's bunged up his knee and can no longer do all the crawling around the job requires. He called me earlier this month because of all the work he's turning down.
2) it's a tough way to make a living, especially in the north. During the season it rocks; out of season - crickets, unless you can score some
refit work from a wealthy owner, hopefully with heated
storage. You have the costs of truck, inventory, tools, accounting,
insurance,
certification. If you aren't
charging yard prices, how will you cover that overhead? And it's usually physically demanding work.
3) the dangers of being a jack of all trades. It's always great to know more, but efficiency and quality comes from specialization. Is the person who can do immaculate fg
repairs also able to
engineer or troubleshoot a complex networked
navigation system? My choice has been to concentrate on what I'm good at, and leave other work to those who are best at that.
All that being said, I think there should be lots of different opportunities.
- Staff or contract position at a sailing-school - great idea
- position with a chandlery as their in-house install/fixit guy
- make contact with all the different service providers in your area; let them know you can jump in to assist when they're busy
I know one guy who simply calls himself a 'boat guy'. He's available to do all sorts of stuff, like launch/haulout prep, polishing and detailing, fuelling, boat moves, etc. He gets all his business via word-of-mouth. He has minimal overhead, and I suspect most of his work is cash under the table. I can't recommend this, but he seems happy enough.
Good luck, and build that
network.