On The Job

>>Nothing will spoil a day on the water like boat problems. A marine technician can help make sure your trip is smooth sailing. Glenn Harris is a marine tech at Fishtail Sales and Services located at Fishtail Marina on Fort Myers Beach. He spends his days working on boats with outboard engines—servicing, troubleshooting and rebuilding engines.

What sort of training did you undergo?
I went to the American Marine Institute in Daytona for a year in 1986. They covered outboards and stern drives—everything from complete rebuild to troubleshooting to maintenance. It was a basic school to get you in the door.

What services does the marina offer?
Most of our boats are serviced on the rack, here at the marina. We do the annual service check-ups and some service calls to people who bought boats from us. When a customer leaves to go back up North, we put his boat up for the season. When he comes back, we make sure everything’s ready for him. After service, we do a sea trial to make sure the boat is running properly.

How has the economic downturn affected business?
The way the economy is now has affected us quite a bit, sales- and service-wise. 

What is the most challenging aspect of this job?
I would say the troubleshooting aspect of engines. The engines have gotten so sophisticated—everything is predominantly four-stroke now. We use laptops that hook up to the engines to help in the troubleshooting. It’s almost like working on new car engines.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?
My sea trial after servicing the boat. I make sure it’s running fine and know that I’ve done a good job.

Any recommendations for boaters?
It’s critical to get your boat serviced once a year. It’s preventative maintenance—we can catch problems that are going to happen or have happened. It’s worth the fee to keep your boat in good shape. People spend a lot of money on their boats, and nothing’s worse than going out with a bunch of people and having your boat not run.