What Trades are in demand in marine industry

[fstbttms]

I’m always looking for hull cleaners. [emoji12]

[Olly75]

Just out of interest, for those out cruising the more remote parts of the world, how much would you pay a diver to replace your anodes or clean and grease your prop?

[Sojourner]

Originally Posted by Olly75

Just out of interest, for those out cruising the more remote parts of the world, how much would you pay a diver to replace your anodes or clean and grease your prop?

I paid someone to change my prop anode when I first got the boat and had no dive gear onboard. 20 euros for 10 min work, I supplied tools and anode of course. Should have offered 10. Were I the diver now, I'd ask for 30

[Woodland Hills]

If you just want to earn some spending money then any of these ideas will work. But if you intend to raise a family, put away savings, contribute to a pension or even pay for health insurance then you are looking at something more.
There is a shortage of good canvas makers because the wages are too low to attract good people. Ditto with dive services. If you plan on being self-employed, you will need to bring in at least $1000 a week for starvation wages after paying bills, taxes and insurance (liability).

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

There is a shortage of good canvas makers because the wages are too low to attract good people. Ditto with dive services.

I don’t know about that. Depends upon where you are of course but my divers earn $50-$60/hour. My top producer regularly makes over $50K/year working two or three days a week.

[svspirited]

Refrigeration is a need, especially on the larger boats and it is one that does not have nearly enough good technicians to meet demand. A friend that owns a marina complains quite a bit about how hard it is to find good, reliable, diesel and gas mechanics. Speaking to captains I know on large yachts when they find a good mechanic or tech of any kind they will contract them out and fly them to wherever they happen to be in the world and pay top dollar. The common theme I hear from both captains and marine owners is that there generally are people out there qualified to do the work but getting them to show up on time and finish a job when they say they will is the biggest problem for them. Basically, pick a trade that you find interesting and start making a good impression on people you do manage to get some work from. It will not take long for a good reputation to win you lots of future work.

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by svspirited

The common theme I hear from both captains and marine owners is that there generally are people out there qualified to do the work but getting them to show up on time and finish a job when they say they will is the biggest problem for them. Basically, pick a trade that you find interesting and start making a good impression on people you do manage to get some work from. It will not take long for a good reputation to win you lots of future work.

That's been my experience as well. Just showing up on time, and keeping your word, and not screwing people, will generally set you apart from the crowd. The marine service industry, for the most part, seems to have the same arrogant customer service philosophy as cable company monopolies.

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by Hardhead

That's been my experience as well. Just showing up on time, and keeping your word, and not screwing people, will generally set you apart from the crowd. The marine service industry, for the most part, seems to have the same arrogant customer service philosophy as cable company monopolies.

I'll third that. Here in Annapolis if you're a diesel mechanic and simply have someone who answers the phone, has a technician who will call back and schedule within 24 hours, and actually show up or call if you have to cancel, you'll have all the business you can handle. Seriously, just the most basic of business practices seem to elude nearly everyone in at least the recreational boating side of this industry.

[mvweebles]

Networking. As in wireless routers and interfaces. Very few qualified techs. Next is electricians. But in both cases, you need to know your ****. Going to classes will not cut it. I've seen techs with a 3-ring binder full of factory credentials who can't troubleshoot beyond replace parts until they figure it out (maybe).

This better be a 5+ year plan aggressively executed. Otherwise, you're an also-ran

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Networking. As in wireless routers and interfaces. Very few qualified techs.

Interesting - what are you finding on boats that is tough to set up? It seems to me that most boats don't have complex networking requirements.



(I've done a couple of installs of the Bitstorm BadBoy marine wifi and a local AP (all Ubiquiti hardware with their custom firmware), some commercial work with stock Ubiquiti devices, and like many I've done up our house with wifi and ethernet, a couple of inside servers on fixed IPs, and I'm currently adding light control and automation.)

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Interesting - what are you finding on boats that is tough to set up? It seems to me that most boats don't have complex networking requirements.



(I've done a couple of installs of the Bitstorm BadBoy marine wifi and a local AP (all Ubiquiti hardware with their custom firmware), some commercial work with stock Ubiquiti devices, and like many I've done up our house with wifi and ethernet, a couple of inside servers on fixed IPs, and I'm currently adding light control and automation.)

Newer powerboats in the $500k+ range definitely have networked bells and whistles. At $1m+, easy to drop $150k+ on electronics and gadgets.

In addition to the normal NMEA stuff, multiple Sat tvs, FLIR, entertainment systems, WiFi and Cell extenders, auto-raise/lower blinds, cameras, etc. and want to run on an iPad. Easy to end up with a few HW devices with multiple subnets and couple dozen IP Addresses. It's really cool stuff until something goes obsolete or breaks or does an auto-patch that doesn't play nice.

The number of boats with gadgetry is increasing. The people who can reliably install networked systems is a small number. The percentage who can reliably troubleshoot a 5-year old system is small number of that.

Separately, in my area (St Pete FL), there is a guy who only works on heads. He stays very busy.

[alansmith]

In alameda, read east bay California, it can take months to get your outboard fixed. It is hard to keep a mechanic. Also it is becoming hard to deal with all the gov’t regulations concerning employees. It is a nightmare for business owners.

Tried to get my turbo diesel truck fixed at the Chevy garage. They wanted 200 bucks an hour. Insane.

[svspirited]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

(I've done a couple of installs of the Bitstorm BadBoy marine wifi and a local AP (all Ubiquiti hardware with their custom firmware), some commercial work with stock Ubiquiti devices, and like many I've done up our house with wifi and ethernet, a couple of inside servers on fixed IPs, and I'm currently adding light control and automation.)

Even something as simple as this type of set up is beyond the technical skills of a lot of people. Most know zero about security, firewalls, subnetting, dhcp, strong passwords, etc. Factor in the usual IP networking and the integration into NMEA 2000 and 0183 networks and you have a level of complexity that is well out of reach for the average person. In other words, it's a service you can charge a premium for.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by svspirited

Even something as simple as this type of set up is beyond the technical skills of a lot of people. Most know zero about security, firewalls, subnetting, dhcp, strong passwords, etc. Factor in the usual IP networking and the integration into NMEA 2000 and 0183 networks and you have a level of complexity that is well out of reach for the average person. In other words, it's a service you can charge a premium for.

Thanks. I'm seriously pleased to hear this. My current field doesn't much like old guys, so I've been reviewing some work options for 2020.

[thinwater]

You'll need contractor insurance. Most boatyards require it and you'll want it. Depending on the location, probably contractor's license.


Don't underestimate how physical full-time mechanical work can be for a person nearing retirement. I still do engineering field work, and I still do some mechanical work. But there is a difference when it is all-day. I can't do what I used to. A few days a week would be fine.


Health insurance. this is a big one. With the evisceration of the Affordable Health Care Act and my wife's so-called pre-existing condition (diabetic for 40 years) my out-of-pocket medical and premiums had risen to $35,000/year. I needed a job with benefits. The personal deduction has risen too high to get any help there. I hope you are VERY healthy and can go bare, because otherwise, going it on your own is murder these days.



I retired at 55 when my company went through some changes I couldn't stomach. I toyed with ideas such as the OP suggested, but a small engineering consulting business was a better fit or me. One of my clients considers me full time for the purpose of benefits, which was a HUGE incentive to work for him. But My time is flex and I can sail lots.