Dealer "mechanic " training?

[MACHAYA21]

My son posed an interesting question. At any major auto dealership,mechanics are usually factory trained. Are mechanics at boat dealers that represent multiple boat manufacturers factory trained?

 

[Matty]

Probably not a fair comparison. A ford dealership sells fords. Most parts on a ford are either made by ford or to their specifications. Most boats, and certainly RTs and Cutwater are what i would say are plug and play. You have a stove by one manufacturer, a/c or heat by another, motor by another, radio, fridge and so on. My dealer probably sells boats by 3 or 4 manufactures plus used boats by many. So they need to be a jack of all trades. But for engines and certain major items they need to be certfied to do warranty work.
Where i bought my boat new they are probably happy to sell 10 RTs in a year in addition to many other brands.. A car dealership probably sells a couple thousand.

 

[Crewdog]

Not all Ford Dealers, or any other brand, are created and operated equally.

While auto/truck mechs may be trained according to mfg spec and certification, the service dept may be run let's say less ethically than desired.

Anyway, I've had good luck getting maintenance done at a yacht center that is certified for Yanmar, and has techs and craftsmen on staff who can do all sorts of mods on many different sized boats.

May be that a dealer might not always be best choice.

Good luck,

 

[Matty]

Fully agree. Certification or training do not guarantee quality work. I currently have warranty a/c work needing to be done and dealer not authorized so off to a certified marine air webasto mechanic.

 

[Martin610]

Agree that a dealer is not always best. I have service work done by a shop that is certified for Volvo, Yanmar, etc. They are away in training quite a bit in February, March. Happy with their work.

 

[knotflying]

I would say that familiarity with the particular boat and then knowledge of the component are important. The problem with the boating world is the significant number of manufacturers. One would have to put significant time into learning the nuances of each boat brand they sold. The reality is the first boat the mechanic works on is a learning experience you pay for. I remember when I had the oil pressure issue on my boat and the Yanmar "GOLD" trained mechanic arrives and when I opened the engine compartment cover he commented, " Oh wow, covers on the engine." I knew I was in trouble!

 

[BB marine]

I was a marine service technician for 25 years. I worked for a number of dealerships that where responsible to send technicians to service training. Normally a technician is certified in the power plant manufacture. I worked for Dealers that sold mostly boats with Mercruiser, Volvo, and OMC. I went once a year to update classes and repair training and eventually was awarded a certification in each. Many dealers didn't follow through with this so it was on the technicians dime to do it. Many didn't, I did and priced myself right out of the market. I changed careers and started working on refinery machinery.

ABYC training. Some boat manufactures require service technicians have training in ABYC Standards
Marine Systems
Marine Corrosion
Marine Electrical
Diesel Engines
Gasoline Engines
Marine Composites
A/C Refrigeration

Certifications are awarded in each of these subjects and some dealers require their technicians have certifications. Unfortunately many dealers and Manufactures don't have these requirements because the technicians that are certified require to be compensated accordingly.

The best way to resolve this issue is for the boat manufactures to require a dealer to have people available in their facility to be trained and certified in all ABYC certifications . I also believe that if all boat manufactures employed certified ABYC personal much of the questionable workmanship would eliminated. ABYC and NMMA has tried hard to do this but most manufactures just want to put the NMMA sticker on the boat but not truly follow though with the requirements. Sorry for the rant! The consumer pays the price!!!

A good trained marine technician should be able to walk on to any boat and after a quick review of the boat make repairs. Just like any Ford certified mechanic can work on a Chevy after a quick review of the car. A good certified car mechanic can work on any automobile. A good certified marine technician can work on any boat.