Career change... Boat Mechanic?
 

I just got laid off from a 19 year run in the tech business. I don't think I want to go back to the desk. I enjoy wrenching on cars and currently have a very serious relationship, with a successful girlfriend that lives on a lake. She mentioned I should look into being a boat mechanic.

I have 6 months of severance to volunteer at a marina and start learning about boats and their differences with cars.

Can someone make a living (50-60k) wrenching on boats as an independent contractor?
Any first hand experience or advice?

You bet - owning a boat makes racing a Porsche seem reasonable.

The guys down here start on craigslist as "Mobile Mechanics" build their client base, then set up shop.

Most boat stuff is pretty reasonable (as in easy to work on) the harder stuff for me is the newer outboards - they look nothing like a traditional engine

There are also tech schools for things like diesel marine mechanics... that may be worth looking into, depending on how far you are from the coast

If you spent the time to learn, put a shingle out as a diesel mechanic, were honest and timely, and relocated to the coast you would have all the work you wanted. Especially if you familiarized yourself with the old Detroits. My go-to guy is working for only a few clients as he wants to retire, but their isn't any body else to do the work and he doesn't want to leave us high and dry.

Small boat gas engines have someone at every corner to work on them....diesels, not so much. For a rebuild, your looking at 3k a hole...DD 6v92 = 18k

People will always pay for their toys.
Try to get on your own as ASAP.
Dont be the lowest bidder.
Learn to say NO and RUN from some jobs and some people

I don't have first hand experience other than being a boat owner for 30+ years but here are my thoughts: Yes you can probably make 50K-60K being an independent contractor but how many years will it take you to build up that book of business? If I am having trouble with my $20K outboard starting I want an experienced mechanic trained to work on that engine. Same with the diesel in my sailboat. When starting out your business will most likely be strictly be word of mouth and that can take a long time to build up and one or two screw ups and ??

"Boat mechanic" is a rather vague term as there are the old outboards, the newer very high-tech outboards, gas in-boards, small diesels, big diesels, turbo diesels. Are you talking about major engine repair or just doing the maintenance, i.e oil changes, tune-ups etc. many owners pay someone else to do which is probably the best way to start.

Ask yourself this? Can you make $50-60K if you decided to be an IC auto mechanic rather than boat?

Boat mechanics are just above small engine mechanics and not very many of them make good money. You would be competing against people with lots of experience even if you could find a job. There are a ton of courses for boat mechanics because you start at the bottom.

Not so true, a 30 footer might have inboards or even big diesels
My advice is to move beyond the outboard as there is too much competition .
Opinions are opinions
You want to go to the marina or the dock and fix it.
If it is sitting on a trailer it will cost the customer at least twice as much cause he is going to complain anyway .
Dont mess with the ski boats.

Find some old salt that has been wrenching boats forever and ride his shop coat for a while to see what you think. Show up early, leave late, and he might just show you a thing or two about the biz. Schools are great but no substitute for hands-on with a very experienced tech at your side.

The mobile guy I used on my twin diesel charged 80 an hour. He was good and has been doing it for 20+ years. He was always busy.

Dave

It's funny as I was in the reverse situation, somewhat and trying to get back to IT, first tier support or physical security. In a 'normal' economy good people, willing to work with a broad set of skills and education can transition careers. They have value in a tight labor market.

This economy........................................... ........................not so much. Is there demand for an experienced marine technician? Yes! Is there demand for an IT guy trying to transition into a very skill specific, blue collar line of work.............................................. ...maybe........... but only at the bottom rung.

If you decide it's your calling you'll have to reconcile the fact that $50-60k in income is probably down the road 5-7 years

Some of the most difficult working conditions can be found in the bilge of old boats, or most small to mid sized boats for that matter.

Got good flexibility and agility to work upside down. Those will be big factors is some jobs you come across.

Working for knowledgeable, well funded owners of nice boats is the plum to aim for somewhere down the line. Working for them is the ultimate goal but that would probably come later.

I have enjoyed doing sailboat rigging work. It's clean, not too many tools involved, climbing rigs is nicer to me than grubbing around in the bilge.

Cheers Richard

EX of mine had a 27' Catalina. I do not miss working on that boat.

LOL, I was just thinking along the same lines.

I got to the point where I hated working on my boat.

How true.... we used to joke around (more or less) that the ideal boat mechanic (for most boats with inboards anyway) would be a 13 year old female gymnst ..

Oh yeah. I just paid a "boat load" for some work on my sailboat. Had I known before, I would have bought a trailer and done it myself. Boat repair is high dollar work. Not a bad idea. Good luck! Larry

This would be a good approach.

I've had several boats (18' Tahoe, 23' Monterrey current) and always DIY'd the work. At least in regards to a modern I/O or inboard you'll mostly be working on GM V-6 and V-8 engines. They are dead simple, the only real complication is learning about the outdrive and getting access. In my Monterrey you have to remove the back seat to get to the front of the engine (belts, fuel filter, impeller, water pump, etc) which is a huge PITA. This is pretty common, access in boats sucks. There are several boat shops in Wichita, they both charge about $80/hr, have wait-lists that can approach 2 months in the summer, and are astoundingly mediocre in customer service and aptitude. Around here, someone with skill and professionalism could make a killing, especially if they brought the convenience of being a mobile mechanic. Researching your local market will really be key, you need to identify if there is really a need or if you will be trying to take share of a limited market from some well established and respected shops.

If you were to go this route, you should consider diversifying into fiberglass repair, boat detailing, and trailer repair. Could be a good opportunity to bundle services and make yourself more appealing.

Sounds like an opportunity! Call the guy, see if he'll mentor and transition you so he can retire. You get his client base and mentored by and expert experienced guy. He gets to retire and pass on to someone he molded a bit. Can't imagine buying him out would cost a lot, probably just tools and goodwill.

I think that in the boat and old car industry there are lots of old guys ready to step back and let a younger hand help their customers. Rather than just close up shop and retire, they want to keep their hand in it.

Try finding one of those guys to get to know, and work for, and transition to the business to your own as he steps further back over the years.

We live on the coast. Know a few mechanics.

I won't be suggesting the industry to my kids that is for sure.

Diesel work requires major inventory investment and getting in bed with Cummins, etc. Far more involved and expensive than most would think.

Outboard wrenching nowadays is about fuel systems and the evils of ethanol.

Mechanic is such a hard job in a boat. Most boat owners dont have any interest in the engine and only call when its buggered up. Why not get into the buisness as a project manager and build your own client based maintanance service working with the local yards .Thats what I do. I get paid to move boats and the other day got $900 bucks to tke the yard manager out to lunch and tell him one of his customers was pissed because they ran a screw into the wall of the engine room and didnt check and the screw came out into the cabin part and poked thru the wood paneling.
I built this bussiness all by myself www.autosearacing.com

This is golden advice to anyone looking into starting their own business.

A close friend (friend A) loves trucks so sold everything and opened a shop to do truck upgrades (he was also in IT).
His biz went under in a few months.
My other friend (friend B) who built a successful business gave the same advice Cajun gave above.. that before he went "all in" find a shop that does that kind of work and see if the fantasy equals the reality.
Friend A is back working for Intel
Friend B was working for Northrup about 30 years ago when he quit and started he own business... if he had stay he would have retired with a pension by now.

My brother had boats... I helped him work on them (gas)... don't remember it being fun (I worked as payback for him talking out on the boat).

If you are coming from a 19 year career I'm guessing you are at least in your 40's?

Diesel mechanic is a pretty dirty physical job... sure you want to start down that road looking at the big five oh?

I have very little boat experience, but a lifetime in the auto biz. I don't know how much wrenching you do currently, but tinkering with your own cars on the weekends, and doing it every day , day in day out, for money is a whole different ball game.
Also, I don't know how old you are, but it can be hard on your body. Wanna do this for the next 15 -20 years? Think about it long and hard before you leap . Just my .02

What Fred said. BTW, wrenching on many boats means crawling down into a hot engine bay with no room to move and contorting oneself, or crawling into a bilge full of god knows what...

While my boats have always been my #1 joy in life, the last thing id ever want to do is work on them for a living as a marine mechanic. Most working conditions on a boat suck.



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