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Boston Career Explorer

Production

Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators

Laminate layers of fiberglass on molds to form boat decks and hulls, bodies for golf carts, automobiles, or other products.

Also called: Boat Builder, Boat Carpenter, Chopper Gun Operator, Fiberglass Laminator, Fiberglass Technician, Fiberglasser

Median pay in Greater Boston
$55,990
$26.92/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
100
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+4.3%
30 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$45,650$47,270$55,990$61,480$73,010

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Release air bubbles and smooth seams, using rollers.
  • Spray chopped fiberglass, resins, and catalysts onto prepared molds or dies using pneumatic spray guns with chopper attachments.
  • Mix catalysts into resins, and saturate cloth and mats with mixtures, using brushes.
  • Check completed products for conformance to specifications and for defects by measuring with rulers or micrometers, by checking them visually, or by tapping them to detect bubbles or dead spots.
  • Pat or press layers of saturated mat or cloth into place on molds, using brushes or hands, and smooth out wrinkles and air bubbles with hands or squeegees.
  • Select precut fiberglass mats, cloth, and wood-bracing materials as required by projects being assembled.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure12 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 9
  • Language-model AIOE 8
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 20

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. Most of the work is physical: spraying, brushing, and smoothing fiberglass onto molds by hand. AI tools may play a small role in checking products against specifications, but they do not do the hands-on layering.

Likely to change

  • Checking finished products against specifications
  • Spotting defects in completed parts

Still relies on people

  • Spraying and smoothing fiberglass onto molds
  • Judging bubbles and dead spots by touch

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

    Examining workpieces for defects and measuring to specifications carry over. Welding offers a higher Boston median pay of $63,770.

    Pay difference
    +$7,780 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +4.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters

    Hands-on shaping, checking fit, and assembling parts to spec carry over to cabinetmaking, which has similar entry requirements.

    Pay difference
    +$3,130 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +1.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles

    Cutting, trimming, and joining materials by hand carry over. Floor laying offers higher pay, with a Boston median of $98,290, and faster projected growth.

    Pay difference
    +$42,300 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +11.3%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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