

Remarkably, the low end here was $9,200 which is the same as vessels a full 100 feet shorter. When you head to 280+ feet, the largest that the survey data was able to account for, yacht captains average about $20,500 per month. For whatever reason, yachts in this range just don’t pay as well as those in the 180 range, on average. On the high end captains were making $20,125. The low end of the scale here paid just under $7,500 per month which is a good deal lower than the low end for slightly smaller vessels. Tips closed in at just under $3,700 per month as well.įrom 240 to 280 feet a yacht captain averaged just under $15,500 in 2021 which you’ll notice is oddly under the average for the next size down. That means a starting, low end salary of $9,200 per month which went all the way up to $23,250 per month. Survey data shows that between 180 feet and 240 feet, yacht captains had an average salary of just over $16,100 per month in 2021. These captains have to be highly skill and managed not only massive crews that can include dozens of people, but a lot of more complex technology than the smaller vessels may be making use of.īecause of the demands of this job, it’s clear that pay grades increase substantially as well which is why captains at this level can make between $140,000 and $300,000 every year. This gets into megayacht territory at 200 feet and even gigayachts at 400+ feet. Senior MasterĪ Senior Master is the captain of any yacht over 170 feet.

If it’s a charter yacht, tips can reach nearly $3,000 a month as well.

At the low end of that scale you’re looking at $5,750 and it can go all the way up to $34,500 per month, so this is some serious money. Yacht captains working vessels between 140 feet and about 190 feet were averaging $14,100 per month. You also pull in gratuities at this level that average just under $1,400 per month. The lowest paid were making about $1,175 per month while the highest were again making around $20,000. Survey data from 2021 shows that, up to 140 feet, a superyacht captain can average about $10,100 per month. At this size a Captain can expect to be making anywhere from about $80,000 per year up to $180,000. These vessels can include a crew of several different members and will require more organization and skill to maintain and run smoothly. In the middle is a Captain of vessels that range from 100 feet all the way to 170 feet which is superyacht territory. Yacht captains can also pull in gratuities as part of the crew and that averages out to around another $1,300 per month. On the low end of that scale were yacht captains pulling in about $3,100 a month while the highest paid make around $20,000 per month. Survey data from 2021 shows that most captains working on yachts in this size range average just over $8,000 per month. These smaller yachts have less involved operations and are, in general, easier to run which is why the captain of a yacht of this size would likely get paid less. Obviously this can change on a case by case basis depending on the specific duties expected of the given captain.

The captain of a smaller yacht like this could expect to make perhaps $45,000 to $98,000 per year or more. Many yachts of this size may only have one or two crew members on board to help operate them. Junior CaptainĪ Junior Captain would be captain of the smaller yachts that rank in around 60 feet up to 100 feet. I’ve included some survey data here taken from Dockwalk and this was gleaned from information provided by 476 different yacht captains to give you a pretty good idea of how much a captain makes at every single yacht size. You can divide yacht sizes up into three categories as it relates to yacht captains to get a better idea of the pay involved. Size of the vessel is arguably the biggest factor in what a yacht captain gets paid. As such, the Azzam’s captain is probably making more money. You can imagine that the captain of the Azzam has to deal with more than the captain of a 60 foot yacht. The longest yacht in the world is the Azzam which is just shy of 600 feet long. Most people feel a yacht has to be at least 60 or so feet in length before it’s considered a yacht. 5 The Bottom Line Factors That Affect Yacht Captain’s Salary
