Shipwright

Shipwrights build and repair small type of water vessels from pleasure craft to naval vessels. They prepare preliminary sketches and create templates. They use hand and power tools to construct smaller boat themselves or supervise a team of shipbuilders. They also construct cradles and slipways for the ship’s construction, transportation, launching and slipping. Depending on the vessels, they might work with different materials such as metal, wood, fibreglass, aluminium etc.

The following job titles also refer to shipwright:

ship repair engineer
boatbuilder
shipbuilder
boat construction worker
boat repair engineer
boat fitter
boatfitter
boat repairer
ship repairer
ship construction worker
shipfitter
boat builder
ship fitter
submarine shipwright
ship builder
naval vessel shipwright
naval engineer/shipwright

A high school diploma is generally required to work as a shipwright.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Shipwright is a Skill level 2 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to shipwright.

aircraft assembler
aircraft de-icer installer
motor vehicle parts assembler
motor vehicle body assembler
vessel engine assembler

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of shipwright. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of shipwright with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

pneumatic engineering technician
marine engineering drafter
automotive engineering drafter
rolling stock engineering drafter
heating, ventilation, air conditioning (and refrigeration) drafter

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of shipwright.

• Engineering principles: The engineering elements like functionality, replicability, and costs in relation to the design and how they are applied in the completion of engineering projects.
• Mechanics of vessels: The mechanics involved in boats and ships. Understand the technicalities and participate in discussions over related topics in order to solve problems related to the mechanics.
• Design drawings: Understand design drawings detailing the design of products, tools, and engineering systems.
• Engineering processes: The systematic approach to the development and maintenance of engineering systems.
• Mechanics: Theoretical and practical applications of the science studying the action of displacements and forces on physical bodies to the development of machinery and mechanical devices.

These skills are necessary for the role of shipwright.

• Prepare pieces for joining: Prepare metal or other material workpieces for joining processes by cleaning the workpieces, checking their measurements with the technical plan and marking on the pieces where they’ll be joined.
• Adjust engineering designs: Adjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.
• Align components: Align and lay out components in order to put them together correctly according to blueprints and technical plans.
• Use power tools: Operate power driven pumps. Use hand tools or power tools. Use vehicle repair tools or safety equipment.
• Wear appropriate protective gear: Wear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.
• Read standard blueprints: Read and comprehend standard blueprints, machine, and process drawings.
• Ensure vessel compliance with regulations: Inspect vessels, vessel components, and equipment; ensure compliance with standards and specifications.
• Read engineering drawings: Read the technical drawings of a product made by the engineer in order to suggest improvements, make models of the product or operate it.
• Liaise with engineers: Collaborate with engineers to ensure common understanding and discuss product design, development and improvement.
• Fasten components: Fasten components together according to blueprints and technical plans in order to create subassemblies or finished products.
• Apply health and safety standards: Adhere to standards of hygiene and safety established by respective authorities.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of shipwright. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Physical parts of the vessel: Detailed knowledge of the different physical components of the vessel. Provide maintenance and care to ensure optimal operations.
• Material mechanics: The behaviour of solid objects when subjected to stresses and strains, and the methods to calculate these stresses and strains.
• Cutting technologies: The variety of cutting technologies, such as software or mechanics, guiding cutting processes through lasering, sawing, milling etc.
• Fibreglass laminating: Process of applying multiple layers of fiberglass, a strong lightweight plastic reinforced with glass fibre woven into mats, using various techniques such as applying pressure or adhesives, welding or heating in order to provide strength and stability to the composite material. The fibreglass can also be sprayed in liquid form onto products.
• Metal forming technologies: The variety of technologies and techniques, such as forging, pressing, stamping, rolling and others, used for the forming processes of metal product manufacturing.
• Types of maritime vessels: Know a large variety of maritime vessels and their characteristics and specifications. Use that knowledge to ensure that all security, technical, and maintenance measures are taken into account in their supply.
• Industrial paint: The various kinds of paint used as coating in manufacturing finishing processes, such as primers, intermediate coats, finish coats, stripe coats, and others.
• Types of metal: Qualities, specifications, applications and reactions to different fabricating processes of various types of metal, such as steel, aluminium, brass, copper and others.
• CAE software: The software to perform computer-aided engineering (CAE) analysis tasks such as Finite Element Analysis and Computional Fluid Dynamics.
• Sanding techniques: The various sanding techniques (such as gang sanding), as well as the different sanding papers necessary for which surface.
• CAD software: The computer-aided design (CAD) software for creating, modifying, analysing or optimising a design.
• Defense system: The various weapons and weapon systems used to protect citizens and to harm or shield incoming enemies and enemy weapons.
• Types of wood: Types of wood, such as birch, pine, poplar, mahogany, maple and tulipwood.
• Rivet types: The various types of rivets used in manufacturing, such as solid head rivets, blind rivets, drive rivets, semi-tubular rivets, oscar rivets, flush rivets, and others.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of shipwright. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Construct moulds: Construct moulds for the casting of objects in plaster, clay, glass, plastic or metal. Use casting machines and materials such as rubber, plaster or fibreglass.
• Lead a team: Lead, supervise and motivate a group of people, in order to meet the expected results within a given timeline and with the foreseen resources in mind.
• Apply preliminary treatment to workpieces: Apply preparatory treatment, through mechanical or chemical processes, to the workpiece preceding the main operation.
• Use welding equipment: Operate welding equipment in a safe manner; use welding techniques such as shielded metal arc welding or flux-cored arc welding.
• Operate precision measuring equipment: Measure the size of a processed part when checking and marking it to check if it is up to standard by use of two and three dimensional precision measuring equipment such as a caliper, a micrometer, and a measuring gauge.
• Manipulate wood: Manipulate the properties, shape and size of wood.
• Operate handheld riveting equipment: Operate various kinds of tools and equipment used in riveting processes, such a pin hammer and a rivet set, handheld squeezers, a hammer and bucking bar, a pneumatic hammer, a rivet gun, and others.
• Sand wood: Use sanding machines or hand tools to remove paint or other substances from the surface of the wood, or to smoothen and finish the wood.
• Cut metal products: Operate cutting and measuring instruments in order to cut/shape pieces of metal into given dimensions.
• Use CAD software: Use computer-aided design (CAD) systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation of a design.
• Use painting equipment: Use brushes, rollers, spray guns and other painting equipment in accordance with the work.
• Program a CNC controller: Set up the desired product design in the CNC controller of the CNC machine for product manufacturing.
• Operate lifting equipment: Transport heavy objects using lifting equipment such as cranes, forklifts etc.
• Operate drilling equipment: Operate a range of drilling equipment, pneumatic as well as electrical and mechanical. Tend drilling equipment, monitor and operate it, according to regulations. Safely and efficiently drill holes using the correct equipment, settings, and drill bits.
• Tend riveting machine: Tend a metalworking machine designed to join metal pieces by automatically shooting mechanical fasteners, rivets, into them, monitor and operate it according to regulations.
• Set up automotive robot: Set up and programme an automotive robot working on machine processes and substituting or collaboratively supporting human labour, such as the six-axis automotive robot.

7214 – Structural-metal preparers and erectors

---

References

1. Shipwright – ESCO