Yacht Jobs Fort Lauderdale: How Crew Get Hired in 2026
How do you get a yacht job in Fort Lauderdale?
To get a yacht job in Fort Lauderdale, arrive in early October with STCW Basic Training, an ENG1 and your visa status sorted. Register with the crew agencies, live in a crew house and take every day of daywork you're offered. Most permanent yacht jobs in Fort Lauderdale come from contacts made on daywork, not from walking the docks.
Each autumn the fleet comes in for refits and the boat show, then hires crew for the Bahamas and Caribbean winter. Most crew get hired through a mix of these five routes:
- Crew agencies. Four have a Fort Lauderdale office and three more are based here without a walk-in desk. You register online, for free. Our guide to yacht crew agencies in Fort Lauderdale lists all seven, with addresses.
- Daywork. A day washing down or cleaning an engine room is a paid trial and a reference. Captains post daywork publicly on boards like DayWork123.
- Crew houses and word of mouth. A mate who's short two hands tomorrow texts someone they know. Crew-house group chats hear about work before it's posted anywhere.
- Facebook and WhatsApp groups. They're fast and noisy. Short-notice daywork goes to whoever replies first, and some posts are scams.
- Radius. Sign up free and check in at Fort Lauderdale. Captains and recruiters hiring here can see you're in town, with your ENG1, STCW and CV already verified.
Use all five at once. Still choosing between Florida and the Med? See our yacht jobs guide and yacht jobs in Antibes.
Can you get a yacht job in Fort Lauderdale with no experience?
Yes, but it's harder. The Crew Network's FAQ says plainly that if you're new to the industry, "you will have a more difficult time." Junior deckhand and junior stew are the roles built for green crew, and most people get there through a few weeks of daywork.
What gets a green CV taken seriously:
- STCW and ENG1 in hand. Nobody books an uncertified dayworker.
- A one-page yacht CV (US yards often say resume) with a professional photo. Here's how to build one before you've set foot on a boat.
- A department. Applying for "anything" reads as no direction. Pick deck or interior unless you have a trade or kitchen background.
- A buffer. Plan on several weeks without steady income.
For the bigger picture, read breaking into the superyacht industry and our green crew daywork guide.
What yacht jobs are in Fort Lauderdale, and what does daywork pay?
Every department hires here, and the same docks carry sportfish and charter boat jobs too. Day rates are from DayWork123 ads posted July to October 2026, via our 2026 day rates breakdown. Permanent pay is in our yacht crew salary guide.
Big yachts come up the narrow New River with a tug in attendance to reach the refit yards, where much of the city's daywork is. Photo: Alistair Cunningham, CC BY 3.0.
| Role | What you'll need | Fort Lauderdale daywork (USD) | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deckhand | STCW, ENG1; RYA Powerboat Level 2 helps | $150–$250, $200 most common | Deckhand jobs, junior deckhand |
| Stew / interior | STCW, ENG1; hospitality experience helps | Mostly $200; up to $300 | Yacht stewardess jobs |
| Engineer | A trade background; the MCA Approved Engine Course to start | $160–$250 (engine-room cleaning) | Yacht engineer jobs |
| Chef | Real kitchen experience | $350–$700 (US-wide freelance figure) | Yacht chef jobs |
| Captain / mate | A USCG license for US charter boats; flag-state tickets on bigger yachts | Not published for superyachts | Yacht captain jobs, Florida captain's license |
Some of those postings were open only to US citizens or green-card holders. Check your work status before you count on US daywork.
Where are the marinas and yards to dock walk in Fort Lauderdale?
Fort Lauderdale is not Antibes. Crewfinders, a local agency, tells crew that walking the docks is now prohibited unless you already have business aboard, and that most security guards won't let you into the yards or marinas without permission from someone inside. Respect the gates. Learn where the boats are, base yourself nearby, and use every daywork job to meet the crew inside.
The Intracoastal marinas
- Bahia Mar Yachting Center: On the beach side at 801 Seabreeze Boulevard. It's the boat show's headquarters and is slated for a large redevelopment.
- Pier Sixty-Six: By the 17th Street Causeway. The marina stayed open through the resort rebuild, which finished in July 2025.
- Las Olas Marina: Opened in October 2024, run by Suntex, and built for big yachts.
- Hall of Fame Marina: Another Suntex marina and boat show venue.
Las Olas Marina sits on the Intracoastal next to the city aquatic center, a short walk from the beach. Photo: qwesy qwesy, CC BY 3.0.
The New River, the yards and 17th Street
Refit daywork lives up the New River. Lauderdale Marine Center (now Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center), the big refit yard on the South Fork, also houses Northrop & Johnson's crew office. More yards line the river along Marina Mile. Boats in refit need sanding, painting, cleaning and kit moved, which is exactly the work green crew get hired for.
The New River runs through downtown and up to the boatyards, with yachts tied up along the Riverwalk. Photo: Alistair Cunningham, CC BY 3.0.
The SE 17th Street area is the crew district, with agencies, a training school and the area's ENG1 doctor all close by.
You'll hear crew talk about Rybovich too. It's a major superyacht marina and refit yard, but it's in West Palm Beach, not Fort Lauderdale.
Once you're legitimately on a dock, the usual rules from our dockwalking guide apply. Dress like crew, keep your pitch short and never step onto a passerelle uninvited.
When is the best time to look for yacht jobs in Fort Lauderdale?
| Months | What's happening | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Oct–Dec | Boats arrive for refits and the boat show, then crew up for the Bahamas and Caribbean | Peak hiring. Arrive early in October |
| Jan–Mar | Charter season. Many boats are away cruising | Steadier work on boats still in town or in the yards |
| Apr–May | Boats come back from the islands; some prepare to cross to the Med | Another window, including delivery and crossing crew |
| Jun–Sep | Summer, hurricane season, yard periods | Refit daywork continues. Fewer permanent jobs |
The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) runs at the end of October each year; in 2026 it's 28 October to 1 November, across Bahia Mar, Pier Sixty-Six, Las Olas Marina and other venues (FLIBS). The prep work happens in the days before it opens, so arriving on opening day means arriving after most of it.
What do you need before you arrive in Fort Lauderdale?
- STCW Basic Training. Five days and $1,299–$1,550 locally, as of October 2026. See STCW courses in Fort Lauderdale.
- ENG1 medical. Only three doctors in the US can issue one, and all three are in South Florida. Book early, because diaries fill up from the boat show onwards. See ENG1 in Fort Lauderdale.
- Your visa, if you're not American. The State Department treats crew on a private yacht cruising US waters for more than 29 days as B-1 visa cases, not crewmember (D) visas (travel.state.gov). A B1/B2 is not a general work permit, though, and doesn't cover casual daywork. Check with your US embassy before you book.
- A CV, references and a photo, saved as files under 500 KB (The Crew Network's upload limit).
- A bed. Book a crew house before you fly. Our daywork hubs guide puts a bunk at roughly $180–$250 a week, and beds go fast before the show.
What should your first week in Fort Lauderdale look like?
Day 1: Check in to your crew house and join the house group chat. Sign up on Radius and check in at Fort Lauderdale.
Day 2: Register online with the agencies that match your department, then phone each office to ask for an interview. Don't just turn up.
Days 3–5: Answer daywork posts the minute they land. Go to your agency interviews. Learn the roads around 17th Street and the New River so you can get to a boat fast.
Days 6–7: Follow up with the agencies. Say yes to any daywork, however dull. If a captain likes how you work, ask for a reference before you leave.
Yacht jobs in Fort Lauderdale: FAQ
How much does daywork pay in Fort Lauderdale?
Deck daywork advertised between July and October 2026 paid $150–$250 a day, and $200 was the most common rate. Interior days were mostly $200.
Do Fort Lauderdale crew agencies charge crew a fee?
No. Under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, seafarers can't be charged for placement, and the yacht pays the agency.
Can you do yacht daywork in Fort Lauderdale on a B1/B2 visa?
Not casual daywork. A B1/B2 isn't a US work permit, so get proper advice before you plan a season around daywork.
Do you need to be in Fort Lauderdale to get a yacht job there?
The Crew Network says yes. Crewfinders says it isn't necessary but is a good idea in the busy season, if you can afford it.
Can you get an ENG1 in Fort Lauderdale?
Yes. One of the three MCA-approved doctors in the US has a clinic on SE 17th Street, and the other two are in Palm Beach County.
Get found while you're in town
Yacht jobs in Fort Lauderdale go to crew who are certified, in town and easy to reach when a boat needs hands. Sign up free as crew, upload your ENG1, STCW and CV, and check in at Fort Lauderdale. Captains and recruiters hiring here will see you're available locally, even on days you're stuck at a gate.