Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Step1
Find out what types of boats are most common in your area. Fishing yachts require a different maintenance schedule than cigarette boats, for example. Know what you are likely to maintain in your area to focus your business. While you can expand your knowledge later, you need to begin by getting the most customers for your area.
Step2
Learn all you can about routine boat maintenance. Know all of the basics, such as how to change oil, how to grease fittings and how to prepare the boat for the winter. These services are the ones performed most often, so you should make sure that you know what needs to be done on each type of watercraft.
Step3
Volunteer to work on a couple of boats for free. This type of free work can be a way to drum up business when you get started. After all, few people will not want to hire someone who hasn't done much actual work on a boat.
Step4
Begin by setting up a couple of long-term contracts. Boats, like cars, require repair. After fishing boats have been on deep-sea expeditions, for instance, they may have scrapes and small dings that need to be fixed. The best way to survive in the boat-maintenance business, however, is to get contracts to do the routine maintenance for boats, including preparing to store them for the winter and take them out again the next summer.
Step5
Tie yourself to a marina if you can. Should you be able to rent office space near docks, you'll go a long way in determining how many customers you get. Not only will you network with regulars, you'll be the first person tourists see if they need help with their boats.
