How to become a boat and ship builder or repairer

Official title: Boat and ship builders and repairers

Also called: Boat maker, Ship fitter, Ship plater, Boat builder, Ship builder, Barge builder, Yacht builder, Ship's joiner, Ship's plater, Boat repairer, Ship repairer, Barge repairer

Boat and ship builders and repairers construct, install and repair wooden structures and fittings, and shape, position, rivet and seal metal plates and girders to form the metal structures and frameworks for marine craft.

Main tasks

• Examines drawings and specifications to determine job requirements
• Uses rules, scribes and punches to mark out metal plate with guidelines and reference points and cuts plates using appropriate tools
• Uses machine tools to bend, curve, punch, drill and straighten metal plate as required and positions and aligns metal platework or frame for welding and bolting
• Rivets together metal plates and girders, seals seams, smooths welds, fixes metal doors, collars, portholes, tank and hatch covers
• Selects and measures appropriate wood and cuts, shapes and drills to specification using saws, planes, chisels and other power or hand tools
• Aligns and fixes prepared wood pieces by screwing, nailing, gluing and dowelling to form decking, small wooden marine craft and their interiors and fittings
• Maintains and repairs woodwork and fittings

How to become one

Entrants typically possess GCSEs/S grades. Training is usually via apprenticeship including practical experience and technical training. Apprenticeships and vocational qualifications in boat building and relevant aspects of engineering and construction are available at levels 2 and 3.

Ways in

• Apprenticeship (England): Boatbuilder (level 3). England. Typically 42 months. Skills England standard ST0059.
• Apprenticeship (England): Marine engineer (level 3). England. Typically 42 months. Skills England standard ST0364.
• Apprenticeship (England): Maritime mechanical and electrical mechanic (level 2). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0276.

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £33,896 a year
• About 12,400 people work in this job now, and about 11,700 are projected by 2035. (-5.6%)

Related jobs

• Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians
• Vehicle body builders and repairers
• Vehicle paint technicians
• Aircraft maintenance and related trades
• Rail and rolling stock builders and repairers

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Questions people ask

How do I become a boat and ship builder or repairer?

Entrants typically possess GCSEs/S grades. Training is usually via apprenticeship including practical experience and technical training. Apprenticeships and vocational qualifications in boat building and relevant aspects of engineering and construction are available at levels 2 and 3.

How much does a boat and ship builder or repairer earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £33,896 a year (Office for National Statistics).

Is a boat and ship builder or repairer a growing career in the UK?

Employment is projected to fall 6% by 2035, from about 12,400 to about 11,700 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a boat and ship builder or repairer?

Not always. 32% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Boatbuilder (level 3).

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03