There is a question almost nobody asks before signing up for Starlink on a boat, and it is the one that costs the most to get wrong: who is going to install it?
It matters more than it looks, because Starlink Maritime hardware is identical whoever fits it. What changes the outcome — the real speed you will see, the working life of the equipment, whether water comes through the deck in the first gale — is the fitting work. And on that, the marine market is murkier than it should be.
Starlink has no official installers. Full stop.
Let’s start with what causes the most confusion: SpaceX does not accredit, train or authorise any company as a marine Starlink installer. There is no official certification programme, no list of approved installers and no badge that SpaceX grants.
SpaceX sells the terminal and the service plan. That is it. Everything that happens between the box and your deck falls outside its scope.
So when you see a company advertising itself as an “official Starlink installer” or a “certified Starlink partner”, it is using a label nobody gave it. That does not necessarily make it a bad company — it may be excellent — but the term does not mean what it appears to mean.
So what are you actually looking for?
What does exist, and what genuinely matters, is a marine electronics integrator with demonstrable Starlink Maritime experience. In other words: a firm that was already fitting radar, chartplotters, autopilots and communications equipment aboard before Starlink existed, and that has added Starlink to its catalogue.
The distinction is substantial. Installing Starlink on a boat is not a Starlink problem: it is a marine electronics problem. Deck gland sealing, electrical sizing, electromagnetic compatibility with the rest of the equipment, resistance to vibration and salt. All of that is classic marine trade, learned over years rather than on a product course.
When DIY is reasonable
We are not going to tell you never to fit anything yourself. There are scenarios where it makes complete sense:
Non-permanent mounting on a small vessel. A Starlink Mini on a removable base aboard an inshore boat that goes out and returns the same day, with nothing drilled. Here DIY is the right call and paying someone would be throwing money away.
Seasonal use with removal. If the equipment goes on in spring and comes off in autumn, and mounting requires no drilling, DIY is perfectly viable.
An owner with the trade. If you are a marine electrician, you have made deck penetrations before and you know the difference between a polyurethane sealant and a silicone one, you do not need anyone to do it for you.
In those three cases, go ahead. The rest of this article probably is not for you.
When DIY turns out expensive
The calculation changes entirely as soon as any of these factors appear:
Deck penetration. This is the point of no return. A badly executed deck gland does not fail on day one: it fails in the second season, once water has been seeping slowly through inadequate sealant for months and has reached the sandwich core. Repairing a deck with a saturated core costs a multiple of what the professional installation would have.
Sailing beyond coastal waters. On passage, continuous vibration and dynamic loads subject the mount to forces that never appear in harbour. A mount that holds perfectly alongside can start working loose 200 miles out.
Interaction with other equipment. The Starlink antenna does not live alone on deck. It competes for space and for spectrum with the radar, the VHF antenna, the AIS and, on some boats, an SSB. Placing it badly breaks nothing obviously, but it degrades the performance of one or several systems in a way that is hard to diagnose afterwards.
Working boats or vessels with commercial insurance. If the boat has professional activity, an undocumented installation can complicate a claim. Insurers ask who did the work.
The cost nobody calculates
The honest comparison is not “professional installation” against “zero euros”. It is “professional installation” against “materials + your time + the probability of having to do it again”.
Redoing an installation is always more expensive than doing it right: you have to strip out, plug and repair the earlier penetrations, then start over. If the first installation also caused structural damage or corrosion, the cost climbs sharply.
Eight questions before letting anyone drill your deck
This is the practical part. If you are assessing an installer, these questions separate the ones who know from the ones who improvise:
-
Will you look at the boat before quoting me? If the answer is no, keep looking. Nobody can price a cable run they have not seen.
-
Where will you put the antenna and why there? The answer should talk about obstructions, mast or superstructure shadow, and elevation angles. If it only talks about looks or ease of fitting, bad sign.
-
What sealant will you use on the deck penetrations? It should say polyurethane or polysulphide. If it says silicone, walk away: silicone does not adhere reliably on deck and complicates any future repair.
-
Will you fit a backing plate on the underside? On sandwich decks the answer should be yes, or an explanation of why it is not needed in your specific case.
-
How do you size the power supply? They should ask about your 12 V installation, your alternator and your battery bank before answering. The Flat High Performance draws a fair amount and not every boat can power it without changes.
-
How do you avoid interference with radar and VHF? They should have a concrete answer on physical separation and angles.
-
What do you hand over at the end? The reasonable minimum: a speed test, an obstruction check with the app, photographs of the deck penetrations before sealing, and a handover document. Without that you have nothing to point at later.
-
What happens if water comes through the deck gland in three months? The answer tells you whether the workmanship is guaranteed or only the materials.
A solid installer answers all eight without getting twitchy. One who improvises gets irritated around the fourth.
How we approach it
At InternetenelMar we do not install: we coordinate. We assess your case, tell you which plan and which hardware fit the way you sail, and organise the installation with a certified naval communications integrator at whichever port suits you.
Two things worth knowing, because they are what people ask us most:
The final price is the same as going direct. We do not apply a mark-up. We are paid by the installation network, not by making your equipment more expensive.
The advice is free, whether or not you end up signing up. If the assessment concludes Starlink is not the answer for your case, we will tell you.
Weighing up who should install Starlink on your boat? Tell us about your case: we assess your vessel, your sailing area and your electrical installation, and tell you frankly whether you need a professional installation or can handle it yourself.