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I’ve been lurking on here ever since my family and I moved to Florida two years ago. This forum have been quite useful and I usually can find answers if I look around.
But today, I ran into a major conflict with my husband and 16 years old son, Sam. My husband and I have a rule for all children in the house. Normally the kids would go stay with their grandparents in northern California every summer until they’re sixteen.
Once they turn sixteen, they are expected to stay and get a summer job. If they’re not working during the summer, they’re to look for one and do extra chores around the house until they got a job. It has always been that way.
Sam has been looking for a job for three months and finally got an interview with this boat dealing place last week. It was supposed to be a boat detailing job, but the person who interviewed him ended up contact a friend of his who owns a yacht charter.
It turned out the owner was looking for a reliable hull cleaner, especially ones who will stick around for cooler season when the water isn’t as warm and clear. Sam of course snatched the opportunity to meet the owner last Friday and agreed to start working next week once school is out without discussing anything with me!
I really don’t like the idea of him being in the marina working under the boats! In fact most of people I know who own boats or anything like that say they would never go in the water in marina for numerous reasons!
My husband on other hand says Sam know the risk and that he probably have got a job that he’s going to stick with all way through high school. So he pretty much disagree with me on the fact this is a bad idea!
Sam isn’t budging at all! He refuses numerous compromise attempts and isn’t letting the idea go at all and is still planning on showing up for the job!
This is so frustrating! I don’t know who to turn to or what to do!
Given that your son is 16 and evidently you're feeling a bit desperate... You could look up the city code (or contact a Labor and Industries department) and see what is classified as "dangerous" (or hazardous) job because minors are not allowed to have that kind of jobs.
If it doesn't fall under that, then ultimately... because you don't have the support of your husband, you can only tell him and emphasize him safety and alertness is very important.
I am a lifelong sailor and worked on boats quite a bit. I worked for a few years at a charter company doing maintenance, teaching and captaining. I cannot really see how hull cleaning can be so dangerous. I have never done it commercially but always did my own boat or boats I was racing. I have known lots of people who do hull cleaning and have never heard of a serious Hull cleaning accident. (did get a nasty Jellyfish sting cleaning a friends boat in Hawaii once though).
At 17 I worked as a rigger often climbing masts up 90 feet, I guess that could be called dangerous.
....I really don’t like the idea of him being in the marina working under the boats! In fact most of people I know who own boats or anything like that say they would never go in the water in marina for numerous reasons!
In my experience, people love being fear-mongerers. There's much more of a dramatic charge in retailing stories of danger than in saying something like, "Oh yeah , it's okay."
You haven't said what else you have done to investigate the work and the working conditions. To give yourself a better picture (if you haven't already) do your best to find out in more detail what the work is. Your son will probably resent this, but nevertheless, why don't you go down to his would-be employer and say you are a bit concerned, and could he just explain the work to you.
For your own peace of mind, it sounds like you need to bypass your son and your husban, and helpful informants, and get your own look at what his work situation would be.
I live near a marina and have seen guys scraping hulls. Looks like hard and dirty work, and like most work around machinery, etc. it has a potential danger. On the other hand, I have never heard of a serious accident. I should add that I bought my present home from a young guy who maintains yachts, scrapes, repaints them...so I heard a lot about his work.
In any case, try to take the bull by the horns and do some investigating on your own.
Can you really forbid him from doing this? I think the more you protest the more likely he would stay to save face if he finds out it is too dangerous for him and he isn't comfortable. This whole thing could backfire on you.
I would be concerned too but I think the idea of educating yourself as much as possible about exactly what the dangers are is a good one and it might put ypur mind at ease. I can certainly see how a 16 y.o. boy would rather do this kind of job instead of flipping burgers.
If you're that paranoid, talk to the yacht owner and ask him what the job entails. As him how many accidents there have been in that marina involving teens working summer jobs.
If you have a responsible son, I'm sure the ins and outs of the job and how to do things will be demonstrated to him. There is danger in every job if you put it there. He's 16, not 10.
And what compromise did you offer him that he refused? Since when does a minor have the final word anyway? If you felt it was too dangerous and told him he cannot accept the offer (which I disagree with, but other parents might think is the right thing to do), then that should be that.
I’ve been lurking on here ever since my family and I moved to Florida two years ago. This forum have been quite useful and I usually can find answers if I look around.
But today, I ran into a major conflict with my husband and 16 years old son, Sam. My husband and I have a rule for all children in the house. Normally the kids would go stay with their grandparents in northern California every summer until they’re sixteen.
Once they turn sixteen, they are expected to stay and get a summer job. If they’re not working during the summer, they’re to look for one and do extra chores around the house until they got a job. It has always been that way.
Sam has been looking for a job for three months and finally got an interview with this boat dealing place last week. It was supposed to be a boat detailing job, but the person who interviewed him ended up contact a friend of his who owns a yacht charter.
It turned out the owner was looking for a reliable hull cleaner, especially ones who will stick around for cooler season when the water isn’t as warm and clear. Sam of course snatched the opportunity to meet the owner last Friday and agreed to start working next week once school is out without discussing anything with me!
I really don’t like the idea of him being in the marina working under the boats! In fact most of people I know who own boats or anything like that say they would never go in the water in marina for numerous reasons!
My husband on other hand says Sam know the risk and that he probably have got a job that he’s going to stick with all way through high school. So he pretty much disagree with me on the fact this is a bad idea!
Sam isn’t budging at all! He refuses numerous compromise attempts and isn’t letting the idea go at all and is still planning on showing up for the job!
This is so frustrating! I don’t know who to turn to or what to do!
I have to agree with you. There are a few options you have as his Mom with him only being 16. Call the Marina and ask them if there is an age limit on how old the workers have to be prior to getting near a boat let alone under a boat to clean the hulls, etc. The Marina surely does not want a lawsuit if anything happens to a minor while working there. Next, find out should Sam be hired, will he be working alone on these boats. Rule of thumb near water is that everyone works, swims, etc. in pairs. We have an inground pool and NO ONE swims down there alone so hopefully the Marina will have rules about the boats as well. We were just at a Marina along the Connecticut River and there were warning signs up all over the place, signs warning only boat owners were allowed near the boats and more. They are very strict in those areas so do check out what their insurance does and does not cover. It could be that the boat owner he wants to work for can hire him at 16 a lot cheaper than someone who cleans hulls for a living..make sure that is not the case!
It is your right as his parent with him being a minor to check this job out before he takes it and your husband should feel the same. Good luck with this one. I raised a boy alone after a divorce and he took a job when he was 17 with a land surveyor and I didn't find out until later some of the dangerous places this surveyor sent him. I was furious and happy when the Surveyor let him go at the end of his "season"
Sounds like he wants to work for for a charter company not an owner. Hull cleaners normaly work alone, diving under the boats with air from a Hooka system sometimes tanks. Scraping with a hand scraper or Scotchbrite pad or piece of carpet depending on how dirty the boat is. Depths maybe up to 3 or 4 meters at most. Really not that dangerous, hard work yes. Hey at 16 in in America you can drive a car at 16 which is way more dangerous.
Sam has been looking for a job for three months and finally got an interview with this boat dealing place last week. It was supposed to be a boat detailing job, but the person who interviewed him ended up contact a friend of his who owns a yacht charter.
It turned out the owner was looking for a reliable hull cleaner, especially ones who will stick around for cooler season when the water isn’t as warm and clear. Sam of course snatched the opportunity to meet the owner last Friday and agreed to start working next week once school is out without discussing anything with me!
!
They advertised and left out an important detail. A company who hires an inexperienced but eager 16yr old, can't fill the job position with adults. Most likely bc they want to pay them dirt cheap.
I'd be concerned, especially in Florida with the gators.
Its a shame you don't have your husbands support. I'd hope Sam dislikes the job and quits.
Given that your son is 16 and evidently you're feeling a bit desperate... You could look up the city code (or contact a Labor and Industries department) and see what is classified as "dangerous" (or hazardous) job because minors are not allowed to have that kind of jobs.
If it doesn't fall under that, then ultimately... because you don't have the support of your husband, you can only tell him and emphasize him safety and alertness is very important.
If it really is that dangerous the law would prohibit it. I would check it out, just in case the employer reports your son as doing boat detailing (above water) vs. hull scraping (below a boat or ?below water).
Also, make sure that your son knows that he needs to be trained on proper procedures and knows the necessary safety rules.
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