Current day rate for Captains?

Same rates, tips, stories,etc. here on Long Island.

Should be more because of our limited season. I think we led So. Florida's last rate hike for about a year, but we haven't kept up since. They need to make $600-$700 her to survive as Olderboater said, but they've been held back by a lack of business. Lots of F/T independent captains are now 'if I can get off work' captains. I've quit doing independent work.

What about large yachts?

What do the big boys pay? Say 250' +? Any chance of rotational schedules; even time?

Find the boat owners who have huge consideration for the captain's and crew who have respect for your years of experience.

We pay our captain (and any additional crew or captain we hire) $400 per day regardless of the time he spends driving. He shares with us the realities of the trips we want to take and give us real expectation of tides, weather and the "realness" of our plans.

On top of that - we pay his expenses and insists he sleeps up in the main sleeping area if we don't have the full sleeping capacity for our boat. Dinner, booze (off time) and a true relationship with a person of this expertise is something most boat owners we have met along our way are easy to come by.

You deserve to make the money you have been trained to earn.

LOL.. I find myself making a Grand a week + expenses... Running a 65' Hat in the Bahamas for a Jewish Disabled Fella. Tried to get a raise after 3 months but he refused... My crew (nurse and Chef) gets all the time off to have fun and the Captain ends up babysitting... I love being in the Bahamas.. BUT.... I have had my license since 84.. and am fixing everything on the boat except the watermaker... and that's because we need parts he won't pay for... Am I ranting.. Ha Ha.. I should be paid more...;p When we get back to the US. he will be looking for another Captain...

Hope so..

Hi Captains,
I have a few questions maybe some of you can help me with:
1) What is the going day rate for a Freelance Charter Sportfishing Captain in Fla, say the Stuart to Fort Lauderdale areas?
2) What is the going rate for a good Freelance Mate on Charter Sportfishing vessels?
3) When some of you Captains say you charge a $200-$250 fee for 3-4 hrs of training someone on a vessel, just exactly what are you teaching them?
Is it how to rig up and fish? Or is it how to operate electronics correctly?
Or is it showing all about the engine room equipment and how to maintain and operate? Thanks !

3) We'll generally try to direct your training to what you need. It's very personalized. I'm not a fishing captain. What I concentrate on is boat-handling (getting your boat into the slip without having to call the fiberglass repair guy). When I come on board I start by going through the ship's systems, explaining them and how to use and maintain them and the boat. I'll also cover reading the waters to avoid shallows, weather, and whatever else you need. This is 3 hours of intense training, which also involves casual conversation designed to impart knowledge that I hope will slide into the back of your mind to be drawn on when needed. If you're into fishing I'll point you to some of the local honey holes, but if you need 'Fishing 101' you want to spend at least a day with a fishing captain. He'll give you local honey holes, but also teach you about what species can be caught where and when, type of tackle to use for what, all the way down to baiting a hook. To me fishing is dropping a hook and enjoying the day. To the true fishing captain there's a lot of science involved, which is why I don't try to compete in their world.