How To Become A Shipyard Painter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a shipyard painter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a shipyard painter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.58 an hour? That's $42,814 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 4,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreShipyard PainterUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,814

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.4

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.84%

Asian 1.78%

Black or African American 5.46%

Hispanic or Latino 38.74%

Unknown 4.42%

White 48.76%

Gender

female 19.57%

male 80.43%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

5.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a shipyard painter

Explore shipyard painter education requirements

Most common shipyard painter degrees

High School Diploma

66.7 %

Master's

8.3 %

Bachelor's

8.3 %

Start to develop specific shipyard painter skills

Skills	Percentages
Exterior Surfaces	52.54%
Coats	14.84%
Painting Equipment	12.14%
Mixes	10.56%
Boats	9.92%

Complete relevant shipyard painter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New shipyard painters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a shipyard painter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real shipyard painter resumes.

Research shipyard painter duties and responsibilities

Spray paint equipment with smooth coats of paint.
Sand surfaces between coats and polish final coat to specify finish.
Perform masonry waterproofing exterior masonry staining; maintain acoustical tile and factory apply finishes and caulking; and perform preventive maintenance.
Support journeymen painters with daily task.

Prepare your shipyard painter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your shipyard painter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a shipyard painter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable shipyard painter resume templates

Build a professional shipyard painter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your shipyard painter resume.