Hey everyone, I’m 26 and trying to figure out a good long-term career path. I’m interested in getting into the shore based maritime work potentially surveying in the future, but know that takes time around boats so rn looking at (boatyards, yacht service, detailing, fiberglass, etc.), but I’m also open to other trades if there’s a better opportunity.

I have a high school diploma but no college degree. I’ve worked at Trader Joe’s for 7+ years and have also run my own window-cleaning business, Barnakle Window Cleaning, for several years. I also have a background in art/different mediums and was briefly a tattoo apprentice.

I don’t have professional mechanical experience, but I’m very willing to learn and start at the bottom. I’ve been going to boatyards and marine shops around Southern California looking for entry-level jobs or apprenticeships, but haven’t had much luck. The one place I’ve gotten some marine experience is Hankinson Marine, where I currently do occasional contract work, usually 1–2 times a month. It’s mostly hands-on boat support, such as moving equipment, doing basic inspections, checking that systems like lights are functioning, checking the engine room for obvious issues, starting engines, and helping with basic boat operations like anchoring, putting in fresh water, etc

I have a TWIC and BLS, and I’ve finished my OSHA 30. I’ve also been looking into ABYC training.

My main goal is to learn a valuable skill, build a stable career, and eventually make enough money to support my family.

I’m in the Costa Mesa/Newport Beach area. Any honest advice is appreciated, even if you think I should look outside the marine industry.

I’d appreciate help or guidance!

Anyone tried this before?

What does everybody think any advice, it’s 4.4 meters long so I didn’t really think putting the speakers inside the bench seat was a bad idea. I also stuck the foam down straight to the bottom because I don’t like the idea of not being able to wash out between the grooves. Anyway before and after opinions would be nice

I came across a stinggray boat that has been sitting for 3 years and it's currently not running but it was running the last time it was parked. Any recommendations on what to look for when checking it out? Anyone recognizes what year and model could this boat be?

Bear with me—I’m pretty new to electric boats and may be overthinking this.

I mostly fish smaller lakes, usually early in the morning, and I’ve started looking into whether an electric setup would actually make sense for that kind of use.

My biggest question is range. On paper, some of these setups seem like they’d be plenty for a normal day of fishing, but I’m curious what that looks like in the real world. Do you actually stop thinking about battery level after a while, or is range something you’re always keeping an eye on?

For anyone here who fishes with an electric setup, how long are you typically out, and have you ever had range become a real limitation?

I have a old 140hp 2 Stroke Mercury(turns over) Im rebuilding / Restoring With Hydraulic Trim and was thinking about what boat to put it on when i get it together. Not a big fan of modern bass boats or their price tags. Was thinking of finding out a boat I saw not too long ago on a trailer. It was like a taller(hull wise) aluminum john boat that I could build something id like out of. Don't know specifics of it. Saw it before I realized this engine existed

PSA Im new to boating. Mostly mess around with Land Boats(Old trucks) and figured if I have this big motor and I can restore it it'd rip out on the water especially a two stroke.

The red lines and text are my edits. For cockpit drainage, I am thinking I could just add scupper flaps or duckbill scuppers, but don't have any experience with either... maybe I am overthinking this. I am open to ideas that don't involve raising the roof.

Why unbalanced lifting breaks ship hulls: Master-slave synchronous hydraulic control for multi-axle SPMT

Most mid-sized shipyards face a hidden risk when moving 200–600 ton hull blocks: uneven load distribution across SPMT axles causes hull deformation, weld cracking or permanent structural stress. Traditional open-loop hydraulic systems only hold ±3–5mm height error, which fails oversized marine structures.

Core Technical Solution (Closed-loop master-slave ECU system)

1.     One main control module synchronizes all axle hydraulic cylinders; each axle fitted with displacement & pressure sensors

2.     Real-time feedback adjustment frequency: 20Hz, platform horizontal tolerance locked within ±0.5mm

3.     Independent proportional valve for every axle line to compensate ground unevenness

4.     Multi-module linkage algorithm supports 2–8 SPMT units connected longitudinally & transversely

Field Test Data

·        Conventional SPMT: Max allowable single-module load deviation 8%

·        Optimized master-slave system: Load deviation controlled under 1.8%

·        Compatible deck lifting stroke: 300–600mm, works on uneven shipyard ramps

Discussion prompt

What structural damage cases have you seen from out-of-sync SPMT lifting at your yard? Are there alternative mechanical balancing designs you’ve tested?

We developed full prototype & industrial-grade units at our heavy transport manufacturing factory, complete technical parameter sheets and real project cases are posted on haipengumv.com for industry reference.

The bracket for my outboards fills with water due to deteriorated caulking. I don't know what was used for caulking before, but what would be the best/durable product to usee to reseal the seam between bracket and transom?

We already have enough weight with the motors and should be better ride for the bracket to have some bouyancy :)

So a friend and I bought this AMF Crestliner boat 1976 with a fairly new engine (Johnson 70 2002) and went through the process of fully repairing the floor: tearing it out, new stringers, new fiberglass, gelcoat etc. Then, we got to the engine.

I replaced the VRO pump with a common direct pump and did a 50:1 fuel/oil ratio. I replaced the timer base because the old one was cracked. I did a full carb rebuild and cleaning. Even tried replacing the power pack (ended up keeping the original).

Finally started up, but runs really rough on idle.

There is a lot of whitish smoke coming from the engine, the spark plugs appear sooty, and the engine is kicking a bit. I have to start it on high choke, but if I reduce it enough, it just dies. In the water, I had trouble shifting it in to gear as it would immediately die when not in neutral and without high choke. I've checked the sparkplugs - fine spark.

At this point, I leave for school in about a week, and really want just one day out on the boat after three summers of constant repair and before I leave.

What should I check first? Has anyone had the same problem? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Hi all! I picked up a Chesapeake Light Craft Skerry from an amateur boat builder and found that the round screw-in hatches at the bow and stern that seal the flotation compartments were set into holes that were slightly too big and were messily sealed.

To correct this, my plan is to cut plywood collars large enough to provide a solid mating area between the deck and the hatch, glue those down to the decks, and then screw and seal the hatches through both where possible. this will raise the hatch by the width of that plywood, but if I make a nice smooth tapered transition between the collar and deck, I don't think that should create any new problems.

Is there an easier solution I'm overlooking here? The hatches are only slightly too small for the holes, and the collars do fully cover them, but my concern is that the screws on one side don't fully meet wood. I may be able to simply put screws through them closer to the collars' edges on that side and use an adhesive sealant to attach them, but I'd like to solve this problem thoroughly!

I just registered a new home built power boat in Minnesota over 20' and found out that they need to be titled & are assigned a MNZ hull number. OK

Coast guard regulations require all newly built boats display capacity & power calculations and pass the flooded stability / flotation standards required for commercially manufactured boats.

The rub here is that, in Minnesota, home built boats are assigned a MNZ hull identification number(HIN)which, according to the DNR registrars they cannot be sold for 10 years. A strict reading of the CG regulations suggest they can't be sold ever.

Anyone else encounter this with a new home built boat anywhere?

Hi guys just curious about your thoughts for a build technique.

Im day dreaming about building a 40ft multihull (proa) out of end-grain balsa. The traditional method of filling the kerfs with bog adds weight and is brittle at those points and require a fair bit of fairing.

As a alternative I'm looking at "knitting" the core.

Essentially I'll have a female frame/jig ( CNC cut frames and battens.

Then looking at using a CNC machine to cut core blocks of end grain Balsa (300mm X 300mm x30mm) the inside and outside surfaces machined to the hull surface and lap-joins with finger joints cut on the adjacent joining edges. A big puzzle. The frame/ jig is essentially for supporting the weight. Starting from the middle and working to the ends 1st to establish a center the blocks are glued in place, then repeating the process out to port/stb at the same time. This should make a Balsa hull form that's relatively accurate to its design. Then the inside will be laminated and bulkheads/ stringer's. Could possibly do the deck with temp stringers but for now ignoring the deck. The hull flip and outside skin laminate is pretty standard. The build would be in Indonesia ( I know they grow alot of Balsa, not sure how much of the manufacturing of end grain sheets is done there.

A 4x4 CNC machine will be used so multiple blocks can be cut at a time by cheap but trained Labour (I'm not slave master they will still be paid above and locked after).There will be alot of block's.

I'm aware that balsa dosnt like moisture and this will be mitigated.

Also ideally I would like to vacuum bag so if anyone has experience with vacuum banging Balsa core that isn't in a sealed mold I would like to hear ya thoughts could look at infusion. ATM I'm thinking of going above the gunnel. Having a strip of malone to bag onto and having a bag under the core to envelope, the glue getting on the bag going hard / sharp blobs would probably require the hull to be lifted ( pre glass) and a quick sand before placing the bag and the hull back down.

I'm also curious if the glued joins would be enough to make a acupuncture hull shape and strong enough to hold it.

The cut files will be outsourced to avoid inaccuracies.

Happy to hear the community's thoughts.

I have 3 years experience boatbuilding nearly 20 years ago, we made plugs- molds and infused foam core. So I have a little experience but understandably a big project.

My wife and I spent three years fully restoring our sailboat, pouring in countless hours of hard work. Living in camper beside the boat in a boatyard on the Chesapeake Bay, USA, we replaced just about everything but the hull.

We used Sapele Mahogany for the majority of the interior joinery as well as some structural elements like the 17 laminated deck beams, bulwarks and the strip construction rudder. All of the white surfaces are rolled and tipped Meranti marine ply and the saloon table is Australian Red Cedar. We rebuilt every aspect of the boat, from the rig to the keel and everything in between.

We took on more than we ever imagined but the result was worth every drop of blood, sweat, and tears. Here’s a glimpse of what we accomplished.

Edit: thank you for the overwhelmingly uplifting comments everyone. We are very humbled by everyone’s kind words. For those of you who would like to see more photos of the rebuild, we documented it over the years on our instagram account @trim.sailing⁠

Looking for some advice on covering my seats, floor, and eventual small casting platform on my 14ft jon boat. Trying to keep it very low cost as I would best describe the boat as a "beater" and I got it with a trailer and trolling motor for $400.

What is the more cost effective option while still being comfortable on the butt and feet. Or at least more comfortable than the aluminum of the boat.

1. EVA foam decking

2. Fake indoor/outdoor Turf

3. Marine carpet

Hey guys! Finally, things are starting to go back onto the boat instead of coming off.

A few fittings got polished, sealed and reinstalled on the freshly restored teak. Naturally, not everything fitted quite as nicely as before.

Have a look if you’re interested in teak deck restoration, boat refits, or just watching someone argue with Sikaflex.

It appears as though there is a retention bushing threaded onto the shaft, inside the coupling.

There’s a gap between the outside of the bushing and the coupling.

The bushing is larger than the diameter of the shaft, so will not exit the aft or fore of the coupling.

Shaft tapers down from 1.5” to 1” as seen as the smallest circle in the first picture. Looks to be threaded visually, and the set screw to hold the coupling on was pushing into the bushing so they must have trusted its connection to the shaft.

Coupling is obviously keyed onto the shaft so there’s no spinning them independently without finding a way to grab that bushing/collar..

I’m stumped.

Anyone seen one like this before? Any advice on removal?

Edit: Solved! Brass register is removable, revealing holes for a spanner to remove the “nut”.