How to become an Engine Fitter
Engine Fitter is a role people enter from work ashore, not from a junior yacht job. You need no yacht experience. You do need the qualifications and the background below.
Where you startAnd where it leads. A typical path, not a rule.
Engine Fitter
Year 0. Pay from about US$3,800 a month. A trade-qualified mechanic in a large yacht's engine room, overhauling main engines, generators, pumps and deck machinery for the chief engineer.
Third Engineer
Year 2-3. Pay from about US$4,000 a month. Junior engineering officer on larger yachts, running daily rounds, planned maintenance and engine room watches under the second and chief engineer.
Second Engineer
Year 4-6. Pay from about US$6,000 a month. The engineer who runs the engine room day to day under the chief, keeping generators, machinery and hotel systems working on yachts from 45m upward.
First Engineer
Year 7-9. Pay from about US$8,000 a month. Second in command of the engine room on larger yachts, running daily maintenance, watchkeeping and the engineering team under the Chief Engineer.
Before you applyWhat an Engine Fitter needs, from the Engine Fitter guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Recognised mechanical or marine trade qualification
Gets you hired
- AEC 1 and AEC 2
- MCA Engine Room Watch Rating
- Manufacturer courses (MTU, Caterpillar, MAN)
- PDSD
- Confined space and hot work training
Visas
- US B1/B2
- Schengen right to work or visa
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire an Engine Fitter for diesel engine overhaul, generator maintenance and hydraulics and pumps. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. For an Engine Fitter, that means your qualifications and the years you have worked in the profession.
Write each job on your CV as what you did, with numbers: how many guests, how many boats, how many covers. Then list every skill below that you can prove.
- Diesel engine overhaul
- Generator maintenance
- Hydraulics and pumps
- Precision measurement
- Fabrication and pipework
- Planned maintenance logging
- Confined space safety
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets an Engine Fitter must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical and Recognised mechanical or marine trade qualification before a yacht can put you to work as an Engine Fitter.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Engine Fitter CV
Keep it to one page. Put your tickets and your start date at the top, then your qualifications and your work ashore, with dates.
See a Engine Fitter CV example →Create your crew profile
Upload that CV and we build your profile from it. Your name and contact details stay hidden. Captains and recruiters contact you. It is free.
Create your crew profile →Apply and look for daywork
Apply to open jobs and to crew agencies, and take daywork: a few paid days on a yacht is how most first-time crew get a reference.
Engine Fitter guide →Step up to Third Engineer
The usual path puts Third Engineer at year 2 to 3. Pay starts from about US$4,000 a month.
How to become a Third Engineer →
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become an Engine Fitter with no experience?
With no yacht experience, yes. With no professional background, no. Engine Fitter is a role people enter from work ashore, and you need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical and recognised mechanical or marine trade qualification.
How long does it take to become an Engine Fitter?
It is a starting role, so the time is what it takes to get the tickets and find the first job. From there, the usual path puts Third Engineer at year 2 to 3.
What does an Engine Fitter earn at the start?
From about US$3,800 a month, by our Engine Fitter guide. Charter tips are shared across the crew and can add a month's pay or more each season. Rotation is less common than for officers, though some large yachts offer 3 on 1 off or similar.
Let the yachts come to you
Upload your CV and we build your crew profile from it. Captains and recruiters contact you. Free for crew.