Yacht Captain Salary 2026: €5,000–€23,000 a Month by Size
How much do yacht captains make?
A yacht captain earns roughly €5,000–€6,000 a month on a boat under 30m, rising to €16,000–€23,000 a month at 80–100m (YPI Crew, 2026). That's about €60,000 to €276,000 a year in base salary, before charter tips, bonuses or rotation. In the US, Dockwalk's survey found captains averaging $8,000–$20,500 a month depending on size.
Updated October 2026. Every yacht captain salary figure here is gross monthly base pay before tips unless stated. Each one is credited to the guide it came from, with that guide's date.
Yacht captain salary by yacht size
Length is the biggest single factor in superyacht captain salary. Next come the programme (private or charter, and how many months it runs), rotation, and the ticket you hold.
| Yacht length | Captain, YPI Crew 2026 (€/month) | Annual (×12) | UKSA 2025 (€/month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 30m | €5,000–€6,000 | €60,000–€72,000 | not covered |
| 30–40m | €6,000–€9,000 | €72,000–€108,000 | not covered |
| 40–50m | €8,500–€12,500 | €102,000–€150,000 | €9,000–€12,000 (45–50m) |
| 50–60m | €10,000–€16,000 | €120,000–€192,000 | €10,000–€14,000 (50–55m); €13,000–€16,000 (55–60m) |
| 60–80m | €14,000–€18,000 | €168,000–€216,000 | €14,000+ (60–70m); €15,000+ (70m+) |
| 80–100m | €16,000–€23,000 | €192,000–€276,000 | €15,000+ (70m+) |
| 100m+ | Discretionary | — | — |
Sources: YPI Crew, Superyacht Captain Salary Guide 2026 (March 2026); UKSA Superyacht Salary Guide (January 2025). Lighthouse Careers' 2026 captain salary guide publishes the same bands.
The two guides mostly agree. Where they don't, the gap is at the top: UKSA's top bracket is open-ended ("€15,000+"), while YPI puts real numbers on 80m+.
For comparison, UKSA puts a first officer on a 45–50m yacht at €4,500–€6,000 and a deckhand at €2,800–€3,500. Command roughly doubles your mate's salary. See the yacht crew salary hub for every department, including stewardess pay.
Yacht captain salary in US dollars
Few guides publish US-dollar figures by size. The best breakdown we found is Dockwalk's survey, and it's dated.
| Yacht length | Average captain pay ($/month) | Reported range | Average charter tips ($/month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60–99 ft (18–30m) | $8,002 | $3,105–$20,000 | $1,374 |
| 100–139 ft (30–42m) | $10,108 | $1,725–$20,000 | $1,612 |
| 140–179 ft (43–55m) | $14,166 | $5,750–$34,500 | $2,988 |
| 180–239 ft (55–73m) | $16,147 | $9,200–$23,250 | $3,653 |
| 240–279 ft (73–85m) | $15,474 | $7,475–$20,125 | $1,718 |
| 280 ft+ (85m+) | $20,541 | $9,200–$32,000 | $5,600 |
Source: Dockwalk Salary Survey, 2021 results (published February 2022). Salary excludes tips and benefits; the tips column comes only from captains on charter yachts. Metre conversions are approximate.
These are 2021 averages, so treat them as dated and probably low. You'll also see Payscale's US average of $84,988 a year (updated September 2026), but it's built from just 14 salary profiles and doesn't split by yacht size.
Mega yacht captain salary (80m+)
Mega yacht captains earn €16,000–€23,000 a month at 80–100m (YPI Crew, 2026). Above 100m, YPI calls pay "discretionary", meaning it's negotiated one captain at a time. Quay Crew's 2023 survey of almost 300 captains found 100m+ captains averaging about €20,000 a month, both private and charter. In dollars, Dockwalk's 2021 survey put 280ft+ captains at an average of $20,541 a month, plus around $5,600 a month in tips on charter boats.
At megayacht size you aren't just driving the boat. You're running a large crew, a budget, a shipyard schedule and the owner's expectations, and the ticket requirement changes too (see licences below).
Dilbar (156m, 15,917 GT) in Port Vauban, Antibes, in April 2018. She is far past the 3,000 GT limit of a standard Master (Yachts) ticket, so her captain needs an unlimited-tonnage Master's certificate. Photo: Jpchevreau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Private vs charter, and rotation
Private captains earn more base pay, and charter captains make some of it back in tips. Quay Crew's 2023 survey found an average of €17,105 a month for private captains against €15,518 for charter, and €16,243 across everyone.
Rotation means sharing the job with a second captain, for example two months on, two months off. YPI says equal rotation is now the standard expectation from 50m up and is starting to reach 40–50m boats. Under 40m, expect a single captain with "minimum flag, up to 60 days" of leave. Quay found no rotation at all on boats under 39m. Rotation buys real time at home, which is why it's the perk captains push for.
Benefits: leave, flights, bonuses and tips
- Leave: under 40m, the flag-state minimum up to 60 days; 40–60m, 60 days or equal rotation; 60m and up, equal rotation (YPI 2026).
- Bonuses: 38% of captains get a 13th-month bonus, and two in five get an annual pay rise their contract doesn't require (Quay Crew 2023). Head chefs do even better on bonuses; see our yacht chef salary post.
- Flights: 49% of captains fly business class (Quay Crew 2023).
- Tips: charter only. The MYBA guideline is 5–15% of the charter fee, usually split equally across the whole crew, captain included. Med tips tend to sit at the low end and US/Caribbean tips nearer the top.
- Tax: British captains working offshore may qualify for the UK Seafarers' Earnings Deduction, but the rules are strict. Get proper advice before you count on it.
Sources: Quay Crew Captain Salary Report 2023 (December 2023), averages as reported by SuperyachtNews (January 2024); YPI Crew 2026.
What licence you need for each size
Your ticket sets the ceiling on what you can command, and the ceiling sets your pay.
| Boat | UK/MCA ticket (most of the industry) | US Coast Guard ladder (US-flag boats) |
|---|---|---|
| Small charter boats, up to 200 GT | RYA Yachtmaster Offshore or Ocean, commercially endorsed (up to 150 miles from a safe haven) | OUPV / "six-pack" (under 100 GRT, 6 passengers max); Master under 100 or 200 GRT |
| Under 500 GT | Master (Yachts) <500 GT | Master under 500 GRT |
| Under 3,000 GT (most superyachts) | Master (Yachts) <3,000 GT | Master under 1,600 GRT is the next step up |
| Over 3,000 GT | Master Unlimited (Yachts), launched by the MCA in May 2026, or a full Unlimited Master | Master of unlimited tonnage |
Sources: RYA, Working as a Yachtmaster; MCA, certification for yacht deck officers (updated November 2023); MCA, Yacht Unlimited CoC (18 May 2026); 46 CFR Part 11, Subpart D, including §11.467 (OUPV) and §11.428. USCG endorsements are written in GRT, and the bands don't match the MCA's one-for-one.
The gap between tickets is sea time. Once you hold an OOW ticket, the MCA asks for 12 months' seagoing service for Master (Yachts) <500 GT and 24 months for Master (Yachts) <3,000 GT, or 12 more months if you already hold the <500 GT. On the US side, OUPV needs 12 months of experience (including 3 months on ocean or near-coastal waters for near-coastal limits), and Master under 100 GRT near-coastal needs two years of deck service. MCA yacht tickets also need STCW Basic Training and an ENG1 medical.
The wheelhouse of the yacht Taransay. Whatever the size of the boat, the captain answers for everything that happens from here. Photo: ClaR85, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How long it takes to become a yacht captain
There's no fixed timeline, but superyacht command is a long climb. Quay Crew's 2023 survey found the average age on first becoming captain was 32.5. 32% of captains had spent 3–5 years as chief officer first, and 70% hold Master 3,000 GT.
The usual ladder is deckhand, lead deckhand or bosun, OOW/second officer, chief officer, then captain, with your ticket upgrading at each step. Our junior deckhand guide covers the early rungs, including the Yacht Rating and OOW steps. Smaller boats are a shorter route: a commercially endorsed Yachtmaster Offshore lets you skipper a charter boat up to 200 GT.
Relief and delivery captain day rates
We found no reliable published figure for superyacht relief or delivery captain day rates. Agencies quote "DOE" (depending on experience), so ask two or three what they're placing at your size and region. Our yacht crew day rates for 2026 covers what is published.
FAQ
How much does a yacht captain make per month?
€5,000–€6,000 under 30m, €8,500–€12,500 at 40–50m and €16,000–€23,000 at 80–100m, before tips (YPI Crew 2026).
How much does a yacht captain make per year?
About €60,000–€72,000 under 30m, up to €192,000–€276,000 at 80–100m (YPI 2026 monthly figures ×12, base only).
How much does a mega yacht captain make?
€16,000–€23,000 a month at 80–100m (YPI 2026). On 100m+ yachts the average was about €20,000 a month in Quay Crew's 2023 survey.
Do yacht captains get tips?
Yes, on charter yachts. Tips are usually split equally across all crew, and Dockwalk's 2021 survey found charter captains averaging $1,374–$5,600 a month in tips, depending on yacht size.
How much does a Below Deck captain make?
Neither the show nor its captains have published a figure we could verify.
How long does it take to become a yacht captain?
On the MCA route you need at least 24 months' sea service after your OOW ticket to qualify for Master (Yachts) <3,000 GT. Captains in Quay Crew's 2023 survey first took command at 32.5 on average.
Where to go from here
The top yacht captain salary sits at the top of a long ladder, and the first rung is a deckhand job. Start with how to get yacht jobs and breaking into the superyacht industry, then register with crew agencies in Antibes or Fort Lauderdale.
Radius is free for crew: create a crew profile, check in at your port, and captains nearby see your verified ENG1, STCW and CV on a live map. If you're already a captain building a season crew, you can use the same map to find vetted crew and dayworkers near you.