EDITORIAL
A sea change in recreational boating may be underway.
Boating offers an experience to share time with family and friends that is unique among recreational endeavors. If it’s got a downside, it’s the hassle and frustration of getting service when something breaks and work needs to be done.
This is no secret. And there are many reasons for it, including the seasonal nature of the sport, regular maintenance that’s deferred for too long and, unless one lives near the water, the often great distances between boat owners and service shops and dealerships. But there is good news to share.
The National Marine Manufacturers Association awarded 62 boatbuilders and engine-makers the Marine Industry Customer Service Index award, a 15 percent increase from last year. CSI awardees are those that actively measure customer satisfaction and pursue continuous improvement to better serve their customers. Award recipients achieved an independently measured standard of excellence of 90 percent or higher in customer satisfaction over the past program year, based on information provided by customers purchasing a new boat or engine between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019. That’s good news.
On a more local level, I recently learned about the innovative Marine Service Technician Apprentice Program in New York, designed to bring more—and more knowledgeable—marine technicians into the workforce. (A lack of technicians is a big part of the challenge dealers face servicing customers.) Run by the Empire State Marine Trades Association, classroom and on-water training takes place at Kingsborough Community College in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, New York, which has a large waterfront facility and boats, and has offered programs to train professional mariners for New York’s bustling ferry industry for years. Here, navigation is taught, and a credential to captain commercial boats is earned, along with outboard, inboard and diesel mechanics, electrical systems, marina operations and more. Tuition fees apply. Apprentices also work 8,000 hours in a marine dealership for four years, according to Conrad Kreuter, program director and himself a marina operator and dealer, and earn $16 per hour. While working at the host dealership, apprentices may also become certified technicians for the specific brands the host dealer sells and services. In all, this program produces well-rounded, welleducated and well-trained technicians, a thing most dealers will tell you is sorely needed. New York offers a tax subsidy for dealers that host apprentices.
While salaries vary, a top marine technician can earn between $60,000 and $100,000 per year.
We’d like to see programs like this one in other places, since more and better-qualified marine technicians must surely result in more boaters happily enjoying the boating experience.
In all, this program produces well-rounded, well-educated and welltrained technicians, a thing most dealers will tell you is sorely needed.