Career Summary

Most motorboat mechanics service boats with outboard motors, which run on gasoline and can be taken off boats easily. Inboard motors, which are usually found in cabin cruisers, larger fishing boats and personal water craft such as wave runners, are not removed except for major repairs. Inboard motors often run on diesel fuel and are similar to truck motors.

Most boat mechanics work near large bodies of water. Coastal states with the most jobs for motorboat mechanics include California, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, and Texas. In the spring and summer, boat mechanics generally work more than forty hours per week, including weekends. In the winter they usually work few hours or fix snowmobiles and other machinery.

In some mechanic shops, mechanics may work only on one part of the motor such as the propeller. Others, will work on the entire motor replacing ignition points, adjusting valves, and clean carburetors. A variety of shops will have other services such as body patching and painting.

Boat dealers and marinas employ most mechanics, however, there are some that for manufacturers who make the final adjustments and repairs as equipment comes off the assembly line. A small number of mechanics work for boat rental companies. Lastly, marinas operated by federal, state, and local governments employ their own motor-boat mechanics.

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