THE MECHANIC

KKaitlyn Schneider is a boat mechanic at Lakeside Marina in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. According to owner Joe Honsa, she’s fantastic at what she does. Schneider grew up boating with her family on their 35-foot Baja cruiser. She discovered an aptitude for mechanics early on, helping her dad work on cars and also excelling in her high school’s offered auto mechanics courses.

“I was usually the only girl in my high school classes, or maybe one of two,” she recalls. “I liked that. It motivated me.”

Schneider’s career path unfolded when a representative from the Universal Technical Institute in Orlando, Florida, visited her high school.

“UTI was there to showcase everything they had to offer, including their Marine Mechanics Institute,” she says.

“Working on boats was an easy decision for me. I was dead-set on it.”

Schneider graduated from high school in June 2013, started at UTI’s Marine Mechanics Institute in August, and graduated from its program a year later. She started work at Lakeside Marina in August 2014.

These days, Schneider is one of four people in Lakeside’s service department, and she remains the only woman. She works on boats that range from 16-foot aluminum fishing craft to mid-30s cruisers, and she holds certifications for MerCruiser engines and Mercury outboards.

Spring involves a deluge of work orders, checking fluids and electricals, and making sure the boats are performing correctly. Summer is all about fixing broken props, drives and fuel pumps; it also involves what Schneider calls “the game of diagnostics,” from engine and electrical issues to oil lines coming off.

When fall arrives, she changes oil, winterizes water systems and engines, and handles shrink-wrapping. One thing is certain: The life of a boat mechanic is never dull, especially during COVID-19.

“We’ve been crazy busy,” she says. “The world definitely didn’t stop for us.”

Schneider says she loves what she does, whether accessing a difficult engine compartment, hooking up the tractor to launch a boat at the ramp, or going on a delivery.

“The deliveries are super fun,” she says. “I get to engage with customers, a mix of experienced and new boaters. That’s always interesting.

“During the season, I might get five boat rides a day,” she adds. “I’m in the sun, outside all the time. It’s awesome.”

“I WAS USUALLY THE ONLY GIRL IN MY HIGH SCHOOL [AUTO] CLASSES, OR MAYBE ONE OF TWO. I LIKED THAT. IT MOTIVATED ME.”