Description
Construct, install, repair, and refit wooden and composite boat and ship structures, including hulls, keels, frames, decks, bulkheads, spars, and interior joinery. Install marine fittings, portlights, hatches, and cabin soles; perform caulking, fairing, and fiberglass/epoxy work. Work in shops, yards, and dry docks on new builds and restorations, coordinating with welders, riggers, and marine electricians.
- • Follow shipyard safety rules, PPE, fall protection, and confined-space procedures.
- • Read lines plans, blueprints, and repair specs; loft and lay out full-sized patterns.
- • Take offsets; measure, template, and scribe parts to hull curvature.
- • Mill, shape, steam-bend, and cut timbers, planks, and laminations to size.
- • Install and fasten frames, ribs, keelsons, stringers, and bulkheads.
- • Plank and re-plank hulls using screws, rivets, bolts, or treenails with sealants.
- • Lay and fasten decks, cabin soles, and interior joinery.
- • Fit and install hatches, portlights, doors, companionways, and hardware.
- • Fabricate jigs, molds, and templates for wood or fiberglass construction.
- • Perform fiberglass layup, epoxy bonding, scarfing, and vacuum bagging as required.
- • Caulk seams with cotton or oakum and marine sealants; pay seams and test for leaks.
- • Fair hulls and decks with planes, longboards, and fillers to specified tolerances.
- • Check alignment, fairness, and camber using battens, string lines, levels, and lasers.
- • Drill and bore holes for keel bolts, chainplates, shaft logs, and through-hulls.
- • Remove rotten or damaged planking, frames, and cores; scarf in new sections.
- • Inspect hulls, decks, and bulkheads for rot, delamination, corrosion, or damage.
- • Shore, block, and brace vessels in cradles or on the hard; set temporary supports.
- • Erect safe staging, ladders, and work platforms around vessels.
- • Install sound-deadening, thermal insulation, and moisture barriers in cabins and engine rooms.
- • Finish wood surfaces with sanding, varnish, paint, or oil; repair gelcoat as needed.
- • Build and install cabinets, lockers, bunks, and trim to marine standards.
- • Select and order marine-grade lumber, plywood, fasteners, adhesives, and hardware.
- • Coordinate work with welders, riggers, painters, and marine electricians.
- • Maintain project records, material certificates, and written progress reports.
- • Prepare cost and time estimates for new build, repair, or refit work.
- • Perform minor marine plumbing, light metal fabrication, and sealant work.
- • Cut openings and install transducers, seacocks, and deck hardware with proper bedding.
- • Comply with hazmat handling for solvents, epoxies, antifouling, and lead paint removal.
- • Assist with haul-out, launch, and sea-trial preparations as required.
- • Train and direct helpers or crews and schedule tasks to meet deadlines.
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
