Marine Mechanic

Outboards, sterndrives and boat systems. A short apprenticeship and a summer spent at the marina.

Typical pay: $62,000a year
Time to qualify: 2 to 3 yearspaid while you train, from day one
Demand: Moderate
Licence needed: Nono licence to hold

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Pay, the path, pros and cons and the facts on one printable page. Counsellors: send it to a student from your own email in one click.

How to start as a marine mechanic in Ontario

An apprenticeship: you are hired by a sponsor, paid while you learn on the job, and go to class for a few weeks at a time. Every fact here is from Skilled Trades Ontario (STO) and the Ontario government. See every Ontario trade side by side

Marine Engine Technician (trade 435B)

Licence to work

Not needed, but the certificate helps

Red Seal

No: a Ontario certificate

Training

5,000 hours, about 720 in class

To start

Grade 12, age 16 or older

You are paid from your first day. Over the 4,280 hours on the job, even at the minimum wage you would earn at least $76,826 before tax while you train, and most sponsors pay more as your skills grow.

The trade on Skilled Trades Ontario's site(opens in a new tab)

The steps

Check you can start: you are at least 16, allowed to work in Canada, and have the school grade the trade asks for.
Find a sponsor: an employer, or a group of employers such as a union, that will train you. This is the step most people find hardest.
Apply to Skilled Trades Ontario: online if you are 18 or older, on a paper form a parent signs if you are 16 or 17. Your sponsor signs too.
Sign your training agreement. You get a wallet card to carry at work, and your skills are signed off in a logbook as you learn them.
Work and go to class. Most of the time is paid work; every year or so you spend 8 to 12 weeks in class at a college. Where the trade has an exam, you write it at the end.

Starting an apprenticeship, from STO(opens in a new tab)

Where sponsors come from

Your guidance counsellor, and the youth apprenticeship, Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) or dual credit programs at your school. Source (opens in a new tab)
Employment Ontario: over 700 offices with free one-on-one help, and it matches apprentices with sponsors (1-800-387-5656). Source (opens in a new tab)
Job Bank's apprenticeship job search for Ontario. Source (opens in a new tab)
Unions and trade associations for the trade, college career centres and local companies. Source (opens in a new tab)

Still in high school? In Grade 11 or 12, with at least 14 credits and age 15 or older, you can start an apprenticeship through co-op placements and earn credits at the same time. Ask your school's OYAP recruiter, guidance counsellor or co-op teacher. Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)(opens in a new tab)

Not ready to find a sponsor? Free pre-apprenticeship programs (up to a year at a college or community agency, tools and books covered, with a work placement) get you ready and in front of employers. Employment Ontario helps you apply. Pre-apprenticeship training(opens in a new tab)

The money

Ontario sets no percentage of full pay for apprentices. Your sponsor agrees your wage with you, and it can never be below the minimum wage: $17.95 an hour from 1 October 2026. Source (opens in a new tab)

Employment Insurance (EI) in class (opens in a new tab): You may get EI while you are away from work in class. Your college seat letter gives you the EI reference code to apply. Government of Canada page (opens in a new tab)
Apprentice Development Benefit (opens in a new tab): Up to $500 a week while in class if you do not get EI or it is below $500, plus travel and childcare help.
Ontario Tools Grant (opens in a new tab): $400 to $1,000, depending on the trade, after your first level of class and a year registered.
Ontario Apprenticeship Completion Bonus (opens in a new tab): $2,000 when you finish a trade that is not Red Seal.

Where to study to become a marine mechanic in Canada

Programs in the fields this career usually comes through. Each has its own page: what it takes to get in, the courses you need and what it costs.

Colleges

Mechanical Techniques: Marine Engine MechanicGeorgian, meet the course requirements

Every university, each on its own page · Every college

Compare where to study thisOntario colleges side by side for skilled trades Compare with other careersPay, time, cost, the path in and the pros and cons, side by side

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Quick answers

How much does a marine mechanic make in Canada?

The median pay is about $62,000 a year. Across everyone in the job it runs from about $42,000 at the lower end to about $83,000 at the upper end. The source is listed under Sources at the end of this page.

How long does it take to become a marine mechanic in Canada?

2 to 3 years, on the usual route, and you are paid while you train from the first day.

What does it cost to become a marine mechanic?

$3,200 to $7,550 all in for tuition, fees, exams and kit. Living costs are not counted.

Do you need a licence to work as a marine mechanic in Canada?

No. There is no licence to hold, though many employers still ask for training or a certificate.

What is the job outlook for a marine mechanic in Canada?

Moderate demand nationally, from government outlook data. Demand varies by region, so check your area.

Or read the whole thing here

Marine Mechanic salary in Canada

What you earn and what it costs to get there.

What marine mechanics make

Median

$62,000

Lower end

$42,000

Upper end

$83,000

Job Bank's national median is $30 an hour, about $62,000 a year at 40 hours a week. The lower end ($20) and upper end ($40) are the bottom and top of the wage range for everyone in the group. Job Bank pools marine technicians with recreation vehicle technicians in one group, so treat it as a close estimate. Those are full-year numbers: marinas that close for winter cut the yearly total, and summer is flat-rate season with long hours.

Where pay is highest

$32 an hour

The median in British Columbia, about $67,000 a year

Ontario is close behind at $31.55, and New Brunswick is the lowest at $26.87. You start on rigging new boats, winterizing, shrink-wrapping and oil changes.

What it costs to get there

In-school training (Ontario: 720 hours over the apprenticeship): $400 to $800 per block. Ontario pays the Level 1 classroom fee for classes from January 2026
Tools: $3,000 to start, $10,000 or more over a career
Certificate of Qualification exam (Ontario): Free on your first try once your apprenticeship is complete, then $150 plus HST (harmonized sales tax) for each retry
Canada Apprentice Loan: Up to $4,000 per school block, with no interest

Roughly, all in

$3,200 to $7,550

Tuition, fees, exams and kit. Not rent, food or travel

You are paid while you learn, so the cost is the in school blocks and your tools. In Ontario the first Certificate of Qualification exam try is free once your apprenticeship is complete. The low end is cheaper block fees and a starter tool set built up gradually. The high end is higher block fees and buying good tools sooner. The Canada Apprentice Loan covers up to $4,000 a block with no interest and EI (Employment Insurance) covers the school blocks and, in a lot of shops, the winter layoff. Tools keep costing money after you qualify, often $10,000 or more across a career.

You are paid while you learn. EI (Employment Insurance) covers school blocks and, for some, the winter layoff.

Benefits

Staff pricing on boats, motors and gear
Manufacturer training
Mercury, Yamaha, Volvo Penta and Bombardier Recreational Products train dealer techs at their own cost.
Health and dental
At larger dealers and year-round coastal operations.
Seasonal rhythm
Long summers, quiet winters, if you can budget for it.

How to become a marine mechanic in Canada

The exact path from high school to qualified.

The path to becoming a marine mechanic, step by step

A short apprenticeship, about 2.5 years in Ontario. Voluntary everywhere.

1
High school diploma
Grade 12
Shop, math and physics. Boating experience helps a lot. OYAP (Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program) can start you early.
2
Find a sponsor
Weeks to months
Marinas and boat dealers hire in spring. Start as a yard hand or rigger if you have to.
3
Register the apprenticeship
Days
Skilled Trades Ontario calls it Marine Engine Technician (435B). Alberta covers it under Outdoor Power Equipment Technician, Recreational Equipment branch.
4
Work and study
2 to 3 years
Ontario: 5,000 hours, 4,280 on the job plus 720 in school. Alberta: 3 periods of 1,000 hours with 6 to 8 weeks of class each, though Alberta has suspended the classroom part of this program for now.
5
Certificate of Qualification
After your hours
Pass the provincial exam. It is not a Red Seal trade, so the ticket is provincial.

High school courses that help you become a marine mechanic

Shop or transportation technology
Small engines and electrical.
Math
Gear ratios, fuel mixes, electrical loads.
Physics
Engines, propellers and electricity.
Boating licence
The Pleasure Craft Operator Card. You will water-test what you fix.

Time and money, at a glance

Years to certificate: 2 to 3
Total out of pocket: $3,200 to $7,550, tools included
Paid while training?: Yes, but seasonal
Exam required: Yes for the certificate; not required to work

A voluntary trade

No province requires a licence to fix boat engines. Ontario and Alberta both offer a certificate at the end of the apprenticeship, but it is voluntary. Dealers still want it, and manufacturer certifications from Mercury, Yamaha and others matter as much as the provincial ticket because warranty work depends on them.

Quebec routeIn Quebec? The route is different. 1 more card.

The path in Quebec

In Quebec you train at a vocational centre first, either in powersports mechanics, which covers outboards and personal watercraft, or in marine mechanics for diesel engines on working boats.

1
Secondary IV courses
From age 16
Both DEPs (Diplomas of Vocational Studies) take a high school diploma, or age 16 with Secondary IV language, second language and math. From 18, the general development test is another way in.
2
Option 1: DEP 5367, recreational vehicle and light equipment mechanics
About 19 months
1,800 hours on outboard motors, personal watercraft, boat steering and drive systems, plus motorcycles and snowmobiles. Offered in French in ten regions. The English version (5867) had no groups listed.
3
Option 2: DEP in Marine Mechanics (1250)
About 10 months
1,350 hours on diesel and marine engines, with a training vessel. Only at the École des pêches et de l'aquaculture du Québec (the Quebec fisheries school) in the Gaspésie, in French, mid-August to early June.
4
Get hired
Weeks to months
Graduates work at marinas, boat dealers, shipyards and marine engine workshops.
5
Leisure vehicle technician certificate, if you want it
1 to 2 years
Your employer can enrol you in Quebec's workplace apprenticeship for leisure vehicle technician, which covers outboards and personal watercraft. You must be 16 and employed. It is voluntary.
6
Ship engine rooms: a different route
4 years
Running the engines on large ships takes the DEC (Diploma of College Studies) in marine engineering technology (248.D0), which the Institut maritime du Québec runs over 4 years with sea internships, then Transport Canada certificates.

What helps you get ahead as a marine mechanic

Things you don't need, but that help.

Tickets that open doors

Manufacturer master technician
Mercury, Yamaha and Volvo Penta run tiered programs, up to master level.
Marine electrical
Batteries, chargers, electronics and helm networks. The scarcest skill at any marina.
Diesel and inboard
Larger yachts and commercial boats. Year-round work on the coasts.
Powersports and small engines
Snowmobiles and ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) fill the winter.

Nice-to-haves

Driver's licence and trailer experience
Boats move by trailer.
Own tools
Shops notice.
Fibreglass and gelcoat basics
Small hull repairs come with the job.
Swimming and comfort on the water
Sea trials are part of every repair.

Coast versus cottage country

On the BC (British Columbia) coast and in Atlantic Canada, commercial fishing boats, ferries and yachts keep marine mechanics busy all year. In Ontario cottage country and the Prairies, the season runs April to October and many shops lay off or cut hours in winter. Pick your region with that in mind.

What being a marine mechanic is really like

Day to day, pros and cons, where you'd work.

What a marine mechanic does day to day

May: boats coming out of storage, spring commissioning, impellers, lower unit oil, battery checks, and new boats to rig with motors and electronics. July: a customer's outboard died on the lake, tow it in, diagnose a fuel problem, water-test it. Long days in the heat. October: winterizing and shrink-wrapping by the dozen. January: quiet, or snowmobiles if the dealer sells them.

The honest pros and cons of being a marine mechanic

The good

Shortest apprenticeship among the mechanic trades
Work by the water, sea trials on sunny days
Paid while training, little debt
Coastal and commercial work can be year-round

The hard parts

Seasonal in most of the country
Summer means 50-hour weeks and impatient boaters
Flat rate and small marinas mean thin pay some weeks
Wet, cramped bilges and heavy outboards

Work life

Typical hours: 50 or more in summer, 30 or fewer in winter inland
Remote work: None
Physical demand: Moderate to high
Unionized: Rarely

Similar paths

Things nobody tells you about being a marine mechanic

Things people don't tell you.

Half the hours of a car mechanic

Ontario's Marine Engine Technician apprenticeship is 5,000 hours, about 2.5 years, compared with 7,220 hours for an automotive service technician. The trade-off is a seasonal calendar in most of the country.

Sea-Doo is Canadian

BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products), headquartered in Valcourt, Quebec, builds Sea-Doo personal watercraft and Rotax engines. Its dealers across Canada need technicians certified on its products.

An older trade

Job Bank counted about 12,500 marine and recreational vehicle technicians in Canada in 2023, and 42% of them were 50 or older.

How a marine mechanic compares

Every list is built from the same numbers shown above, so you can see where this career sits next to the others.

Highest paying skilled trades in Canada53 of 85

More skilled trades careers in Canada

Vehicles and equipment first, then the rest of the field. See every career in skilled trades.

Where these numbers come from

Last checked October 2026. Pay figures are typical full-time annual amounts in Canadian dollars, based on Government of Canada Job Bank wage data and published salary grids. They vary by province, employer and experience. Tuition is for domestic students. How every figure on this site is sourced and checked.