Hydraulic Systems Technician

The work is diagnosis, servicing and repair of hydraulic power packs, pumps, valves, cylinders and hoses. On a typical yacht that covers zero-speed stabilisers, bow and stern thrusters, steering rams, the passerelle, the tender crane, garage doors and the swim platform. You read schematics, test pressures and flows, trace leaks, change seals and make up hoses. Increasingly you also deal with the PLC and proportional valve controls that run these systems. That is why technicians with some electrical knowledge get hired first.

The job changes with the calendar. In winter refit season you are in the yard, stripping cylinders, flushing systems and replacing hoses that are due after five or six years. In summer you fly out to yachts in the Med or Caribbean to fix a passerelle or stabiliser that has failed with guests due the next day. On a yacht with guests aboard you work quietly, keep the area clean and finish fast. Owners notice a swim platform that will not come down.

Most people come in from a trade. Apprentices in plant, agricultural, offshore or industrial hydraulics move across easily, as do ex-military fitters. Employers want a recognised mechanical qualification, hands-on fault-finding and a clean, careful approach on finished interiors. Manufacturer training from companies such as Naiad, Quantum or CMC Marine counts for a lot, as do fluid power certifications. If you want to join a crew, you need STCW Basic Safety and an ENG1.

After two or three years you take on jobs alone and work directly with chief engineers. Senior technicians lead refit packages, write quotes and train juniors. Some go to sea as second or third engineers, usually after adding the AEC and Y4 tickets. Others move into yard project management or technical management ashore, where real systems knowledge sets them apart from managers who have only done paperwork.