All roles/Dual roles/Bosun / Engineer
Dual roles
Bosun / Engineer
You run the deck team and keep the machinery running on a smaller yacht, covering tenders, watersports and exterior care while handling daily engine room checks, generators and routine maintenance alongside the captain.
- Department
- Dual roles
- Reports to
- Yacht Captain
- Yacht size
- 28m to 50m
- Contract
- Seasonal or permanent
- Starting pay
- €4,200 per month
What the job is
This is a dual role found on yachts too small to carry both a bosun and a dedicated engineer. You lead the deck crew, usually one to three deckhands, and you also look after the engine room. One day you are planning a tender run and briefing the team on mooring, the next you are changing generator impellers. The captain relies on you to keep the boat clean, safe and mechanically sound with a small crew.
On deck you organise washdowns, varnish and teak care, fenders and lines, and the launch and recovery of tenders and water toys. You drive the tender for guest runs and supervise watersports. In the engine room you do daily rounds, log hours and readings, run the planned maintenance system, manage fuel and fresh water, and keep the watermaker, air conditioning and black water systems working. You also deal with contractors when work goes beyond your tickets.
The job suits someone with real deck experience who has picked up mechanical skill, or an engineer who enjoys being outside with guests. Time is the main pressure. On charter you still have to fix a failed bilge pump at 23:00 and be on the swim platform with the jet skis at 09:00. Good planning, honest communication with the captain and a deck team you can trust make it workable.
What makes a good one
- Leading a small deck team
- Diesel engine and generator maintenance
- Confident tender and crane handling
- Fault finding on yacht systems
- Planning work around a guest schedule
A day in the life
- 06:30Engine room rounds before guests wake. Check generator oil, coolant and hours, look over the bilges and log the readings.
- 07:15Brief the two deckhands on the day plan. Morning washdown of the foredeck, sunpads out and the swim platform set up.
- 08:30Launch the tender and jet skis with the crane, fuel the toys and check kill cords and life jackets.
- 10:00Drive the tender to take guests ashore for a beach lunch, then return to supervise water toys off the stern.
- 13:00Quick crew lunch, then clean the watermaker pre-filters, which have clogged after a sandy anchorage.
- 15:00Back on deck for the afternoon tender pick up. Deckhands handle the paddleboards while you watch the guests in the water.
- 17:30Recover and wash down all toys and the tender. Rinse the crane and check the hydraulic hoses for leaks.
- 19:00Second engine room check, transfer fuel to the day tank and update the planned maintenance log with today's work.
- 21:30Set anchor watch rota with the captain, run deck lights and do a final walk round before handing over to the night watch.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for a 28m to 50m yacht, usually paid in EUR or USD whatever the flag. Charter yachts add tips, often 10% to 15% of the charter fee shared among crew.
- France and Monaco
- €4,200 – 5,500
- Spain
- €4,000 – 5,300
- Italy
- €4,000 – 5,300
- United Kingdom
- £3,600 – 4,700
- USA (Florida)
- US$4,500 – 6,000
- Caribbean
- US$4,500 – 6,000
- UAE
- US$4,300 – 5,800
- Australia
- A$7,000 – 9,000
- New Zealand
- NZ$7,700 – 10,000
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- PDSD
- AEC 1
- AEC 2
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
Recommended
- RYA Yachtmaster Offshore
- MEOL (Yacht)
- Efficient Deck Hand (EDH)
- RYA PWC
- Advanced Fire Fighting
- Proficiency in Survival Craft
Visas
- Schengen
- US B1/B2
- C1/D
- Australian MCV
Where it leads
Bosun / Engineer jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need an engineering ticket to get hired?
AEC 1 and 2 are the usual minimum and most captains expect them. MEOL (Yacht) makes you far more competitive and is needed on some larger or commercially coded yachts.
Should I come from a deck or engineering background?
Most Bosun / Engineers start on deck and build mechanical skill along the way. What matters is that you can run a deck team and also keep generators, pumps and the watermaker working without hand holding.
Is the workload too much for one person?
It is busy, especially on charter, but the yachts are small and the systems manageable. A good deck team and a captain who helps with planning make the hours reasonable.