How to get a job as a 'Deckhand'

Hello , And Welcome to my Guide.

--> How to get a job as a "Deckhand"

Some of you ( City Slickers ) may want to know --> Whats a "Deckhand"?

Deckhands, or deck crew members, perform a wide variety of tasks, under the authority of a boat's captain (often via the first mate or the bosun).

A deckhand may be expected to keep the boats nets / fishing gear clean , depending on what type of boat it is. The deckhand is the person who docks the boat ,ties the ropes , cleans and polishes the boat.
Deckhands often have some engineering qaulifications to help out engineers do matainence. A deckhand is a valuable part of any commercial charter vessle's crew.

A deckhand is not an easy job nor for the faint hearted. They often are working 18 hour days in tedious weather conditions and harsh enviroments. The work as a deckhand is hands on and extremely physical so they require a decent level of fitness.


--> Why do people become deckhands? Whats Required?

"The lure of the sea is strong for some, as the classical figure of the sailor and his crew are ingrained in the public imagination. The first step for most seeking a life at sea is to obtain a job as a deckhand. In order to find a deckhand job, an individual must have a mentally and physically strong carriage. Experience on a boat is preferred in most cases, since life on the sea can sometimes dangerous, and individuals put their lives in each others hands. Once a person has decided that they have the experience and capabilities that the job demands, finding a deckhand job can be as easy as looking in the classifieds, or asking boat captains about available positions." Extract - Refference Below.

Again, This can change depending on what type of deckhand you want to become.


--> What types of deckhands are there?

Being a 'Deckhand' changes from job to job. I will give you the types and examples of what they do.

Luxury Superyacht - Working as a deckahnd on a luxury Superyacht is not all as it seems. Sure - You travel the world and get payed. However , you are CONSTANTLY cleaning and polishing the boat , making sure there are NO imperfections. The pay is around $2500USD-$3500USD / Month

Fishing Vessel - Work on a Fishing vessel is one of the hardest types of deckhands you will come across. This job is VERY long hours , in wet , harsh and windy weather. They Clean the boat , Chop bait and prepare nets/lines/pots. Compare this to Something like , Deadliest Catch Show ( For those who have seen it ) Pay - Depends on Boats Quota.

Small Sport Fishing Boat - These are the deckhands who have the most fun (In my opinion) I personally am a deckhand on a Game fishing boat and its completely awesome. My job consists of washing the boat , prepairing the lines for catching marlin , yellow fin tuna and LOTS of other game fish. We spend hours trawling sometimes with nothing , but as soon as we hook up its all hands on deck with the adreniline pumping! Pay is around $1500-2500USD / Month

--> How to get a job as a Deckahnd?

Step 1 : Research the type of boats that you would like to work on. Deckhand jobs vary greatly on different vessels. A deckhand on a tugboat will have many tasks that a deckhand on a Crayfish boat may not have. Decide if you want a career on a fishing boat, a Crayfish boat, a tugboat or a cruise boat. Job descriptions will vary for each type of boat. ( As examples state above)

Step 2: Join your local coastgaurd , and do any boat course possible. This will greatly help you chances of being seclected.

Step 3: Lift weights and work out to help you get physically fit. Your job as a deckhand often does not include light-duty activity, and may very well include lifting over 40Kg's at a time. As a physically fit deckhand you can keep up with the others on the boat when you get the job.

Step 4: Make sure you can swim! A deckhand MUST be a confisdent swimmer for obvious reasons.

Step 5: This is where is comes to crunch. To find a postion you can look in your local paper , on mariner notice boards and simply do as I did - Walk the docks.

Walking the docks consists of you physcially....wait for it...WALK THE DOCKS!. When you do this , you get seen. You talk the Skippers and ask for a postion which will hopefully lead into a Trial - After that they will decided if your good enough!

Some Examples of the Boats I was talking about to give you and Idea.

Super Yatch



Fishing Boat



Sport / Game fishing Boat ( What I personally Work on )



Well , Thank you for reading my Guide.

( Currently working on spelling mistakes please wait before you troll :love: )

Next Guide: How to beomce the PERFECT deckhand. Which includes more depth in specfiics like 'Deckhand Apparel'​

References: Deckahnds 101 ( Book ) + http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-get-a-deckhand-job.htm

 

Your introduction is quite long whereas your actual guide is kinda short lol. But good guide, nevertheless.

Did you write this all by yourself? :love:

 

I used Refferences from My Deckhands Book I have , However most is from my knowledge of being a deckhand for 3 years.

The reason the guide is kinda of short is because , This is more of an intro guide into my next guide. Otherwsie I could have made one Massive guide , Which would have been to big.

 

There are a few spelling and Grammatical errors brother... they should be easy to fix though
Nice read! I went through the whole thing. Slightly short, but still quite informative.

 

Thanks Jordan - Read the bottom - Says Don't Troll About Spelling , I get em fixed eventually. I need firefox to auto correct my spelling

 

Lol nice info, liked it.

 

Thank you.

 

Bump - Want some more feed back.

 

this might sound silly but is it possible to work a deckhand if your a weak swimmer?

cause your guide seems to call out to me for some odd reason and plus im kinda worried that the lack of my ability to swim might be my lessen my chance of doing so in the future

 

Swimming will definably help you immensely.

However you don't NEED to be a GOOD swimmer - but be able to swim, for obvious reasons. Employers often ask what other previous sports/activities have you done around the boating industry so a good base of water sports , and water activities will make your priority of a fellow companion seeking the same job.

In the winter months you could go do a few days free or paid work for a boat building company to have a look around / help out etc just so you can add that to your boating CV (other boa jobs work not just boat building)

Hope this helps.

 

hi spam reporter u know ur avatar how do i make mine move to.. everytime i try to upload a GIF it wont move?

 

My Grand Father was a fisherman all his life. Still got 2 uncles who are fisherman and my two older brothers became fisherman. Not sure if it applies there, but here if its a bad trip it result in next to no money. My brothers do long-line

 

You need to be a donator. It's part of various perks we get.

Yes , the fishing business can be hard , however you can make millions from it at the same time. I personally don't do fishing as I'm more into the corperate / professional market. Pay is pre determined which is satisfying. Also nontaxable as I don't have a place of residence (When working for over a month during the summer going place to place)

 

It can also depend on the catch, Where im from they trawl fish and they haul everything, If they get poor catches the chances are there share in the trip will be near to nothing.


As for the picture of a fishing boat that made me lol