Marine mechanic cost in California: published rates
The most common published price for marine mechanic labor is all published prices, $100–$195/hr, from 7 businesses in Southern California, the Bay Area and Northern California. These are prices businesses publish on their own sites, not DockDash prices. Below: ranges by region, what drives the cost, and every price we found with its source and date.
Published marine mechanic labor rates by region
These are prices that businesses publish on their own websites and rate sheets. We read 7 pages from 7 businesses in Southern California, the Bay Area and Northern California. They are not DockDash prices, and your quote may differ.
| Region | Job and unit | Published range | Median | Prices | Businesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern California | All published prices per hour | $100–$150/hr | $137.50/hr | 2 | 2 |
| San Francisco Bay Area | All published prices per hour | $140–$195/hr | $162.50/hr | 4 | 4 |
| Overtime and emergency per hour | $292.50–$380/hr | — | 1 | 1 | |
| Northern California | All published prices per hour | $155/hr | — | 1 | 1 |
Across the regions we have, the largest group is all published prices: $100–$195/hr (7 published prices from 7 businesses in Southern California, the Bay Area and Northern California).
Region pages: San Francisco Bay Area.
How marine mechanic labor is priced
Marine mechanics service and repair outboards, inboards and diesels, either in a shop or at your slip. Businesses publish hourly labor rates, and some publish flat prices for routine services.
Per hour for labor, plus parts. Some shops publish flat-rate service packages by engine.
What drives the cost
- Engine type, size and number of engines.
- Access in the engine space.
- Parts and fluids.
- Mobile service travel or trip charges.
Photo: Stuart Reece on Pexels
What’s usually included, and what’s extra
Usually included
- Labor at the published rate, or the tasks listed in a service package.
Often extra
- Parts, oil and filters.
- Travel or trip charge.
- Haul-out if the work needs one.
How to read a quote
- Ask whether a flat-rate service includes parts.
- Ask about minimum billing and travel charges.
- Get the price in writing, with what is included, before work starts.
To check a price for your boat, try the service cost estimator; to line up two or three quotes on the same basis, use the quote comparison tool. What the job involves: Marine mechanic explained.
Every published price we found
AnythingYacht.com San Diego · San Diego
- $100–$150/hr — mobile/on-call engine labor: $100/hr mechanical, $150/hr diagnostics; 50% deposit; option of upfront job quote
San Diego Engine repair and maintenance ... at AnythingYacht.com, undated, read 2026-11-11
Aquarius Yacht Services San Diego · San Diego
- $150/hr — Hourly; mobile service fee applies Includes: Mechanical services.
Services – Aquarius, undated, read 2026-11-11
Berkeley Marine Center Berkeley · San Francisco Bay
- $140/hr — Yard labor: Skilled Marine Technician rate (covers marine mechanic, electrical, electronics, plumbing, spray painting, welding, carpentry, composites)
Yard Rates - Berkeley Marine Center, © 2026 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11
Helmut's Marine Service San Rafael · San Francisco Bay
- $195/hr — Mechanical labor, shop or dockside, 15-minute increments, 1-hour minimum; dockside drive time at the same rate plus $1.00/mile and tolls; 5% fee on labor
- $292.50–$380/hr — Overtime $292.50/hr; emergency overtime $380/hr; 15-min increments
Helmut's Marine Service - Service, undated, read 2026-11-11
List Marine, Inc. Sausalito · San Francisco Bay
- $165/hr — Labor rate, time and materials; same rate applies to travel time (mobile service to Bay Area ports) The page shows only a 2020 copyright year; the rate may be out of date.
Frequently Asked Questions, © 2020 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11
The Boat Yard at Grand Marina Alameda · San Francisco Bay
- $160/hr — Yard rate for engine, woodwork, electrical, rigging, electronic installations
Services and Rates - The Boat Yard at Grand Marina, © 2026 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11
Performance Marine & Auto Colfax · Northern California
- $155/hr — shop rate; 2-hour minimum per engine
Performance Marine - Services, undated, read 2026-11-11
Methodology and limitations
- Sources: only the business’s own website or rate sheet. No reviews, directories, forums or quotes we requested. We did not contact any business.
- Sample: 8 published prices from 7 businesses on 7 pages. This is the set we could find, not a survey or a random sample, and many businesses don’t publish prices at all.
- Dates: we read every page on 2026-11-11. 0 of the pages carry a date or fiscal year, 3 show only a copyright year, and 4 have no date. Each price below shows what its page said.
- How we summarize: prices are grouped by unit (per foot, per hour, flat, per visit, per gallon) and by kind of job, and never mixed. The range runs from the lowest published price to the highest. The median gives each business one vote (the middle of its own range), so a yard with many size tiers doesn’t outweigh a diver with one price. Where a business wrote “starting at”, we used that figure, so real bills are often higher.
- Region pages exist only where at least 3 published prices from 2 or more businesses are available.
- Your quote may differ. Condition, access, season, and what’s included all change the price. Use these figures to ask better questions, not as a price promise.
Sources
- Berkeley Marine Center. Yard Rates - Berkeley Marine Center.
- The Boat Yard at Grand Marina. Services and Rates - The Boat Yard at Grand Marina.
- Aquarius Yacht Services. Services – Aquarius.
- Performance Marine & Auto. Performance Marine - Services.
- AnythingYacht.com. San Diego Engine repair and maintenance ... at AnythingYacht.com.
- Helmut's Marine Service. Helmut's Marine Service - Service.
- List Marine, Inc.. Frequently Asked Questions.