Crew for a 130 foot mega yacht

It depends on your usage the and level of service you're expecting. But typically a yacht like that would run a Captain, Mate, Deckhand, Engineer, and a stewardess.......also possibly adding a second stewardess and a chef depending on the owners wants/needs.......Some might even run without a dedicated engineer and run a mate/engineer instead......

Hi,

Capt J's estimations are about right.

I would personally be wary of anything with 16V 71 or 92 Driving it.

I helped a guy with a Broward running 92's a couple of summers ago, he needed cylinder kits and couldn't get them in the US in less that 2 weeks. Got a couple in Scotland and rest out of NZ for him in 5 days.

I've seen several yachts in the 100' to 130' range operating with 2 full-time crew and the rest brought on board with the owners. Those 2 are over-worked though. Really depends if the boat is a cruiser or a condo.

Question...probably silly but here goes. In the market for a 85' Azimut or 88' Feretti.

What qualifications do I need to drive this boat? I.E. to comfortably drive it from port to port in the Med. Or is it necessary to have the boat captained by someone experienced?

Additionally, is a crew always necessary?

No license or crew required. Do you really think you can handle everything that could go wrong on an 85' yacht while maintaining control of the vessel and can you handle the deck and helm at the same time when you're between a couple of other multi-million dollar toys with current and wind kicking? If you have less than 5 years of serious boat handling experience it wouldn't be wise to run without a good captain by your side and a good deckhand if you do have that experience. Running a yacht is a lot more than steering it from here to there. How are your docking skills? Are you proficient with the electronics? How about the mechanical systems?

Yes that is my general concern among many others. Thank you for your response.

Regarding ports of call--will a harbor master typically board the boat and handle docking and what not? Or will the captain be responsible for docking? Any idea if docking in the med is as crazy as the driving around Italy?

I am pretty sure you will need a license all over Europe for this size of boat. When it comes to captain and crew, the fact that you are asking indicates that you will need it...

Never ever heard of that kind of service. You will get a hand to take the lines and perhaps with mooring lines, that´s all.

That is my general feeling as well.

Reason I ask is that we have a friend who is an unlicensed "captain." Nice guy, seems like he knows what he's doing, but I"m not entirely sure I trust him docking the boat. Which is why I ask about a harbormaster docking the boat. Any idea?

Plan on hiring a Licensed and experienced captain, not "a friend who seems like he knows what he's doing, but I'm not entirely sure I trust him docking the boat". What happens to that friendship if he makes a small mistake and costs you say $50K in damages? On a boat that size your captain should be full time or at least hired to manage it and be your regular captain (You want to have a captain who is familiar with your boat; not a different one each time you cruise.) Can you get by with less? Sure, but do you really want to have less than the best care for a multi-million dollar investment?

Thanks for all of your help

One more question--Ferretti, Azimut, or Sunseeker. I'm partial to Italian made yachts but this could be silly...

Put each of those names into the SEARCH above. You'll hit threads that will give you a lot of info and opinions.

The definitive answer to your question is, what ever the insurance underwriter requires.

The adage that everyone here will agree to is, "if you pay peanuts, you wind up with monkeys."

I am not so much worried about you damaging your own boat; I am more concerned about damage to the boat you are Med mooring next to.

As far as "friends" go, I general find them lacking experience and knowledge. Friends are only there to drink your grog, not drive your boat.

So your friend can't dock a boat. Isn't that like a terrorist who wants to learn to fly the plane, but not learn how to land it?

Insurance companies will have minimum standards and they have been getting better in recent years, but you can always shop around for one with more relaxed standards. Master1717 is in the right place for the right answers. Do not go to anyone for advice who has a financial interest in your decision. I've known many salespeople who basically say: 'You can drive a car then you can drive a boat. Where's the check? Thank you. Bye.' Then they find out about wind, current, steering with gears, turning from the stern and delayed reactions. Bottom line; 85' is an expensive place to get an education.

Typical...

An owner ready to buy a boat not aware he needs crew and a dealer/broker ready to sell a boat to an owner not requiring the owner to present his captain...

My bread and butter business is providing captain, mate, deckhand, and stew services to 12 regular clients with boats up to and including 65' and I can tell you that except for the "dockominium" set (those that rarely take their boats off the dock/used almost exclusively as summer only/weekend only/waterfront apartments), any owner with a boat over 50' who doesn't have a full time, regular captain is asking for trouble.

Your boat is an extremely costly asset to maintain where money is just the start. Having someone other than yourself with a vested interest in how the boat is taken care of, how it looks, how it performs is indispensable for maintaining the boat both for your enjoyment and its value later down the road.

Having worked on MANY Azimuts, trust me, you are going to need a full timer to keep up with it. Not to mention that having someone capable that you trust and like is going to make life so much easier when the wind's blowing and you're "not up to making that trip" and have to get back to wherever it is you make your money.

Sorry to be blunt, but BEFORE you buy your boat, you'd be best advised to do a thorough search for a captain and hire him.

I just this weekend helped an owner of a 62' Azimut for an overnight trip to Newport who doesn't have a regular captain and keeps using "day captains" b/c "I can handle the boat myself".

Sure, but who's going to wash it?

I agree with this totally. In addition to this I'll add that you should have at the very least a full time Captain to handle the maintanence, running the vessel, navigating and so forth. Your insurance company will most likely mandate that you need a full time Captain. Even so, the amount of work on an 85' Azimut or 88' Feretti, you should have a full time Captain and a full Time Mate in order to keep up with it all. Not to mention, in a lot of cases you'll find it more convenient to have the mate and Captain run the vessel to different ports and you can fly and meet it there.

I also I have managed several Azimuts, a 50' 2- 68' and a 70 as well as a 59' Feretti and a 74' Sunseeker. They require a lot of Maintanence as do the Feretti's and Sunseekers in comparison to a 63 or 64' Hatteras. It would take a full time Captain all he can do just to keep up with the maintanence on a Azimut or Feretti of that size.