Boat and ship builders and repairers: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time boat and ship builders and repairers in the UK earned a median £33,896 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £5,143 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 218th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
A full-time median is published for men only; the sample of women is too small.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 40 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
Since 2021 it has risen 17.7%, from £28,787, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30th percentile | – | – | – | – | – | £14.48 |
| 40th percentile | – | £595.50 | £14.61 | – | £584.80 | £15.59 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £33,896* | £614.10 | £15.60 | £32,600* | £599.80 | £15.96 |
| 60th percentile | – | – | £15.94 | – | £633.50* | £16.21 |
| Mean | £35,211 | £647.40 | £15.60 | £34,135 | £610.00 | £16.03 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £28,787 | £559.70* | £13.98* | £28,787 | £559.70* | – |
| 2022 revised | – | – | – | – | £586.90* | – |
| 2023 revised | – | £633.60* | £14.92* | – | £627.00* | – |
| 2024 revised | £33,682* | £653.60 | £16.01 | £31,019* | £634.60 | 6* |
| 2025 provisional | £33,896* | £614.10 | £15.60 | £32,600* | £599.80 | – |
What boat and ship builders and repairers do
Boat and ship builders and repairers construct, install and repair wooden structures and fittings, and shape, position, rivet and seal metal plates and girders to form the metal structures and frameworks for marine craft. (ONS SOC 2020, 5235)
Also covers: boat builder, fitter (boat building), frame turner (ship building), laminator (boat building and repairing), marine engineer, ship’s joiner, shipwright, barge builder, barge engineer, barge repairer, beam erector, blowlamp worker, boat maker, boat repairer, boat technician, deck fitter, engineer (nos) and frame turner (43 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Examines drawings and specifications to determine job requirements
- Uses rules, scribes and punches to mark out metal plate with guidelines and reference points and cuts plates using appropriate tools
- Uses machine tools to bend, curve, punch, drill and straighten metal plate as required and positions and aligns metal platework or frame for welding and bolting
- Rivets together metal plates and girders, seals seams, smooths welds, fixes metal doors, collars, portholes, tank and hatch covers
- Selects and measures appropriate wood and cuts, shapes and drills to specification using saws, planes, chisels and other power or hand tools
- Aligns and fixes prepared wood pieces by screwing, nailing, gluing and dowelling to form decking, small wooden marine craft and their interiors and fittings
Entrants typically possess GCSEs/S grades. Training is usually via apprenticeship including practical experience and technical training. Apprenticeships and vocational qualifications in boat building and relevant aspects of engineering and construction are available at levels 2 and 3.
Related
Vehicle trades (median £37,917) · Aircraft maintenance and related trades · Rail and rolling stock builders and repairers · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026