Nautical joiner

The missions of the nautical joiner

The nautical joiner's job is specialised in the fitting and construction of wooden furniture and interiors for pleasure boats. The nautical joiner also lays teak decks and assembles woodwork through to the finishing stages.

"My job is mainly about the layout and interior fitting of boats. I chose this specialisation in naval joinery primarily because it's an interesting sector and I've always been drawn to the sea. When a boat hits the water, it's really rewarding." Vincent, nautical joiner.

Working from boat plans, the nautical construction fitter assembles and adapts furniture, flooring and wooden and/or composite elements to integrate them into the boats. He/she fits out the interior of the boat by installing partitions and modules such as the galley, wet rooms, and so on. He/she adjusts and fine-tunes the boat's joinery to ensure everything is perfect. He/she monitors quality throughout the boat construction process to prevent any errors.

The leisure maintenance technician repairs and modifies the wooden interiors of boats. He/she typically holds a nautical joinery qualification and works at dealerships and boat repair and maintenance yards.

Initial training and apprenticeship

Many specialised training programmes in the nautical industry provide a pathway to employment as a nautical joiner.

These programmes are accessible from CAP level through to Bac Pro, either as initial training or as an apprenticeship, through a traditional academic route (including a work placement period), a contrat d'apprentissage (ages 16 to 30) or a contrat de professionnalisation (from age 16, no upper age limit).

To find the training centre best suited to your profile, you can contact the Campus des métiers du nautisme des Pays de Loire or Occitanie, or Orientation pour tous for training in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

Career change

If you are looking to change career and work in the nautical industry as a nautical joiner specialising in wooden boat furniture, the Bénéteau Group offers 10-week training programmes prior to recruitment, reserved for jobseekers.

The training is remunerated and funded by our employment partners (Pôle Emploi, Adecco, Manpower, Partnaire, Randstad, Synergie and Transparence RH).

Career development

Within the Bénéteau Group, the nautical joiner can progress by specialising towards a role as a finishing joiner, wooden design office technician or production supervisor.