Merchant marine vs boat hand

The differences between merchant marines and boat hands can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a merchant marine has an average salary of $59,752, which is higher than the $35,273 average annual salary of a boat hand.

The top three skills for a merchant marine include safety procedures, vessel security and diesel engines. The most important skills for a boat hand are boats, , and .

Merchant marine vs boat hand overview

	Merchant Marine	Boat Hand
Yearly salary	$59,752	$35,273
Hourly rate	$28.73	$16.96
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	11,319	4,579
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	33	33
Years of experience	-	-

Merchant marine vs boat hand salary

Merchant marines and boat hands have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Merchant Marine	Boat Hand
Average salary	$59,752	$35,273
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $151,000	Between $20,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between merchant marine and boat hand education

There are a few differences between a merchant marine and a boat hand in terms of educational background:

	Merchant Marine	Boat Hand
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Merchant marine vs boat hand demographics

Here are the differences between merchant marines' and boat hands' demographics:

	Merchant Marine	Boat Hand
Average age	33	33
Gender ratio	Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2%	Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 16.0% Unknown, 9.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%	Black or African American, 16.3% Unknown, 9.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 5.0% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between merchant marine and boat hand duties and responsibilities

Merchant marine example responsibilities.

Manage the logistics and operation of 23 work centers locate at five separate sites in a dynamic operational environment.
Operate and maintain firefighting safety equipment and maintain ships operational condition.
Ensure that the facilities capabilities are complimentary to the task request by FEMA logistics.
Develop and present briefings to management and senior leadership.
Organize multiple emergency airlifts of repair parts and ammunition under stressful combat conditions.
Establish valuable links with receiving combat units and ensure accurate delivery of critical supplies.

Boat hand example responsibilities.

Work as boat hand, clean tanks, clean freezers, wash deck, tender hake from native boats.
Monitor operations to consistently meet BP requirements.
Set nets, sort shrimp and help maintain the boat
Operate, maintain, or repair ship equipment, such as winches, cranes, derricks, or weapons system.

Merchant marine vs boat hand skills

Common merchant marine skills

Safety Procedures, 29%
Vessel Security, 17%
Diesel Engines, 14%
Cargo Operations, 10%
Deck Hand, 9%
USCG, 5%

Common boat hand skills

Boats, 100%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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