[LEFT]I am 24 yrs old. I have owned a small marine assistance company (TowBoatUS) for 4 years on Lake Ontario. I just have a 100 t inland/ great lakes - OUPV near costal ticket with assistance towing endorsement. I currently work 6 months a yr. on-call pretty much 24/7 during that time and usually net around 50-75k per yr. I am looking to get out of the small boat marine assistance business and go to work for a tug company. I have done a few short hitches with local companies and have a basic understanding of whats involved in being a deckhand. I have enough sea time to sit for my 500t inland/ great lakes ticket and upgrade just to 100t near costal.(not that it matters much) I am just looking for opinions from guys that have been in the industry, climbed the hawsepipe. I am signed up to take the STCW BST, AB & RADAR courses this fall. I live aboard a boat that I plan on taking with me wherever I end up. I am interested in the industry because I want to upgrade my license, see more of the world and get more experience. I don’t want to be locked into ONE area just yet. I appreciate any input you may have. Thanks.[/LEFT]
how bout this…try reading through the hundreds of existing threads here and don’t ask stoopid questions in your first post.
Thanks.
you’re welcome
Assistance towing is a good start but far from big tug work. Once you have your bst, stcw you will be really marketable to tug outfits. W/O stcw and bst it will be hard to find a job most companies will not hire you w/o it. I’m a west coast guy so I cannot say much for the east coast but over here you would not have too much trouble landing a a/b spot and moving into a training position within a few years if you kept your motivation up.
Warning: Before daring to ask a question in this forum (never mind that your questions were very clear, specific and not covered except for maybe in some obscure, unmarked posts that you must find after dredging through thousands of other unrelated posts) you are expected to read and study every thread as thoroughly as though you were an attorney preparing a complicated case for trial, before you hazard to post your first question. If you use any common keywords or appear to be curious though unknowledgable, your knuckles will be swatted by the old schoolmarms who won’t hesitate to promptly throw you overboard. They will only help you back on after you shamelessly grovel at the altar of their storied wisdom.
Don’t worry about c.cap. I suspect he’s still angry about losing the “best personality” award to ahab when they were in high school together
[QUOTE=shaq;117967]Don’t worry about c.cap. I suspect he’s still angry about losing the “best personality” award to ahab when they were in high school together[/QUOTE]
are you kidding?!? I wiped up the floor with that miserable emmeffer! He was crying like a baby when I finished the evening gown portion of the competition!
Now to our young newb mariner to be…
YOU’RE ONLY 24 FOR CHRIST’S SAKE…JUST GO TO WORK ON ANY COMMERCIAL VESSEL [B][U]IN ANY CAPACITY[/U][/B] TO GAIN EXPERIENCE AND EARN SEATIME…
that is the only thing you need from us…the rest it up to you
sheesh!
[QUOTE=jakeontario;117852][LEFT]I am 24 yrs old. I have owned a small marine assistance company (TowBoatUS) for 4 years on Lake Ontario. I just have a 100 t inland/ great lakes - OUPV near costal ticket with assistance towing endorsement. I currently work 6 months a yr. on-call pretty much 24/7 during that time and usually net around 50-75k per yr. I am looking to get out of the small boat marine assistance business and go to work for a tug company. I have done a few short hitches with local companies and have a basic understanding of whats involved in being a deckhand. I have enough sea time to sit for my 500t inland/ great lakes ticket and upgrade just to 100t near costal.(not that it matters much) I am just looking for opinions from guys that have been in the industry, climbed the hawsepipe. I am signed up to take the STCW BST, AB & RADAR courses this fall. I live aboard a boat that I plan on taking with me wherever I end up. I am interested in the industry because I want to upgrade my license, see more of the world and get more experience. I don’t want to be locked into ONE area just yet. I appreciate any input you may have. Thanks.[/LEFT][/QUOTE]
I am not sure what you mean about getting locked into one area just yet. I assume you want to try different sectors of the industry, but that takes time, as in years. It’s not like you can just jump to another company after a single hitch someplace, it can be done, but would be a pain in the ass. Whats wrong with just trying to get a job with one of those local companies??
[QUOTE=“oregonblitzkrieg;117952”]Warning: Before daring to ask a question in this forum (never mind that your questions were very clear, specific and not covered except for maybe in some obscure, unmarked posts that you must find after dredging through thousands of other unrelated posts) you are expected to read and study every thread as thoroughly as though you were an attorney preparing a complicated case for trial, before you hazard to post your first question. If you use any common keywords or appear to be curious though unknowledgable, your knuckles will be swatted by the old schoolmarms who won’t hesitate to promptly throw you overboard. They will only help you back on after you shamelessly grovel at the altar of their storied wisdom.[/QUOTE]
Nobody likes a wise ass son,(figuratively) especially from someone lacking the experience and time to have wisdom.
[QUOTE=oregonblitzkrieg;117952]Warning: Before daring to ask a question in this forum (never mind that your questions were very clear, specific and not covered except for maybe in some obscure, unmarked posts that you must find after dredging through thousands of other unrelated posts) you are expected to read and study every thread as thoroughly as though you were an attorney preparing a complicated case for trial, before you hazard to post your first question. If you use any common keywords or appear to be curious though unknowledgable, your knuckles will be swatted by the old schoolmarms who won’t hesitate to promptly throw you overboard. They will only help you back on after you shamelessly grovel at the altar of their storied wisdom.[/QUOTE]
I’m a newbie too, and I’ve never had this complaint. But then again, I’m a very curious being, and I devoured all of the previously asked questions here because I was impatient to get answers. It’s kinda like, would you rather dig for coal, or wait for plants to grow?
[QUOTE=MariaW;118004]I’m a newbie too, and I’ve never had this complaint. But then again, I’m a very curious being, and I devoured all of the previously asked questions here because I was impatient to get answers. It’s kinda like, would you rather dig for coal, or wait for plants to grow?[/QUOTE]
I’d rather sit on a porch watching plants grow. I dig the coal so I can do that.
Welcome to the salt encrusted corner of the internet Jake.
As an FNG on the forum, you must show that your skin is not thin. Heck, I’ve been called an effen young punk, snot nosed kid, and a dick on this site - it don’t mean nothing.
Interesting background you have. I believe Towboat/US is a franchise like Sea Tow. To be 24 and have your own rig and business is pretty impressive in my book. Working as an AB on a tug you can make what? - $35-45k/y? Hell, you could make that or more in a couple days if a good salvage job were to come your way. I understand the work is seasonal up North, but you could move south for winter.
Just curious why you would want to give up a business with unlimited potential for steady work and the risk of getting laid off when the work dries up?
[QUOTE=Jetryder223;118307]Just curious why you would want to give up a business with unlimited potential for steady work and the risk of getting laid off when the work dries up?[/QUOTE]
You know here I am seeing retirement looming ahead and thinking of starting my own little rescue towing and salvage operation with the ORCA. Strange how careers might end up after all the twists and turns. Making $75k towing broken down puckers back into port sounds like a might nice little living. Throw onto that maybe 100 to150 days of research charters and I’ll do just fine and no effing GoM or bullshit ISM paperwork!
Let’s go!
.
If its so good everyone would be doing it! Diversify…get the steady tugboat paycheck, which will be well more than $45 a year. You can do salvage when you’re home.
[QUOTE=c.captain;118336]You know here I am seeing retirement looming ahead and thinking of starting my own little rescue towing and salvage operation with the ORCA. Strange how careers might end up after all the twists and turns. Making $75k towing broken down puckers back into port sounds like a might nice little living. Throw onto that maybe 100 to150 days of research charters and I’ll do just fine and no effing GoM or bullshit ISM paperwork!
Let’s go!
.[/QUOTE]
I remember a beautiful old wooden hull tug moving yachts and small vessels around Anacortes. They appeared to stay busy.
I love how people get all pissy when someone starts a thread like this. You guys are the ones who continue to reply to them. No one is forcing you to open the threads. How bout from now on you guys just scroll on past them. And quit complaining about them
Oh, come on. I thought ISM was supposed to make all of our lives easier and better in every way. Those magical 13 sections are going to make us all the equals of the Limeys and Norwegians. We can never hope to equal those giants, but maybe, however briefly we can aspire to the greatness that our lowly birth did not afford us.
[QUOTE=Tampamariner;118345]I love how people get all pissy when someone starts a thread like this. You guys are the ones who continue to reply to them. No one is forcing you to open the threads. How bout from now on you guys just scroll on past them. And quit complaining about them[/QUOTE]
fine then…I complain about people like you who complain about the complainers like me
and the planet just keeps spinning and spinning forever unto eternity…
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[QUOTE=captrob;118346]Oh, come on. I thought ISM was supposed to make all of our lives easier and better in every way. Those magical 13 sections are going to make us all the equals of the Limeys and Norwegians. We can never hope to equal those giants, but maybe, however briefly we can aspire to the greatness that our lowly birth did not afford us.[/QUOTE]
ISM is every bit as useless and wasteful of resources as is GMDSS. Neither made a single thing safer in the maritime world but made thousands of consultants BANK!
what is next up the sleeve if the IMO I must wonder…they have GODDAMNED ruined this industry! A bunch of effing Brits and Indians dictating regulations to the world! I SAY OFF WITH THEIR FUCKING HEADS!
Future c.captain right here http://www.dunato.com/towing_salvage.html
[QUOTE=rshrew;118351]Future c.captain right here http://www.dunato.com/towing_salvage.html[/QUOTE]
That’s EXACTLY what I’m talkin about except that ORCA would kick the ass of their little pisspot. I got booms and deck space for equipment!
My plan is to focus on N. Sound area and leave Seattle and Lake Union to the established firms.
If you know any divers who need a good platform to work from, I would be most indebted to you to get us together there rshrew.
Orca is great for the right kind of job but I don’t see how she can compete with the smaller/faster/cheaper vessels that seem to run by a single operator. I’d be thinking about establishing relationships with John Aydelotte at Cornet Bay and some of the other operators for contract work when they have a larger salvage operations.
You could also think about seasonal work based at Neah Bay when the sports fishing fleet is out there. As far as I know there isn’t anything out there other than the contract tug and the CG Station. If you were based at Neah Bay and could put together a decent dive ladder you could probably pre-book a few dive charters which might make it less of a speculative venture.