Will they guarantee you a couple years? Or is it a try it you will like it. Since you dont have to sell your home base sounds like a good opportunity as you could always move back.

Also sounds like you could pick up some custome bike stuff on a part time basis.

Don't know that stuff yet, they will pay for my move and a place to stay for 2 months so I can find the right place. I still need to talk to the person that would be my direct boss to figure it all out. So far the one thing that I don't like is when there are not any problems that need "my" team to fix we will be doing a lot of welding, I am a good welder with steel and alum. but dont want to just be welding all day all covered up in the heat.

I don't know what bike work pays there but I had looked into moving to FL. years ago so I could boat year round and good tech's up here make 2-3 times what they pay there. Last I heard a top Harley tech $15-20 an hour, metric $18-22. I made more than that 24 years ago. Being near D.C. there's money to be made around here.

I'd at least check it out...try it out. while the ship building has declined, I think we haven't been hit quite as hard as most of the country has...it may be that we are lagging a bit but things are still ok down here. I wouldn't hesitate to try it out.

Two things
the contract is for the remaining six ships and you'll be doing a lot of welding !