if you are good at something and have a good work ethic then you will succeed in whatever direction you choose to go in. if you choose to go into the boating world, i wouldn't limit yourself to just hi performance. it will take all types of boats to keep the shop doors open and sometimes it's the small easy stuff that walks in the door that pays well. it seems that it's usually us hi perf guys that are "tight" when it comes to having work preformed lol. the average boater just want's his boat fixed yesterday and doesn't b#tch about the bill, just says thank you. if you are mobile and can make it to the marina too then you are in a whole new leaque, $$$$. good luck

Totally agree, I have a lot of buddys in boat buisness, they all say the exact same thing when it comes to fixing them..

Thanks for all the responses guys, It is clear as mud! I know that most are not going to make big money wrenching on boats I was just trying to brainstorm if there was a niche that was not filled yet, that someone could make a living doing. But as it seems to me and most of you... either they do it themselves like I did or are filled by some great company's around the country. And like someone else said the way to make a million with boat company is to start out with 10 million! And that is not me lol... So....HVAC it will be...now have to deiced if I will work for the MAN or if I start up my own company because ultimately wealth does flow to OWNERS it is just getting from zero to hero in the business. It guess it is also give and take as with anything in life. Again thanks for the replies! Where else can you go and get some great people and industry insiders to comment! Thanks!

always better to work for yourself, one of my clients started his own hvac company in Houston, essentially he started doing warranty work for homeshield warranty and put most of his money back into the business, then started selling entire systems, and 3 years later making money hand over fist, I am sure he would be happy to share his wisdom with you if interested

Not sure about AC in Michigan but in Texas it is a necessity for everyone. Heck people down here die in the summer when their AC goes out. You need AC for close to 6 months straight out of the year here. We never thought about ever having AC growing up in upstate New York, Maybe that's the problem why not getting rich because not enough work to begin with. Have no idea but that would be my guess.

You can survive in the boat business... but there are no riches...believe me, I know first hand. I have a great job with a strong company... Yes, I do well, but let there be no question....I can not afford to buy, let alone own a real high performance boat.
I do have a boat though... It's a 16' Boston Whaler, and I haven't put it in the water since September (Yes, I live in FL), and it won't see water until March at best.
I work 70-80 hour weeks.... I am a slave to this industry in so many ways.
Personally, I have made a habit of turning my hobbies into my profession... It provides a living, but I am a slave to making others dreams and hobbies a reality for them...not for me.
Yes, I like what I do and get my hands on some serious boats. But, it isn't the same thing as owning your own.

The high performance industry can use a few more very good technicians... We are short on qualified, ethical, and detailed technicians.
Todays engines are wonderful, but they need their maintenance and it is becoming harder to find a good "mechanic".

Many of my customers ($500,000-$1.5m boats) are involved with the HVAC industry...

My vote- If you are good at what you do, and have some business sense... Go start your own HVAC business.... You'll have a great chance to grow it and be able to do this whole boating thing as a hobby. One of our customers started as a HVAC tech, broke out on his own with one van....and now has a phenomenally successful business....

Best of luck

A response from someone with a screen name of "lowfunds" suggests he would not go down the same path again.
I'd look for a guy with a screen name of something like "richmofo" and I bet he'd take the same path again. I'd look to follow that path.

People say you should follow your passion. Sometimes your passion doesn't pay well. That's the time to make that passion a hobby.

After reading the OP's post 1 why is it that most responses imply that one will or will not make it in the Powerboat World from a mechanical / maintenance standpoint? What about Sales, Marketing, working for a manufacturer like Mystic, Intrepid or Nor-Tech, working at a marina, boat detailing?? IMO you aren't automatically a slave to the customer, giving up the ability to have weekends off or automatically have the concerns about customers who don't pay.

I think there are opportunities out there & I explore them constantly but I certainly don't limit myself to turning wrenches. The Miami Boat Show can be a good place to open your eyes to other types of work associated w/ the marine / powerboat industry. It's also a good place to plant a seed & put ones networking skills to work.

I know Mega Yachts are a far cry from powerboats but there's a ton of them in Florida & those folks like them in tip top shape & pay others to maintain them & keep them that way.

I guess what I'm saying is remove the blinders, don't allow yourself to get paralysis by analysis where you talk yourself out of every opportunity & put some effort into networking b/c I believe firmly that good people know other good people.

Just my $.02

I remember around 1982 Ron Doller(RIP) telling me he was going to make his 1st Million hauling boats from Miami to NY. At the time he a 1975ish Dodge Dually, In about a Year he got Brand new Chevy Dually, Then another, & another, and had people driving for him (Phil L was one of them) in just a few years he Bought the Offshore Enterprises from Joe (Not Cheap). Luckily Ron found a good woman that keeps his dream going. I dont know if they still do any hauling but thats how the whole Doller Offshore was started.

I think you could potentially make more money working as a diesel tech working on large cruisers. The mechanic who I work with on my boss' boat does pretty well. However, it is stressful work, working for yourself. While he can make great money being mobile and fixing boats on the dock, he also has to shell out a lot of money in parts, then try and collect the money. He once told me the cost of an alternator for a pretty descent sized MAN and I was shocked. Depending on the job, he could have to shell out 5-10k in parts, then depending on the client have to wait up to 90 days for payment depending on how quick their office could process a cheque. So even though you are working all the time, if you have several good size jobs to do, you could be floating 40-50k in parts waiting for payment.

The other way I have seen some guys to very well is to be very specialized in what they do. When I worked on yachts in Florida, we had one wood worker who would do all the custom repairs to the woodwork in the boat. He used to charge a not so small fortune, but his work was second to none. He could charge so much because his work was always flawless, however, when you take into account how much time it probably took at his shop to make his work flawless, he earned that pay cheque.

One thing these guys both had in common and probably why they did well, along with what others have mentioned on the thread is that they first were there to fix the problem yesterday, and their work was great quality, and people will pay a premium for both those things. Both those things require a lot of time, and probably do not leave much time for boating themselves.