Tender Engineer
The tender engineer looks after everything that leaves the mother ship under its own power. That means limousine tenders, chase boats, RIBs, jet skis, seabobs, e-foils and the outboards that keep beach set-ups supplied. It is a hands-on mechanical job that sits between the deck and engine departments. For a good diesel or small-engine mechanic, it is one of the cleanest routes into yachting.
The jobWhat fills the day
Most of the work is maintenance. You service inboard diesels and waterjets on the limousine and crew tenders, outboards on the RIBs, and four-stroke engines on the jet skis. You also handle the batteries and chargers on seabobs, e-foils and electric surfboards. You keep service logs, order parts, winterise and recommission machines, and fix whatever a guest has run onto a sandbank. Most of this goes into the planned maintenance system, often IDEA or Deep Blue, and the chief engineer will check it.
Guest trips change the pace completely. Toys get launched in the morning and every machine is expected to work all day. You may be the one fixing a jet ski impeller on the swim platform while guests wait, or going out in a RIB to tow a tender that has stopped. On some yachts you also drive tenders and help with launch and recovery, so deck skills count. Between trips and in the yard, the hours are steadier and look more like a normal engine room schedule.
The role only really exists on yachts over about 70m. Smaller boats give this work to a deckhand or the third engineer. Captains and chief engineers hire people with proven mechanical experience: dealership technicians, marina mechanics, motorsport or powersports engineers. Manufacturer training on Yamaha, Mercury, Volvo Penta, Hamilton or Castoldi jets carries real weight. Ex-deckhands who have spent years keeping the toys running also move across, usually once they have an AEC and some time in the engine room.
Most tender engineers move into the engine room. The usual route is the MCA AEC 1 and 2, then sea time as a third engineer, then the Y4 and up through the Y-series certificates. Some stay specialists on large yachts with big toy fleets, where an experienced tender engineer with a strong reputation can earn close to second engineer pay. A few go ashore to dealerships and refit yards in Antibes, Palma or Fort Lauderdale that service superyacht tenders.
Skills captains look for
- Outboard and inboard servicing
- Waterjet drive maintenance
- Jet ski and PWC repair
- Battery and electric toy care
- Tender driving
- Parts ordering and logs
- Fault-finding under pressure
A day aboardCharter day, 88m motor yacht, North Malé Atoll, Maldives
Walk round the tender garage and the toys on the swim platform. Check fuel, battery charge on the seabobs and e-foils, and the coolant on the limousine tender.
Help the deck team launch both tenders and four jet skis. Test-run each machine before the guests come down.
Breakfast in the crew mess, radio on in case a toy plays up on the first run.
One jet ski has lost power at the dive site. Bring it back on the RIB, find a fouled intake grate and a damaged impeller, swap the impeller and get it back in service before lunch.
Lunch, then a short rest while guests eat on the aft deck.
Change the e-foil batteries and give the beach set-up crew a briefing on charger times. Drive the crew tender to the sandbank with fuel and spares.
Recover the toys with the deckhands. Freshwater flush on every engine, then hose down the tender garage.
Write up the day's repairs in the maintenance system and add the impeller and spare grate to the parts order for the agent in Malé.
Dinner and off watch, unless the second engineer needs a hand in the engine room.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Charter yachts usually share tips across the crew, which can add one or two months' pay over a busy season. Rotation is rare except on 100m+ yachts, where you may get it after a year or two of proven service. See the Engineer salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- PDSD
- MCA AEC 1
Gets you hired
- MCA AEC 2
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- RYA Personal Watercraft
- Manufacturer training (Yamaha, Mercury, Volvo Penta, Hamilton)
- Diesel or marine engineering trade qualification
Visas
- US B1/B2
- Schengen right to work or visa
Where it leadsA typical career path
Engineer jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Do I need yacht experience to get hired as a tender engineer?
Not always. Many yachts would rather take a qualified marine or powersports mechanic and teach them yacht life than take a deckhand with no trade. You will still need STCW, an ENG1 and ideally an AEC before you start applying.
Is it a deck job or an engineering job?
It reports into engineering, but you will work alongside the deck team every day. On most yachts you help with launch and recovery and drive tenders, so a powerboat ticket helps.
Does time as a tender engineer count towards engineering certificates?
It can, if the yacht signs you on as engine room crew and your duties are recorded properly. Ask the chief engineer to log your hours and sign your sea service testimonials so they count towards the Y4.
Which yachts hire tender engineers?
Mostly motor yachts over 70m with a large tender fleet and lots of toys. Charter yachts in the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Maldives are the main employers, because their toys get the hardest use.