Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Boat Business Assistant

🎯 Role Definition

The Boat Business Assistant is a versatile operations and customer-service professional who supports daily marina, brokerage, or boat service activities. This role coordinates vessel scheduling and logistics, processes sales and rental documentation, liaises with technicians and vendors, manages inventory and parts procurement, maintains CRM and financial records, and provides excellent customer communication from enquiry through to delivery. The position requires strong administrative systems skills, marine terminology familiarity, and the ability to juggle operational priorities in a fast-paced, weather- and season-driven environment.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Marina Attendant / Dockhand
Administrative Assistant (boat/yacht/retail)
Sales Support / Customer Service Representative (marine or hospitality)

Advancement To:

Marina Operations Supervisor / Manager
Yacht Broker / Sales Manager
Service Manager or Parts & Inventory Manager
Charter Operations Manager

Lateral Moves:

Customer Success Manager (marine services)
Logistics Coordinator / Fleet Coordinator
Office Manager for marine business

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Serve as the primary point of contact for owners, buyers, renters, and crew—answer incoming phone, email and chat inquiries promptly, triage requests, document all communication in the CRM, and escalate urgent operational issues to management.
Coordinate boat show, brokerage listing and sales support activities including drafting MLS-style listings, preparing photo/video assets, managing appointments and sea trial schedules, and liaising with photographers and captains.
Manage vessel paperwork and compliance: prepare and verify registration documents, titles, bills of sale, insurance certificates, lien releases, and customs/clearance forms for domestic and international transactions.
Oversee service scheduling and technician dispatch: create work orders, prioritize service tasks, confirm parts availability, track technician ETA/arrival, and follow up to ensure timely completion and quality control.
Maintain parts and supplies inventory: perform regular stock counts, reconcile inventory discrepancies, create and process purchase orders, negotiate with vendors, and maintain preferred supplier lists to minimize downtime and cost.
Generate and manage customer quotes, invoices, and payment records; work with accounting to process deposits, refunds and reconciliations; follow invoicing workflows to reduce A/R aging and ensure profitability on projects.
Support brokerage sales operations by preparing comparative market analyses (CMAs), coordinating sea trials, supervising pre-sale preparation (detail, mechanical checks), and compiling buyer/seller packets.
Administer CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot, BoatWizard): enter leads, maintain lead statuses, run targeted email campaigns, produce pipeline reports and performance dashboards for sales and operations.
Facilitate vessel delivery and logistics: arrange transport, coordinate slip reservations, mooring assignments, trailer or haul-out schedules, and manage coordination with third-party transport and customs brokers.
Act as on-site safety and regulatory liaison—ensure vessels and on-site operations comply with local marina rules, environmental regulations, USCG or applicable authority guidelines, and that safety equipment and records are maintained.
Manage rental, charter and slip agreements: draft, review, and execute contracts; collect security deposits; provide client orientation and checklists for embarkation and disembarkation.
Produce regular operational reports and KPI tracking—slip occupancy, service throughput, parts consumption, sales lead conversion rates—and present insights to management for decision-making.
Coordinate marketing and social media efforts for inventory and services: update website listings, post for-sale/charter content, collect customer testimonials, and support event promotion to generate qualified leads.
Provide hands-on support during launches, haul-outs, deliveries and events—assist with docking, staging, fueling logistics and safety briefings as required by the operation.
Maintain physical and digital filing systems for vessel records, maintenance logs, warranties, and supplier documentation to ensure quick retrieval and audit readiness.
Assist with warranty claims and vendor warranty coordination: document failures, submit claims, coordinate repairs, and follow through on reimbursement or replacement actions.
Conduct customer follow-ups and post-service satisfaction calls, solicit feedback, resolve disputes or escalate to management to preserve client relationships and encourage repeat business.
Support pricing strategy by researching parts, labor rates, and competitor offerings; prepare margin and cost breakdowns for custom work and brokerage fees.
Organize and participate in community and industry events—boat shows, open houses, marina fairs—to promote inventory, services and brand visibility.
Train and onboard junior staff and seasonal hires on standard operating procedures (SOPs), POS systems, safety protocols, customer service expectations, and basic marine terminology.
Maintain and operate point-of-sale systems and terminals for retail parts, concessions and accounting reconciliation at end of day.
Implement and improve administrative processes—standardized checklists, scheduled reporting, digital forms—to increase team efficiency, reduce mistakes, and support scalable growth.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Assist management with budgeting, forecasting and seasonal staffing plans based on historical utilization and sales trends.
Coordinate emergency response communication (fuel spills, weather evacuations) with marina staff and external authorities when required.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

CRM administration and lead management (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot, BoatWizard or similar).
Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel for reporting and pivot tables, Outlook, Word) and Google Workspace.
Experience with accounting or invoicing tools (QuickBooks, Xero, Sage or integrated marina POS systems).
Familiarity with brokerage listing platforms, MLS-style listing creation and digital asset management.
Inventory and parts management knowledge, including purchase order workflows and vendor negotiations.
Understanding of marine systems and basic boat terminology (engines, electrical, rigging, hull types) to triage service requests.
Experience preparing registration, title, and international customs documentation for vessel transfers.
Scheduling and dispatch software experience (any appointment booking platform, field-service apps).
Basic knowledge of maritime regulations, safety standards and environmental compliance (USCG, local harbor rules).
Social media and basic digital marketing skills for inventory promotion (Facebook, Instagram, Google My Business).
Ability to create and interpret operational KPIs and produce management dashboards.
Familiarity with charter and slip contract templates, liability waivers and rental agreements.

Soft Skills

Exceptional verbal and written customer service skills; calm, professional and solution-focused with clients.
High attention to detail and strong organizational skills—able to manage multiple concurrent bookings and administrative workflows.
Problem-solving aptitude with practical, resourceful follow-through on operational issues.
Strong time management and prioritization under seasonal peaks and urgent service demands.
Team-oriented collaborator who can coordinate between technicians, brokers, captains and vendors.
Sales support mentality—comfortable upselling services, explaining cost breakdowns and closing routine transactions.
Discretion and confidentiality when handling sensitive customer or ownership documents.
Adaptability to weather-driven schedules, weekend events and irregular hours as the marine business requires.
Initiative and ownership—proactive about process improvements and anticipating customer needs.
Conflict resolution and negotiation skills for vendor disputes, warranty claims and customer complaints.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High School Diploma or GED required.

Preferred Education:

Associate degree or Bachelor’s in Business Administration, Maritime Studies, Marine Technology, Hospitality Management, or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration
Marine Technology / Nautical Science
Hospitality & Tourism Management
Logistics & Supply Chain Management
Marketing or Communications

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

1–5 years of relevant experience in a marina, yacht brokerage, boat service center, or related customer-facing marine business.

Preferred:

2–4 years in marine operations, brokerage support, or service coordination with demonstrable experience using CRM, invoicing systems and managing vessel documentation.
Experience working with service technicians or captains, and exposure to brokerage sales or charter operations is highly desirable.
Seasonal and event-based work experience (boat shows, charters, peak summer operations) preferred.