Manufacturing & ProductionISCO 7214
Shipwright
A shipwright is a person who builds and repairs vessels, from pleasure craft to naval boats, working either alone on smaller hulls or supervising a team of boat builders.
Check yourself in a minute: shipwright
Rate 5 of the 15 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.
prepare pieces for joining
adjust engineering designs
align components
use power tools
wear appropriate protective gear
About shipwright
The shipwright prepares preliminary sketches and makes the patterns from which parts are cut, reads engineering sketches and design drawings, and adapts technical designs where a drawing and a hull do not agree.
Depending on the vessel, a shipwright works in metal, in wood, in glass fibre or in aluminium, and each of those materials needs different joints, tools, tolerances and repair methods.
The structures around the build are the shipwright's work too. Cradles and slipways are built for the construction, transport, launching and hauling of a vessel, and a cradle that is wrong distributes the weight of a hull incorrectly and damages it. Engineering principles and mechanics underpin the whole of it, and vessel compliance with regulations has to be ensured. Components are fastened so that they last in water. Requirements for entering the trade are set by the employer, and the basis is working with hand and power tools. Health and safety standards apply throughout.
European Skills Framework
Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.
Essential (15)
engineering principlesengineering principlesThe engineering elements like functionality, replicability, and costs in relation to the design and how they are applied in the completion of engineering projects.mechanics of vesselsmechanics of vesselsThe mechanical aspects and principles of vessels operations, and the technicalities and mechanical composition of boats and ships.design drawingsdesign drawingsThe drawings detailing the design of products, tools, and engineering systems.mechanicsmechanicsTheoretical and practical applications of the science studying the action of displacements and forces on physical bodies to the development of machinery and mechanical devices.prepare pieces for joiningprepare pieces for joiningPrepare metal or other material workpieces for joining processes by cleaning the workpieces, checking their measurements with the technical plan and marking on the pieces where they'll be joined.adjust engineering designsadjust engineering designsAdjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.align componentsalign componentsAlign and lay out components in order to put them together correctly according to blueprints and technical plans.use power toolsuse power toolsOperate power driven pumps. Use hand tools or power tools. Use vehicle repair tools or safety equipment.wear appropriate protective gearwear appropriate protective gearWear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.read standard blueprintsread standard blueprintsRead and comprehend standard blueprints, machine, and process drawings.ensure vessel compliance with regulationsensure vessel compliance with regulationsInspect vessels, vessel components, and equipment; ensure compliance with standards and specifications.read engineering drawingsread engineering drawingsRead the technical drawings of a product made by the engineer in order to suggest improvements, make models of the product or operate it.liaise with engineersliaise with engineersCollaborate with engineers to ensure common understanding and discuss product design, development and improvement.fasten componentsfasten componentsFasten components together according to blueprints and technical plans in order to create subassemblies or finished products.apply health and safety standardsapply health and safety standardsAdhere to standards of hygiene and safety established by respective authorities.
Optional (55) — show
physical parts of the vesselphysical parts of the vesselThe different physical components of the vessel and their maintenance and care effort.material mechanicsmaterial mechanicsThe behaviour of solid objects when subjected to stresses and strains, and the methods to calculate these stresses and strains.cutting technologiescutting technologiesThe variety of cutting technologies, such as software or mechanics, guiding cutting processes through lasering, sawing, milling etc.fibreglass laminatingfibreglass laminatingProcess of applying multiple layers of fiberglass, a strong lightweight plastic reinforced with glass fibre woven into mats, using various techniques such as applying pressure or adhesives, welding or...3D printing process3D printing processThe process of reproducing 3D objects by using 3D printing technologies.printing on large scale machinesprinting on large scale machinesMethods, processes, and restrictions related to printing on machines that produce large quantities and sizes of graphic print materials.printing techniquesprinting techniquesThe techniques and processes to reproduce text and images using a master form or template such as letterpress printing, gravure, and laser printing.printing materialsprinting materialsThe materials, such as paper, film, metal foils, and glass, on which texts or designs can be transferred by applying ink through direct pressure or with intermediate rollers.metal forming technologiesmetal forming technologiesThe variety of technologies and techniques, such as forging, pressing, stamping, rolling and others, used for the forming processes of metal product manufacturing.types of maritime vesselstypes of maritime vesselsVarious types of maritime vessels such as container ships, passenger ships and fishing vessels, and their characteristics and specifications, security, technical, and maintenance requirements.maintenance operationsmaintenance operationsThe preservation and restoration of products and systems, and the methods and logistics of these practices.sensorssensorsSensors are transducers that can detect or sense characteristics in their environment. They detect changes in the apparatus or environment and provide a corresponding optical or electrical signal. Sen...robotic componentsrobotic componentsThe components that can be found in robotic systems, such as microprocessors, electronics, sensors, circuit boards, encoders, servomotors, controllers, pneumatics or hydraulics.industrial paintindustrial paintThe various kinds of paint used as coating in manufacturing finishing processes, such as primers, intermediate coats, finish coats, stripe coats, and others.types of metaltypes of metalQualities, specifications, applications and reactions to different fabricating processes of various types of metal, such as steel, aluminium, brass, copper and others.CAE softwareCAE softwareThe software to perform computer-aided engineering (CAE) analysis tasks such as Finite Element Analysis and Computional Fluid Dynamics.sanding techniquessanding techniquesThe various sanding techniques (such as gang sanding), as well as the different sanding papers necessary for which surface.3D modelling3D modellingThe process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface of an object via specialised software. The product is called a 3D model. It can be displayed as a two-dimension...CAD softwareCAD softwareThe computer-aided design (CAD) software for creating, modifying, analysing or optimising a design.control engineeringcontrol engineeringSubdiscipline of engineering that focuses on controlling the behaviour of systems through the use of sensors and actuators.defense systemdefense systemThe various weapons and weapon systems used to protect citizens and to harm or shield incoming enemies and enemy weapons.types of woodtypes of woodTypes of wood, such as birch, pine, poplar, mahogany, maple and tulipwood.rivet typesrivet typesThe various types of rivets used in manufacturing, such as solid head rivets, blind rivets, drive rivets, semi-tubular rivets, oscar rivets, flush rivets, and others.mechatronicsmechatronicsMultidisciplinary field of engineering that combines principles of electrical engineering, telecommunications engineering, control engineering, computer engineering, and mechanical engineering in the ...maintenance of printing machinesmaintenance of printing machinesUpkeep procedures and technical working of machines that produce printed graphical material.roboticsroboticsThe branch of engineering that involves the design, operation, manufacture, and application of robots. Robotics is part of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science and over...automation technologyautomation technologySet of technologies that make a process, system, or apparatus operate automatically through the use of control systems.construct mouldsconstruct mouldsConstruct moulds for the casting of objects in plaster, clay, glass, plastic or metal. Use casting machines and materials such as rubber, plaster or fibreglass.lead a teamlead a teamLead, supervise and motivate a group of people, in order to meet the expected results within a given timeline and with the foreseen resources in mind.determine suitability of materialsdetermine suitability of materialsWhile designing products, determine if materials are suitable and available for production.apply preliminary treatment to workpiecesapply preliminary treatment to workpiecesApply preparatory treatment, through mechanical or chemical processes, to the workpiece preceding the main operation.operate welding equipmentoperate welding equipmentUse welding equipment to melt and join together pieces of metal or steel, wearing protective eyewear during the working process.assemble sensorsassemble sensorsMount chips on a sensor substrate and attach them using soldering or wafer bumping techniques.operate precision measuring equipmentoperate precision measuring equipmentMeasure the size of a processed part when checking and marking it to check if it is up to standard by use of two and three dimensional precision measuring equipment such as a caliper, a micrometer, an...manipulate woodmanipulate woodManipulate the properties, shape and size of wood.install mechatronic equipmentinstall mechatronic equipmentInstall equipment used for the automation of a specific machine or device.use technical drawing softwareuse technical drawing softwareCreate technical designs and technical drawings using specialised software.test mechatronic unitstest mechatronic unitsTest mechatronic units using appropriate equipment. Gather and analyse data. Monitor and evaluate system performance and take action if needed.test sensorstest sensorsTest sensors using appropriate equipment. Gather and analyse data. Monitor and evaluate system performance and take action if needed.maintain robotic equipmentmaintain robotic equipmentDiagnose and detect malfunctions in robotic components and systems and remove, replace, or repair these components when necessary. Execute preventative equipment maintenance tasks, such as storing rob...operate handheld riveting equipmentoperate handheld riveting equipmentOperate various kinds of tools and equipment used in riveting processes, such a pin hammer and a rivet set, handheld squeezers, a hammer and bucking bar, a pneumatic hammer, a rivet gun, and others.install automation componentsinstall automation componentsInstall the automation components according to the specifications of the circuit diagram.sand woodsand woodUse sanding machines or hand tools to remove paint or other substances from the surface of the wood, or to smoothen and finish the wood.operate printing machineryoperate printing machineryOperate machinery for various types of printed documents, adjusting the font, paper size, and weight. This allows ascenders and descenders to be correctly placed.cut metal productscut metal productsOperate cutting and measuring instruments in order to cut/shape pieces of metal into given dimensions.use CAD softwareuse CAD softwareUse computer-aided design (CAD) systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation of a design.use painting equipmentuse painting equipmentUse brushes, rollers, spray guns and other painting equipment in accordance with the work.design prototypesdesign prototypesDesign prototypes of products or components of products by applying design and engineering principles.program a CNC controllerprogram a CNC controllerSet up the desired product design in the CNC controller of the CNC machine for product manufacturing.operate lifting equipmentoperate lifting equipmentTransport heavy objects using lifting equipment such as cranes, forklifts etc.assemble mechatronic unitsassemble mechatronic unitsAssemble mechatronic units using mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, electrical, electronic, and information technology systems and components. Manipulate and attach metals through using welding and sol...operate drilling equipmentoperate drilling equipmentOperate a range of drilling equipment, pneumatic as well as electrical and mechanical. Tend drilling equipment, monitor and operate it, according to regulations. Safely and efficiently drill holes usi...tend riveting machinetend riveting machineTend a metalworking machine designed to join metal pieces by automatically shooting mechanical fasteners, rivets, into them, monitor and operate it according to regulations.set up automotive robotset up automotive robotSet up and programme an automotive robot working on machine processes and substituting or collaboratively supporting human labour, such as the six-axis automotive robot.operate 3D computer graphics softwareoperate 3D computer graphics softwareUse graphical ICT tools, such as Autodesk Maya, Blender which enable digital editing, modelling, rendering and composition of graphics. These tools are based in mathematical representation of three-di...
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Frequently asked questions
What does a shipwright do?
Shipwrights build and repair small type of water vessels from pleasure craft to naval vessels. They prepare preliminary sketches and create templates. They use hand and power tools to construct smaller boat themselves or supervise a team of shipbuilders. They also construct cradles and slipways for the ship’s construction, transportation, launching and slipping. Depending on the vessels, they might work with different materials such as metal, wood, fibreglass, aluminium etc.
What skills does a shipwright need?
A shipwright needs 15 essential skills, including engineering principles, mechanics of vessels, design drawings, mechanics, prepare pieces for joining.
Will AI replace shipwright jobs?
The AI disruption score for shipwright is 25/100 (low risk). Skills most exposed to automation: sensors, test sensors, read standard blueprints. Most resilient: operate welding equipment, use painting equipment, types of wood.
AI Replacement Risk
25/ 100
Low Risk
Low riskHigh risk
Quick Facts
ISCO GroupMetal, machinery and related trades workers
Essential Skills15
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