Current day rate for Captains?

I like to tell young know-it-alls that I've more time in reverse than they have seatime

Well put. Happy New Year Ken

Age doesn't always mean that's the case though. I have over 3k days of seatime and am 32 years old. I've averaged over 250 days/year for the last 7 years, and did a lot of seatime before that though not 250 days/year. I am not cocky, nor a know it all.......Just this year I took a 75' Hatt MY from Ft. Laud to Chicago via the east coast, Chicago to Ft. Laud via the tenn-tomm, numerous other deliveries including the Bahamas, FL-CT, FL-DE etc. etc.....

I know of some good Captains that have been doing it for 20-30 years and a lot of them only accumulate 30-50 days a year in seatime. If you work for one owner on a typical yacht that doesn't do much international travelling it can be the case. You've obviously got a lot of exceptions here.

One 1600 ton master I know loves to tell young know it alls that he's spent more time sitting on the head of a yacht then they have on a yacht......LOL

That's hardly enough to even keep a license. I know many of whom you speak though. Age does means diddly on its own, but it's one measuring stick. It is sea time that counts (Not including the time spent sitting at the dock although even that has certain value). License issue is at least another measuring stick to start with. After that people SHOULD be looking at references and reputation. Unfortunately too many think a captain is a captain, but they usually end up with exactly what they deserve. For the cost and hassle involved very few bother to go past their second issue unless they're making their living which translates into experience. Even those who can certify time through owning a boat realize that it's not worth the increased liability to keep a license unless they're using it.

No offense intended. I'm 36 and I'm on my second issue of my 1600T. But I was also once a young know-it-all too.

Hawaii, Panama, Costa Rica, St. Thomas, Florida, NY, NJ, the Carolina's, Guam, Indonesia, Saipan, Palau, The Marshall islands, Midway, Cali; I've worked all of these and more: they all have captains that surprise me by being able to fit their big heads though the salon door, and act they are god's gift to the ocean. Be careful to not lose your humility in your thoughts and actions. No wise man needs to proclaim his experience publicly, and no one raises themselves by lowering others. Even the lowest member of the crew can teach something to the others. I've found FL and NY to have the highest % of captains that think highly of themselves and believe others cannot or do not have nearly the same experience level they have attained. This not aimed at anyone, but a reminder to myself that I need to learn everyday. Happy new year and health to everyone.

Well, even doctors and lawyers promote themselves these days. It's a big world to do business in. If a marina or boat owner don't know who I am I'm happy to let them know. Heck I'm proud of my experiences as most are. For instance: "Hawaii, Panama, Costa Rica, St. Thomas, Florida, NY, NJ, the Carolina's, Guam, Indonesia, Saipan, Palau, The Marshall islands, Midway, Cali; I've worked all of these and more." It's hard not being proud of that. There is a difference between that and being full of boast and hot air. But hey, the docks have always been the place for fish stories. They're easy enough to see through.
Well, the fire is lit, pizza & pigs are in the oven and there's a bottle of tequila waiting. Have a fun New Year's. See you in '09.

I'm glad to be a new member here. While I like to be underestimated, I also seek out those places, opportunities and people that I can learn from. When I was on Saipan a captain told me that we all get off the plane, move from job to job, boat to boat, and then get back on the plane. It was a small circle there, and the world gets smaller and smaller every day, lol. We'll all cross paths sometime. After a bout with MRSA and three months later open heart surgery only a few years back, I know that health and happiness cannot be taken for granted. I wish it to all, and safe travels on the water in 2009. However right now it's crucial for me to focus... the beer is cold and the wife is not...

Keep it on topic
tomorrow I'll work for a grand.

I'll be right over, don't change a thing...

Don't laugh, I had an owner that used to pay me that per day to run his 100ish ft Broward. He only used the vessel a few times a year, but I didn't mind when he'd call at the last minute.

As for my post earlier, I consider myself a very good Captain. Am I the best, not by far, but above most I would say. However, there are exceptional Captain's on here and elsewhere with a wealth of knowledge much broader then mine. I learned from a Captain that by age 32 had a 1600ton masters and had run a ship in every ocean except the med. that includes the Bearing sea...... we are very good friends and I learned a considerable amount of things from him. Some things that might even be above and beyond what I'd ever do. I think there are always things to learn and experiences to experiences. I was just eluding that age is not always a factor to experience. I agree you can always learn something new from anyone. In fact some fresh young deckhands can come up with some pretty innovative ideas that most people would never think of.

Hi,

Capt J - You wrote the first quoted words below in post No 83 of this thread, I was amazed that this is how you see yourself given what I have seen and read on here recently.

Maybe you should ask the Mods to edit you Post given the latest smoke blowing exercise you have just added to the thread.

Please do not quote me and chop off half of the sentence to make it mean something different then what I wrote. I wrote:
I consider myself to be a very good captain, am I the best, not by far. And went on to say that there are many other Captains on this board and elsewhere that are much more knowledgable then me.

In the posts that you are referencing, I gave factual information on the topic at hand. I also gave the member "strat57" direct phone numbers of various people that would be able to give him a direct answer (the SR. Construction Manager of Hatteras, The Director of Operations for Cabo, the Owner/President of the Installing CAT dealer for Cabo.) I also offered to send you (K1W1) the very same phone numbers so you could verify the information yourself. You didn't want the phone numbers. I have not seen any factual information such as a direct letter or e-mail from anyone at Cat,Cabo, Brunswick, or Hatteras that said something different then what I posted. So until my information is proven false by a source that is involved such as Hatteras, Cat, or Cabo It will be seen as truth. Because an accusation without any facts from a 3rd party source to back them up, is nothing but an accusation. It seems that in the situation in those posts, instead of wanting to learn what is really done, you just want to argue and refute factual information because you believe it to be false.

Is there a reason you think I might laugh or be surprised by this?

Welcome to 2009, A brand new year.
OIL: Be sure to change the break in oil at the specified time and subsequently. Use the oil specified by your engine manufacturer. Settled?

Re Quote Master/ Mate

Master STCW 95 350.00 a day
Mate Certified 275.00

Current day rate for Captains? continued into 2009

Again.... Depends on where you are...Commercial or Private capt. And the economy... Good ballpark though..

They are all over the place. There are out of work captains being sought by penny pinching owners and paying as little as $200-250. The going market in Fort Lauderdale appears to be around $300-350. But the more sought after and better captains are pushing to the $500 range and above.

I personally think the rate should be $600-700 based on the right relationship to salaried positions but too many undercutting to let it get there.

Meanwhile you see those hiring discount captains to go from Mobile to Miami and putting them off the boat in Panama City.

Actually the day rate in South Florida is higher for a qualified Captain $350-400 a day for a boat up to say 80' private yacht. Most of the owners I work for tip me considerably if I'm running the boat with them on it.....a few tip 50% per day. Also there is a premium if you're on a boat that is running 24/7 usually. Over that the rate increases. I have had owners offer and pay me well above that. One of them paid me $1,000 a day to run a 100' MY here and there, but sold it a while back.

Granted there are un-employed full time Captains working for less here and there, but generally you get exactly what you pay for in this industry. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. I saw one guy from TX, that hired a charter captain to run a relatively small boat from Florida to Texas. It was a 38' sf, well the Captain had never done the trip before, had no cruising guide, no paper charts, nobody with him, and ended up running the boat aground and taking one of the rudders out of the bottom of the boat and the shaft and props were destroyed.