Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Starts inboard and inboard-outboard boat engines and watches for smoke, vibration, or misfiring, then repairs mechanical parts such as power tilts, bilge pumps, and power take-offs. Changes oil and filters, replaces gears, piston rings, and spark plugs, and checks cooling by idling the motor and watching the thermometer. Inspects and adjusts propellers and shafts, mounts motors, and runs the boat at different speeds on the water to test the work, documenting results. Suits people who like hands-on engine work and checking a repair both at idle and underway.
Typical education: Post-Secondary Certificate (vocational/technical)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$57'550
Median Wage Market Position
$57'550
What you might do
- Start boat engines and watch how they run
- Change oil and filters on motorboats
- Repair bilge pumps and power-tilt systems
- Replace gears, piston rings, and spark plugs
- Mount motors and test boats on the water
- Inspect and adjust propellers and propeller shafts
Skills that matter
- Watching motors for smoke, vibration, and misfire
- Changing oil and filters on boat engines
- Running boats at speed to test engines
- Repairing tilts, pumps, and power take-offs
- Judging cooling by idle temperatures
- Servicing propellers and propeller shafts
AI & the future of this role
Boat engines sit in cramped, wet spaces where diagnosis depends on feel and experience. AI might help interpret error codes, but in-person troubleshooting and seasonal service demand tend to hold employment prospects up.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details