How to become a Sole Engineer
Nobody starts as a Sole Engineer. The usual path starts as a Deckhand / Engineer, a job you can get with no yacht experience, and reaches Sole Engineer at about year 3 to 5 of a yacht career.
The pathFrom no experience to Sole Engineer. A typical path, not a rule.
Deckhand / Engineer
Year 0. Pay from about US$3,800 a month. A deck rating who also covers daily engine room checks and routine maintenance on smaller yachts, usually under 45m, working for the captain or engineer.
Junior Engineer
Year 1. Pay from about US$3,500 a month. The first rung in a superyacht engine room: daily rounds, maintenance, bilges and tenders under a senior engineer while you build sea time for Y4.
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.
Sole Engineer
Year 3-5. Pay from about US$6,000 a month. The only engineer aboard, usually on yachts of 24m to 50m, responsible for every engine, generator, system and repair from the tender to the heads.
Before you applyWhat a Deckhand / Engineer needs, from the Deckhand / Engineer guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
Gets you hired
- MCA AEC 1 and AEC 2
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- PDSD
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- RYA Personal Watercraft
Later, for Sole Engineer
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
- MCA AEC 1 and 2
- MCA Y4 or higher, depending on tonnage and propulsion power
Visas
- US B1/B2
- Schengen right to work or visa
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire a Deckhand / Engineer for daily engine room rounds, filter and impeller changes and tender driving and maintenance. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. A background in watersports and boat handling is the closest match, for example work as a watersports instructor.
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.
- Daily engine room rounds
- Filter and impeller changes
- Tender driving and maintenance
- Mooring and anchoring
- Exterior detailing and varnish
- Basic electrics and plumbing
- Maintenance logging
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets a Deckhand / Engineer must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training and ENG1 medical before a yacht can put you to work as a Deckhand / Engineer.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Deckhand / Engineer CV
Keep it to one page. Put your tickets and your start date at the top, then the work that transfers: watersports and boat handling.
See a Deckhand / Engineer 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. 3 Deckhand / Engineer jobs are open on SuperyachtRoles.com now.
See open Deckhand / Engineer jobs →Step up to Junior Engineer
The usual path puts Junior Engineer at year 1. Pay starts from about US$3,500 a month.
How to become a Junior Engineer →
Deckhand / Engineer jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com. Some ask for experience, so read each advert.
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become a Sole Engineer with no experience?
Not directly. Sole Engineer is head of department work. The usual path starts as a Deckhand / Engineer, which you can get with no yacht experience, and reaches Sole Engineer at about year 3 to 5.
How long does it take to become a Sole Engineer?
The usual path puts Sole Engineer at about year 3 to 5 of a yacht career, after Deckhand / Engineer, Junior Engineer and Third Engineer. It is a typical path, not a rule: time on busy yachts and the tickets you pass move it.
What does a Deckhand / Engineer earn at the start?
From about US$3,800 a month, by our Deckhand / Engineer guide. undefined
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