Cost of a crew for an 80 foot yacht

Another approach is get a full time mate that is reasonably mechanical. I think you’d save money or break even at least since you are paying someone to wash, buff, fix, etc. at least the mate won’t ***** about having to wash the boat. Lol.

Maybe you can find someone that doesn’t smoke but seems unlikely. Why do so many crew put non smoker on their resume and first time they hit a dock they scurry off and light up. A little pet peeve.

Here, the only Captains you're going to get that are qualified and good and insurable are at $450-500 per day. KEY word is insurable. I charged $300 per day as a Captain when I first got my license in 2004. The also don't discount for longer trips as it usually costs them more on the back end, have to pay people to do things at home in your personal life. You truly get exactly what you pay for when it comes to crew. If someone wants to pay peanuts, they're going to get monkeys. Probably because so many people in the industry discriminate against smokers, which is a legal activity and doesn't impare your judgement, yet don't ask about alcohol use which does and wildly abused in the industry.

Yes, I meant to respond to the discount comment Tim made. You entrust your life to a captain and want a discount for multiple days? Do you seek a surgeon who will give you a discount if you need surgery? You're spending tons of money on cruising and want your crew to take less? I just can't relate to that mindset.

As to smokers and alcohol, I do discriminate against smokers and know some very good people who smoke and I keep encouraging to stop. But I'm very allergic so won't hire a smoker. Similarly very allergic to oranges so none of them on the boat. Now, I do also question alcohol use and have a zero tolerance policy when working and a very restrictive policy prior to days of work. Also, a breathalyzer on board and a 0.02 maximum limit. Basically if it registers alcohol, you're gone. We have strong rules in our businesses too.

I do agree with your comment that alcohol is a major problem in the industry. It's even more of a problem on all the boats owner operated. I see people at docks all the time getting drunk. I've seen some who were clearly inebriated take off in a boat and have called the authorities. One time in particular I said something to the owner before he left the dock and told him I was going to call. Yet, he didn't listen and was quite angry when he was brought back in cuffs.

Wow, he must have been really inebriated...?

On a couple of the really big boats I've crewed on, crew cost is just one of the lesser costs going through the books. Mooring at the IYCA in Antibes is much more than 18 crew a month.

On one yacht we got bought by a new owner and about 10 original crew stayed on for the first year. After a year the new owner decided to cut the wages by about a third. All original crew left, took him about 5 years to build a reliable crew again and the wages went up. Pay peanuts, get monkeys.

Yes, too much to even heed a warning. You tell someone that if they pull out, you'll call, apparently they think you're bluffing. No, I was holding the winning hand.

People in business also overlook training costs. We pay above what others do, but have less turnover, spend far less on training and have more productive employees.

We didn't need much training having just sailed around the World. Did do a Helicopter fire training course, which is handy for a Steward.

No offense James. But your wrong. Just had an amazing Capt help move the boat w an adv engineering ticket for 350. Ex eng on 45 meter Palmer

If you are hiring crew for many weeks it’s no longer a day rate. So the surgeon comment is a bit out of line. Especially for someone who is not experienced in hiring temp crew.

Actually I'll stick to my comment as repeatedly you show a desire to pay crew as little as you can, to save $50 here and there and I find it deplorable. The surgeon comment was appropriate as a captain has your life in their hands, much as a surgeon does. I may not be experienced at hiring temporary yacht crew but I'm experienced at hiring crew and at hiring for thousands of other positions. I also employ people and talk to them who have hired many temporary crew members. I think wanting to pay $350 a day vs. $400 or wanting a discount on longer term temps is insulting to a hard working profession. You say adv engineering ticket, is that a Chief Engineer? Licensed Master or Licensed Engineer? If Engineer, then discounted rate since not licensed for the job you hired him for?

I just have a different philosophy on hiring and paying than you have. I have a problem with hiring someone to crew a million or two million dollar boat, to do so on a cruise where tens of thousands will be spent, where dockage for one night may sometimes be $600 when utilities all included, and then wanting to pay $50 below market rates.

Oh, and you're right, hiring for many weeks shouldn't just be a low day rate, it should progress closer to a full time captain's rate, so the $400-500 per day should likely rise to a rate of $125,000 a year plus 20% for fringes so $150,000 a year, broken into 240 days or a day rate of $625 per day, but they'd perhaps still be happy at $500.

I'm not saying your approach is wrong, just saying I strongly disagree with it. You are wrong on your answer to James as your amazing captain may have been great, but doesn't sound like they were licensed as a Captain so your example doesn't really hold up.

I just refuse to cut corners on compensation for those who contribute greatly to my recreational pleasure.

Sailed around the world sounds like extensive training to me. And, yes, whoever paid you while doing that did spend money on training you. On the job training doesn't come free.

I think I was the only Steward who had his own work overalls and spent most of my time, when no guests, either in the engineroom or serviceing the outboards and jetskis. There's not many of us, even with a Wine Degree.

Then WTF is he working for a measly $350 per day? I chief engineer makes $480 per day working full time for an owner at $175k a year. How is a chief engineer a good Captain if he got his Captains license by standing in an engine room? And the want to pay people who make the entire trip happen as little as possible, simply boggles my mind. When you're burning what you're paying them per day in full in an hour or two per day.

I have to agree that the suggestion for a discount on a longer trip is offensive.

OB and James's I think you guys are out of touch. For this last trip I tried to hire a mate and when the eng came along I was happy to pay him an extra $150 over the mate rate to meet his asking rate. Neither of you hiring day rate people for your boats so your opinions are speculative. I always find the best Canidate and ask what their rate is. If it’s comfortable then I pay it. I haven’t made up a rate to pay in years.

So if this forum is to help guide people on what is happening in this industry in ft Lauderdale, then I’m speaking up to what is happening for the perspective of someone who is actually hiring people.

If any readers are unsure, go post an ad on daywork123. It’s free to post an add and you can evaluate yourself what you can get.

Was the captain engineer that you hired to fill a mate spot legal to work in the USA?

Yup. But that’s a good question. Although this entire trip is in the Bahamas so perhaps foreign could have been an option.

My internet was to hire a mate to help get the boat to Staniels and wash it and fly out. I was thrilled to get someone w more experience and thankfully nothing needed fixing. Again I’m paying what they are asking. Matter fact he offered to do the trip for $300 vs $350 since it was a mate position and I was fine w his higher rate.

Hiring someone to be on the boat long term that will get along w Wife, kids etc is a whole other ball game.

Well, when you hire for a mate position then that isn't even relevant to the Captain's rate. You're obfuscating the facts. As to Capt J being out of touch, he hires day captains all the time and sends overflow to others so if fully in touch.

You and we disagree on pay. Simple. But don't then try to insult us by saying we don't know the market. We both know it quite well. And we both know there are those like you hiring below market rates. Now the OP was asking about long trips and Caribbean and now you're comparing to hiring a so called engineer to be a mate on a day trip to the Bahamas.

So now we're to the gist of it. Correct me if I'm wrong.

You hired an engineer of unknown license level to be a mate for $350 a day?

If so, that's actually very generous for a mate. Curious, did you tip him?

Now, that doesn't impact what one would pay a licensed Captain to serve as a Captain at all.