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Megayacht Crew Size

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by curiouspeter, Dec 13, 2013.

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  1. curiouspeter, Dec 13, 2013
    #1
    curiouspeter

    curiouspeter Member

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    Obviously a larger yacht will demand a larger crew. Is there a general rule-of-thumb to determine the optimal crew size?

    Am I correct that the "formula" largely depends on gross tonnage, number of guests, and whether the yacht is private or for hire? Charterers need more pampering, right?

    Thanks. :)
  2. Capt J, Dec 14, 2013
    #2
    Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Yes, charter boats will need more crew as will owners that are doing a lot of things. Keep all of the crew bunks full and you should have the right amount......maybe less, if you have very easy owners...... There is no formula, but how maintanence heavy the boat is, how many guests you have, type of guests, cruising range, how many days a year you have guests/owners, and how many toys you have all have everything to do with it.
  3. olderboater, Dec 14, 2013
    #3
    olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    That's really a good starting place is counting the crew sleeping quarters. I haven't looked at the true mega yachts but in looking at boats under 150' I've found that maybe for private low key use you don't quite fill the crew space but for charter and high requirement private owner you'll need it all.

    To the OP, was there a specific size range you were thinking of when asking?
  4. curiouspeter, Dec 14, 2013
    #4
    curiouspeter

    curiouspeter Member

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    Hi olderboater,

    I was thinking of the 75m to 90m range, perhaps 2500 to 3500 GT. This is for the book I'm writing, remember? ;-)

    Thanks!
  5. olderboater, Dec 14, 2013
    #5
    olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Random list of charters: 78m-25, 80m-22, 89m-32, 75m-20, 77m-26, 79m-26, 85m-36, 85m-36, 82m-28, 76m-25,
  6. curiouspeter, Dec 14, 2013
    #6
    curiouspeter

    curiouspeter Member

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    Thanks! It does seem that charters require a lot more man(woman)-power. Perhaps the guests want silver service every night and beach BBQ every other day?

    I searched for a few non-oligarch large private boats with no onboard helicopters and got: 97m-28, 96m-20, 92m-24.
  7. K1W1, Dec 14, 2013
    #7
    K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    Hi,

    A lot will depend on exactly what the boat is built like and how the interior is.

    If you have a 100m converted something use as an expedition type yacht with tenders and toys all over the aft maindeck,with a chlorinated rubber exterior paint job and commercial interior you will not need the same number of crew to keep it up to spec as if you had one the same length with the normal oufit of tenders and toys, filled and faired with a high gloss finish on all decks and a full on high end interior.

    You should also be aware that a lot of the big "private " yachts Owners travel with an entourage that often includes valets, masseuses, doctors etc which you will not see on a crew list unless they are actually onboard and travellling.

    Not many of these aforementioned will be found in crew cabins unless there is some horizontal folk dancing going on as they generaly see themselves as too good to be teated as the hired help.
  8. curiouspeter, Dec 14, 2013
    #8
    curiouspeter

    curiouspeter Member

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    Good point. Though I wonder how much horizontal folk dancing is done vertically in a supply closet. :D
  9. K1W1, Dec 14, 2013
    #9
    K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    Hi,

    You might be surprised, there is a world famous tennis player who was found to have fathered a child in a tryst with a cleaner in a cupboard of a hotel or an airport I can remember which so crew accom is quite spacious compared to this.
  10. Fishtigua, Dec 14, 2013
    #10
    Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

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    It was in a London restaurant called, believe or not, Nobu.
  11. HTMO9, Dec 14, 2013
    #11
    HTMO9

    HTMO9 Senior Member

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    I think, its called shooting a goldfasan. Bobbele (his nickname in Germany) and his most expensive 5 minutes. This plot gives the expression no-brainer a total different meaning :D.

    If you type the German word for broom cupboard (Besenkammer) in google, the name of this "famous tennisplayer" will appear first.
  12. Capt Bill11, Dec 14, 2013
    #12
    Capt Bill11

    Capt Bill11 Senior Member

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    That is not what I got:

    "Gay Bar - Berlin - Germany - Besenkammer
    www.go2gay.com/Germany/Berlin/Berlin/​Besenkammer/1711/​DetailPagina...

    Besenkammer - Friendly bar. One of the two still existing gay bars in East-Berlin!"

    Of course I did use Bing. :)
  13. HTMO9, Dec 15, 2013
    #13
    HTMO9

    HTMO9 Senior Member

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    Besenkammer

    Google leads to our famous no-brainer. The bar in Berlin is named after this "event".

    The web never forgets :D.
  14. curiouspeter, Dec 15, 2013
    #14
    curiouspeter

    curiouspeter Member

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    You guys gave me great inspirations.

    Now I may as well rewriting a pivotal fling in the book to occur in the broom cupboard. :D
  15. discokachina, Dec 15, 2013
    #15
    discokachina

    discokachina Senior Member

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    When I googled "Besenkammer tennis" it came right up!