Career profile for Motorboat Operator

What does a Motorboat Operator do?

Motorboat Operators operate small motor-driven boats.

In addition, Motorboat Operators may assist in navigational activities.

What kind of tasks does a Motorboat Operator perform regularly?

Motorboat Operators are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Maintain desired courses, using compasses or electronic navigational aids.
Follow safety procedures to ensure the protection of passengers, cargo, and vessels.
Direct safety operations in emergency situations.
Operate engine throttles and steering mechanisms to guide boats on desired courses.
Oversee operation of vessels used for carrying passengers, motor vehicles, or goods across rivers, harbors, lakes, and coastal waters.
Secure boats to docks with mooring lines, and cast off lines to enable departure.
Service motors by performing tasks such as changing oil and lubricating parts.
Arrange repairs, fuel, and supplies for vessels.
Maintain equipment such as range markers, fire extinguishers, boat fenders, lines, pumps, and fittings.
Report any observed navigational hazards to authorities.
Organize and direct the activities of crew members.
Issue directions for loading, unloading, and seating in boats.
Clean boats and repair hulls and superstructures, using hand tools, paint, and brushes.
Tow, push, or guide other boats, barges, logs, or rafts.

The above responsibilities are specific to Motorboat Operators. More generally, Motorboat Operators are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment		Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates		Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public		Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials		Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment

Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public

Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials

Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

What is a Motorboat Operator salary?

The median salary for a Motorboat Operator is $55,910, and the average salary is $53,500. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Motorboat Operator salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Motorboat Operators earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Motorboat Operators earn less than $27,820 per year, 25% earn less than $37,700, 75% earn less than $66,020, and 90% earn less than $77,630.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Motorboat Operators is expected to change by 15.4%, and there should be roughly 300 open positions for Motorboat Operators every year.

Median annual salary: $55,910
Typical salary range: $27,820 - $77,630
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 15.4%

What personality traits are common among Motorboat Operators?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Motorboat Operator are usually higher in their Realistic, Enterprising, and Conventional interests.

Motorboat Operators typically have very strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Also, Motorboat Operators typically have moderate Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Lastly, Motorboat Operators typically have moderate Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Motorboat Operator tend to value Relationships, Support, and Independence.

Most importantly, Motorboat Operators moderately value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Second, Motorboat Operators moderately value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Lastly, Motorboat Operators moderately value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Motorboat Operators must consistently demonstrate qualities such as dependability, cooperation, and concern for others.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Motorboat Operators, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Cooperation		Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Concern for Others		Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Stress Tolerance		Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Integrity		Job requires being honest and ethical.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Cooperation

Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

Concern for Others

Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

Stress Tolerance

Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.

Integrity

Job requires being honest and ethical.

What education and training do Motorboat Operators need?

Working as a Motorboat Operator usually requires a high school diploma.

Motorboat Operators need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Motorboat Operators

10.1% did not complete high school or secondary school
32.8% completed high school or secondary school
29.0% completed some college coursework
6.5% earned a Associate's degree
15.9% earned a Bachelor's degree
4.6% earned a Master's degree
1.1% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Motorboat Operators

Motorboat Operators may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as customer and personal service, geography, or mechanical knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Motorboat Operators might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Geography		Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Mechanical		Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Transportation		Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Public Safety and Security		Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Geography

Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

Mechanical

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Transportation

Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Public Safety and Security

Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Important Abilities needed by Motorboat Operators

Motorboat Operators must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Motorboat Operators need abilities such as control precision, far vision, and problem sensitivity in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Motorboat Operators, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Control Precision		The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Far Vision		The ability to see details at a distance.
Problem Sensitivity		The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Spatial Orientation		The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
Arm-Hand Steadiness		The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

Control Precision

The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

Far Vision

The ability to see details at a distance.

Problem Sensitivity

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Spatial Orientation

The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.

Arm-Hand Steadiness

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

Critical Skills needed by Motorboat Operators

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Motorboat Operators frequently use skills like operation and control, operations monitoring, and speaking to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Motorboat Operators, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Operation and Control		Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Operations Monitoring		Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Speaking		Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening		Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making		Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Operation and Control

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Operations Monitoring

Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Judgment and Decision Making

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Motorboat Operator

Motorboat Operator

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