How to become a Hydraulic Systems Technician
Nobody starts as a Hydraulic Systems Technician. The usual path starts as a Mechanical Technician, a job you can get with no yacht experience, and reaches Hydraulic Systems Technician at about year 2 to 7 of a yacht career.
The pathFrom no experience to Hydraulic Systems Technician. A typical path, not a rule.
Mechanical Technician
Year 0-2. Pay from about US$3,800 a month. A hands-on engine room rating on larger yachts who services diesels, pumps, tenders and deck machinery under the direction of the engineers.
Hydraulic Systems Technician
Year 2-7. Pay from about US$45,000 a year. Services and repairs yacht hydraulics such as stabilisers, passerelles, cranes, thrusters, steering and swim platforms, in refit yards and aboard.
Before you applyWhat a Mechanical Technician needs, from the Mechanical Technician guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
- PDSD (Proficiency in Designated Security Duties)
Gets you hired
- AEC 1 and 2 (Approved Engine Course)
- MCA Engine Room Watch Rating
- Trade qualification such as NVQ Level 3 or City & Guilds in mechanical engineering
- Manufacturer courses (MTU, Caterpillar, Yamaha)
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
Later, for Hydraulic Systems Technician
- Recognised mechanical or hydraulic trade qualification (apprenticeship, NVQ Level 3 or equivalent)
- STCW Basic Safety Training and ENG1 if joining a crew
Visas
- Schengen right to work or visa
- US C1/D crew visa
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire a Mechanical Technician for diesel engine servicing, pump and valve overhaul and outboard and jet ski maintenance. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. A background in marine engineering ashore is the closest match, for example work as a marine mechanic.
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 servicing
- Pump and valve overhaul
- Outboard and jet ski maintenance
- Hydraulic fault finding
- Planned maintenance logging
- Basic welding and fabrication
- Stores and spares control
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets a Mechanical Technician must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical certificate and PDSD (Proficiency in Designated Security Duties) before a yacht can put you to work as a Mechanical Technician.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Mechanical Technician CV
Keep it to one page. Put your tickets and your start date at the top, then the work that transfers: marine engineering ashore.
See a Mechanical Technician 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.
Mechanical Technician guide →Step up to Hydraulic Systems Technician
The usual path puts Hydraulic Systems Technician at year 2 to 7. Pay starts from about US$45,000 a year.
How to become a Hydraulic Systems Technician →
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become a Hydraulic Systems Technician with no experience?
Not directly. Hydraulic Systems Technician is mid level work. The usual path starts as a Mechanical Technician, which you can get with no yacht experience, and reaches Hydraulic Systems Technician at about year 2 to 7.
How long does it take to become a Hydraulic Systems Technician?
The usual path puts Hydraulic Systems Technician at about year 2 to 7 of a yacht career, after Mechanical Technician. It is a typical path, not a rule: time on busy yachts and the tickets you pass move it.
What does a Mechanical Technician earn at the start?
From about US$3,800 a month, by our Mechanical Technician guide. Usually tax-free, with food, cabin and flights home included. Charter yachts share tips among crew, which can add $1,500 to $3,000 a month in season. Rotation is rare at this level.
Other paths from Mechanical TechnicianAll roles
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