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Going rate for delivery crews

  • Thread starter Thread starter rsmith
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rsmith

rsmith

Legendary Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
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6,322
Status
  1. OWNER - I own a Hatteras Yacht
Hatteras Model
50' CONV -Series I (1966 - 1969)
What's the going rate for a crew to delivera 50-80' power boat on the east coast these days?
 
Captain and mate. About $350 to $450 per day plus expenses.

We have a captain on staff or if you want a guy with single engine experience call Randy (freeebird).

No matter what anyone says about Randy he is a great captain and knows where the keys are for my boat. I just moved it to make it harder for him to find. :)
 
For both? Isn't Randy like $100/day but it takes him 3times as long on one engine?
 
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A good captain typically will be $300-$450 per day. $350 is a pretty standard rate. Mate usually will be $125-$150 per day. Rates are a bit higher up North but not by much. I hired a captain to help me move my boat for the winter. Really just needed the local knowledge as I was going into and across Barnegat. Paid him $350 as that was a favor for a friend. Most wanted $450. He never touched the wheel, didn't know where he was going and wanted OT because we had to wait to get the boat hauled before we heading back to the cars.
 
rsmith said:
For both? Isn't Randy like $100/day but it takes him 3times as long on one engine?
Click to expand...

He only goes in circles on Wednesdays.

I believe that's for both although I do the electronics and am not involved in the day to day for captains services.
 
Paying $600 a day for two captains bringing the boat south. I know one of the captains since he brought the boat north when I was on the trip. Worth every penny to have him on the trip. I will also be aboard but have learned over the years that I will ride south as the owner, not the third mate. Made that mistake many years ago when I brought my 56 back from Michigan. A little older now and a whole lot wiser.
 
Hi All,

The most challenging part is finding qualified, professional, experienced captains/mates. You would be surprised, well maybe not, how many many people out there with a license who couldn't pilot an 8 foot rowboat from one end of a pool to the other.

A lot of them jump on board and jam it to WOT and run 14 hour shifts never even opening an engine room hatch and checking the oil.

As for Randy, I understand he's $100 a day plus $400 a day for liquor and women. LOL luv Ya Randy.
 
The only liquor aboard any boat I've ever moved was there when I showed up, and it was still there when I left. Same for women. Love you too, Gene. :)

I charge less than most because I enjoy it, period.
 
I gave him a bottle for his crossing with the 58. I think he still has it.

He usually brings booze to my boat and leaves it there too. As for the women. No comment.
 
lumina said:
Hi All,

The most challenging part is finding qualified, professional, experienced captains/mates. You would be surprised, well maybe not, how many many people out there with a license who couldn't pilot an 8 foot rowboat from one end of a pool to the other.

A lot of them jump on board and jam it to WOT and run 14 hour shifts never even opening an engine room hatch and checking the oil.

As for Randy, I understand he's $100 a day plus $400 a day for liquor and women. LOL luv Ya Randy.
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our captains do not run boats hard. They're too smart for that. Probably too old too. Why make yourself more problems.
 
I was just quoted $300/day for highly qualified (and experienced on similar vessels) Captain and $125 for optional 1st Mate (which seems like a no-brainer yes). Trip on 58' MY from Pensacola to Marco Island. There was some mention of favorite adult beverages but only after vessel tidy up, wash down and safe and secure at the dock. Then all bets are off...
 
$350.00 a day is fair a and reasonable, a good 1st mate should be half that and required. As far as running a boat hard vs.slow and easy.....I would much rather just charge you one or two extra days because I took my time than explain why the port engine is in pieces.......or worse !!! As a side note, when hiring Crew to run your boat for multiple days, ie: Maine to Fla. keep in mind that they are responsible for it 24 hrs a day. $350.00 divided by 24 and your down in the McDonalds range............just my .02
 
How do the guys make a living at those rates?
 
Boatsb said:
They dont.
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Seems like a great idea, cheap out on the guy that is driving your $$$$$ boat. Kinda like getting laser eye surgery based on price, or getting the cheap doctor to fix one's knee. Or lowest bid to fix....
 
Depending on the delivery, its $350 for the captain and $150 for the mate on average pd. Sometimes if you need two captains to run the boat, you can get both for $600 pd. These numbers are based on 8-10 hours per day of running time. You can expect that they will change if there are any extremely long days, 24 hour crossings, etc.
 
krush said:
How do the guys make a living at those rates?
Click to expand...

Cash is king as they say. I would imagine a lot of captains don't report cash to uncle sam
A good reputation and network keeps you busy with better quality boat owners
A job well done in delivery merits a nice tip on top of the rate
If owners travel with the boat, owners pick up meals,etc.

Life off the grid and moving boats from point A to point B can be very rewarding.
 
polarizer said:
Cash is king as they say. I would imagine a lot of captains don't report cash to uncle sam
A good reputation and network keeps you busy with better quality boat owners
A job well done in delivery merits a nice tip on top of the rate
If owners travel with the boat, owners pick up meals,etc.

Life off the grid and moving boats from point A to point B can be very rewarding.
Click to expand...
X2. I've met a few captains who live very well. I think they're smarter than most of us boat owners. We pay to play they get paid to play. $350 per day doesn't seem too bad when I take away all the money I spend on the boat plus the purchase and depreciation. Hell my neighbor is selling his 7 year old boat for around 1.25 mil less than he paid for it. Many captains get to run multi-million dollar boats on a daily bassis. Most of us would love to be able to do just that.
 
saltshaker said:
X2. I've met a few captains who live very well. I think they're smarter than most of us boat owners. We pay to play they get paid to play. $350 per day doesn't seem too bad when I take away all the money I spend on the boat plus the purchase and depreciation. Hell my neighbor is selling his 7 year old boat for around 1.25 mil less than he paid for it. Many captains get to run multi-million dollar boats on a daily bassis. Most of us would love to be able to do just that.
Click to expand...

You just made my point about doing deliveries because I enjoy it vs making a living at it. Only a fellow boataholic could understand volunteering to take a loss when other things are more lucrative from a financial standpoint. I've logged thousands of delivery miles on water I had never previously seen that would have cost me tens of thousands of dollars had I done it in my own boat. Being paid at all is just icing on the cake in my book, and I also charge less knowing that my clients, in most cases, are going to be looking at two airfares. This is one of those rare areas where the old, "you get what you pay for", doesn't always ring true.
 
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