What is a marine electrician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted Expert
Ronald Widdoss
introduction image

Unlike ordinary electricians, marine electricians are specially trained to install and maintain electrical wiring and equipment in watercraft. They are responsible for maintaining a good communication line for a safe and smooth workflow andmanaging and troubleshooting system failure if necessary.

A bachelor's degree is not always required to get the job; candidates may have to get extra specialized training to be eligible for this post. Also, they must be able to pass the color test. This job requires readiness 24/7, so they must be able to handle stress. The working environment can be below the deck in a small crawl space or hot and dirty area, making it clear that it's not a friendly free functional space.

As a marine electrician, they have to decide and judge problems rationally and identify and solve equipment malfunction in an emergency, as it is necessary to replace parts if needed. They make an average salary of $45,885 per year.

What general advice would you give to a Marine Electrician?

R

Ronald Widdoss

Be a sponge. Learn all you can and prove to your employer you can be taught and that your up for the challenge.
ScoreMarine ElectricianUS Average
Salary
4.6

Avg. Salary $58,568

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
7.6

Growth Rate 7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
8.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 2.25%

Black or African American 8.52%

Hispanic or Latino 19.47%

Unknown 4.27%

White 64.62%

Gender

female 9.24%

male 90.76%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress Level
7.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
6.8

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
5.5

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Marine Electrician career paths

Key steps to become a marine electrician

  1. Explore marine electrician education requirements

    Most common marine electrician degrees

    Associate

    36.9 %

    High School Diploma

    23.1 %

    Bachelor's

    20.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific marine electrician skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Electrical Equipment11.82%
    Switches8.51%
    Electrical Systems7.67%
    Motor Controllers7.39%
    Shipyard7.37%
  3. Complete relevant marine electrician training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New marine electricians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a marine electrician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real marine electrician resumes.
  4. Obtain the necessary licensing

    Becoming a licensed marine electrician usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed marine electrician in most of states. 25 states require marine electricians to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.
    State
    ascdesc
    Education
    ascdesc
    Exam
    ascdesc
    License Url
    ascdesc
    Alabama-State exam requiredLicensed Journeyman Electrician
    Alaska-State exam requiredElectrical Worker
    Arkansas-Third-party exam requiredJourneyman Electrician
    Colorado-State exam requiredJourneyman Electrician
    HawaiiDegree requiredState exam requiredElectrician
  5. Research marine electrician duties and responsibilities

    • Remove, analyze, identify issue install properly working pressure transducers, effectively accomplishing priorities to go underway.
    • Experience in wiring power distribution boxes, DC motors, motor controllers, fan control switches, and power generation stations.
    • work with voltages ranging from 480 - 24 volts ac and dc.
    • Mount and install power distribution panels, ABT's, MBT's, and transformers.
  6. Prepare your marine electrician resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your marine electrician resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a marine electrician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Marine Electrician Resume templates

    Build a professional Marine Electrician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Marine Electrician resume.
    Marine Electrician Resume
    Marine Electrician Resume
    Marine Electrician Resume
    Marine Electrician Resume
    Marine Electrician Resume
    Marine Electrician Resume
    Marine Electrician Resume
    Marine Electrician Resume
    Marine Electrician Resume
  7. Apply for marine electrician jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a marine electrician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Marine Electrician Job

Zippi

Are you a Marine Electrician?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average marine electrician salary

The average Marine Electrician salary in the United States is $58,568 per year or $28 per hour. Marine electrician salaries range between $41,000 and $81,000 per year.

Average Marine Electrician Salary
$58,568 Yearly
$28.16 hourly

What Am I Worth?

Loading...
Loading...
salary-calculator

How do marine electricians rate their job?

4/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Marine Electrician reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2023
Pros

Thinking about the job while working the job

Cons

Bending pipe,cause it cost me money if the measurements is off


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2022
Pros

Is to keep lights burning to satisfy customers

Cons

The customers siting on the dark


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022
Pros

Nothing? Its the worst job on site and you have to put up with working with uneducated divs. And thats just the management.

Cons

Retarded trades who think they are special. They don't realise to be an electrician requires superior brain power, something they can only dream about. Hence the continual flapping of their gums trying to make us believe their dull useless lives are interesting.


Working as a Marine Electrician? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall Rating*
Career Growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse construction and extraction jobs