Shipyard
Another option for earning money on a fishing boat. Also a way to land a job for fishing season. This relates to inter-seasonal upkeep of the ship which usually takes place between November and January in the company’s home port, in our case Seattle or Portland.
On my second “mission” to Alaska I got stuck on land unexpectedly. At the time, general reconstruction of the boat was taking place and was delayed significantly. Due to this delay I got the opportunity to complete my ship work experience. I worked 45 days straight, 12 hours a day.
You decide how much you want to participate and it is usually up to you to find something to do.work on shipyard
Shipyard work was quite dirty and loud. Everywhere I looked something was being welded, cut, grinded or sharpened; there was a lot of dust in the air. There were few contracting companies working on the ship and every one of them was responsible for a different job. Carpenters were reconstructing the freezer hall and interior of the ship, welders were making new pipes and lining the deck, painters were painting the factory and the boat exterior. I always assigned myself to one of these groups. Extinguishing fire, painting, varnishing, helping carpenters and technicians in the engine room, drilling, screwing, tiding, sorting things out, carrying, pulling and demolishing were among my duties.
You decide how much you want to participate and it is usually up to you to find something to do. If you manage to get on with our technicians and into their collective, you can pick up the skills that can move you up to the position of an oiler/engineer for the next fishing season. This is a well paid position, but experience from the deck or the factory is usually necessary.
It was all about being helpful without the need for others to tell you what to do.work on shipyard
Near the end, when the ship was nearly finished I found a job in the factory shop where I spent days sorting out buckets full of screws, nuts and bolts; and sorting out the entire room for factory engineers. It was a good job because I always had something to do, I learned the names of all the different tools and whenever anyone needed a tool or specific screw I knew where to get it right away and by that I saved everyone much time. It was all about being helpful without the need for others to tell you what to do. To learn the English names of the different tools I recommend visiting this website.
Everyone in the fishing crew got paid the same; $150/ day and we slept in a hotel also provided for by our company. We only slept in the hotel because the interior of the ship wasn’t finished, usually we slept on the ship in the shipyard or at home if someone happened to live nearby.
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