Marine Electrical Designer

What do a cruise ship, a ski boat, a crabbing boat, and a submarine have in common? They’re marine vessels so they all require your skills and expertise. As a Marine Electrical Designer, you’re part of the team that constructs these vessels. You work with the Marine Architect who designs the shape and size of the boat, the Engineers who design the structural support and working components, and the Marine Mechanic who installs the engine.

For them to do their jobs, you have to do yours as the Marine Electrical Designer first. That’s because the electrical system is interwoven throughout the vessel. Wires literally run from bow to stern. But it would be a safety hazard to have them exposed, so you find ways to tuck them inside fiberglass frames, doorways, and under the flooring.

Before anyone else can work around them, you, the Marine Electrical Designer, need to outline the design in a visual format. You work with computer-aided design (CAD), blueprints, and other visual aids to create pinpoint-accurate diagrams of the entire vessel. Imagine the sheer number of light fixtures on a cruise ship and you’ll see how large a project that can be.

The Ark may have been built by one person, but modern boats and ships can require dozens, or even hundreds, of qualified professionals. Because each task intertwines with another, you need flexibility, teamwork skills, and the ability to listen and communicate effectively in order to get the job done.