Fiberglass laminators and fabricators

Pay

Getting in

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

On-the-job training

Moderate-term on-the-job training

Prior experience

None

Calculate your switch to fiberglass laminators and fabricators

What the work is like

Core tasks

• 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.
• Bond wood reinforcing strips to decks and cabin structures of watercraft, using resin-saturated fiberglass.
• Trim excess materials from molds, using hand shears or trimming knives.

Also called: Boat Builder · Boat Carpenter · Chopper Gun Operator · Fiberglass Laminator · Fiberglass Technician · Fiberglasser · Gel-Coater · Lamination Technician

Outlook and AI

Fiberglass laminators and fabricators held 16,300 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 17,000 by 2035 (+5%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).

Compare with

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• Fiberglass laminators and fabricators vs. Structural metal fabricators and fitters
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• Fiberglass laminators and fabricators vs. Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders
• Fiberglass laminators and fabricators vs. Furniture finisher
• Fiberglass laminators and fabricators vs. Extruding and forming machine setters, operators, and tenders, synthetic and glass fibers
• Fiberglass laminators and fabricators vs. Plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic