ABYC certification

[seadogmike]

So recently I decided to start my own business doing (mostly) electrical repair on boats. My background as an electrical engineer for more than 20 years coupled with my love for boats made the decision easy (along with encouragement from friends and family).
I have been slowly getting calls and picking up small jobs and things seem to be going ok.
My next big investment into the company will be obtaining the ABYC electrical certification. It appears that this would open many other doors for me in this small industry. I'm not concerned about passing the test. It should be a breeze for me.
The investment is approximately $2000 by the time i pay for travel and expenses to go to the class.

I know that there are plenty of guys out there that know the electrical aspects of boats, and believe me I have seen some real "Hack Jobs" when it comes to the electrical portion of vessels. It is amazing what some people will do at the risk of their life as well as their family.

I have always prided myself in quality work because I hate rework.

I was wondering if anyone else here had ever taken the class, why, and was it really worth the cost.
There are some good benefits from having the certification, along with the fact that at some point this would hopefully turn into a full time business and in some cases the certification would be necessary.

Any thoughts? opinions?

 

[roscoe]

Sorry, can't answer your questions, but curious as to where you are located, that there would be enough work like this? And are you talking commercial boats or recreational boats?

Also, what restrictions will the certification put on you?
Will you be required to correct all electric issues not up to ABYC code?

This may make some of your jobs more involved and profitable, but may price you out of jobs if you are required to do more work than the boat owner wants to pay for.

 

[Grub54891]

I have the certification. 200 questions, 2 hours to complete. Having the certification, then boarding the boat, you have got to have good communication with the owner. Some say just fix this much. But in order to do the job correctly,I need to go right through to this point, as this wiring is undersized. And poorly installed.
They are real hesitant about doing it correctly, and spending the money to have it done right. But the more we do, the more others see, and the business is actually getting more and more electrical customers all the time.They like it when everything works every time!
Look's like you have the inspiration to get it done! Good luck!