how do I get an apprenticeship in boat building?

[johndo12]

Hi there,

I am looking to start a career in boat building but am having difficulty finding a company. Could someone give me a bit of guidance as to where to look or any companies that are looking for an apprentice? Would be happy to do a trial period to show what I can do and how keen I am.

I have two and a half years joinery experience and am currently studying architecture at university. I am looking for work In Australia,New Zealand, UK area.

Thanks
John

[Poida]

Best of luck Johndo, I live in Western Australia, somewhere between New Zealand and the UK.

Very few wooden boat builders here, aluminium or steel.

Building wooden boats is very time consuming and therefore more expensive than other materials.

Poida

[Crag Cay]

What sort of boat builder do you want to be ? What is the vision you have of this 'career'?

You might like to visit and talk to firms like Southampton Yacht Services (tradtional-ish,) and Green Marine (high tech) and ask them what sort of skills they are looking for. How far away are your skills from what they want?

One of the problems is that few boat yards are big enough to have an HR Dept that will have kept abreast of the latest Government (UK) initiatives to help companies offer apprenticeships. It would be best if you became the expert in all this (including any help regional development agencies and other bodies might be able to offer). You can then approach any yards that might interest you with the full picture. It shows your commitment and initiative as well as demonstrating easily to the company what the financial implications would be to taking you on.

The most successful career boatbuilders I know (one metal, one wood), both have one thing in common and that is an overwhelming obsession with money and finance. One trained as an accountant and the other was born with deep pockets and short arms. The boat building bit they picked up along the way. But as a result they are both entering prosperous retirement because they never forgot to sell boats for more than it cost to build them. A lack of appreciation of this reality is why many boatbuilders (especially in the UK) have never enjoyed long careers.

We all laugh about the 'truism' that the only way to make a small fortune in boatbuilding is to start with a large fortune, but if you want to succeed it will be as much because of your managerial skills than your boat building accumen. The boat world is awash with romantic dreamers. There's nothing wrong with that, but just be realistic about where YOU want to go with this.

[johndo12]

Many thanks for your reply, I would also consider going to the states as there seems to be a good few opportunitiesout there. I dont believe its true that there arent many jobs out there as there are a load of companies (many of whome dont reply to emails!!) I believe if you want something enough then you'll find it. Ill look into the southampton boat yard though.thanks
John

[Poida]

Right on there Johndo, I think many companies do not reply to emails because not many companies read them. Most of the time their inbox is full and they wouldn'y even get it.

In marketing and I think it is the same as looking for employment, the more effort you put into your presentation the better your results will be. Letterbox drops equal probably to email normally has a 2% response rate.

Make your presentation as detailed as possible. Find out as much as you can from the company, websites are good and outline how you can contribute to their business.

All the best.
Poida

[alan white]

Originally Posted by johndo12

Many thanks for your reply, I would also consider going to the states as there seems to be a good few opportunitiesout there. I dont believe its true that there arent many jobs out there as there are a load of companies (many of whome dont reply to emails!!) I believe if you want something enough then you'll find it. Ill look into the southampton boat yard though.thanks
John

Hi John,

Up here in Maine, there are quite a few small wood boat builders. I live close to some of the best in the world. Then there is Hinckley closeby, who spend a lot of effort on custom interiors.
You might write to the Brooklin boatyard in Brookllin, Maine. They are busy- busy with some good sized sailboats right now.
Then there are a lot of apprenticeship programs such as the Rockport Apprenticeshop in Rockport, Maine. They build some nice boats.
the best advice I can give you is to contact the crew at Wooden Boat Magazine in Brooklin. They know pretty much where to send people.
Many of the teachers who give classes there are from this area, and they are usually boatbuilders.
Good luck, any case. And if you get out this way, look me up. Maybe I could use you on some projects.

Alan

[Rusty Bucket]

Hi John, If it were me looking for a job I'd either enroll in one of the boat building schools like the ones found in wooden boat magazine or I'd check out all the the little yards found up and down the east coast from Canada to Texas. Look in National Fisherman Magazine or Boats and Harbors and you'll find a lot of small commercial yards that are very busy this time of year. There seems to have been a resurgence in interest in wood commercial boats lately, I think you missed the Maine boatbuilders show this year but that would have been a good place to meet people. Get a list from the boat pages in National Fisherman and spend the weekend on the coast, ask for a job and tell'm you'll do anything. Good luck, rusty

[alan white]

The boatbuilding classes at WoodenBoat are wonderful, but it seems every time I've visited there, the students have been primarily professionals looking for a hands-on vacation/ class. The reason is cost. Those classes are expensive, taking place in a kind of a fantasy setting replete with duck pond and lush meadows.
All great (hey-- I wanna go there when I die!), but short lived (one to ? weeks) if you've got the bucks. After all, the teachers and shops are the best. Then there're the boat outings, the home-cooked food, etc., etc..
If you've got some money, John, by all means go there. It's the best!

Alan

[johndo12]

yea had a look at some of the boat schools in the states but like you say there expensive and sadly I dont have the money. I notice Fairline yachts are hiring apprentices but its not particularly traditional build which is what id really want to be doing.
I've emailed a bundle of companies and some have got back to me but not many. Reckon its a case of goin travelling and knockin on doors as one of you said, emails only get you so far! face to face chats are always gonna get you farther.
thanks for the help.
John

[Matt Lingley]

Go for small places, knock on doors, ask for work experence (ie, work for nowt for a week or two), say you'll sweep the floor for a day, just get your toe in the door. If your already a trained joiner somone with some fitting out work would find you handy.
I've always found smaller places more inviting. Look for yards where the boss clearly has passion for his work, show you have passion for yours too and he will quite likely help you.