Yacht crew salary data for superyacht roles is not publicly available. Unlike corporate roles, there are no published compensation surveys for yacht captains, chief engineers, or chief stewardesses that owners and principals can reference when building a crew or running a search. The figures below are the most comprehensive yacht crew salary guide for 2026, covering 11 roles across three vessel size tiers with P25 to P90 benchmarks drawn from rouka's dataset of 200-plus verified sources including placement data from Talent Gurus, industry associations including PYA and DEMA, and compensation surveys across the superyacht sector.
All figures are annual USD equivalents at the senior experience level. Accommodation and meals are provided on all superyacht roles. Med and Caribbean charter vessels carry additional charter tip income on top of base compensation.
Yacht Captain (Under 30m)
P25: $48,000 · P50: $75,000 · P75: $120,000 · P90: $150,000
Scarcity: 5 out of 10. Candidate pool: 494 to 795. Time to fill: 8 weeks. Annual turnover: 33%.
Bonus: 18% discretionary. Signing bonus in 45% of placements, $10,000 to $25,000. Compensation split: 68% base, 18% bonus, 14% benefits.
Certifications required: MCA OOW (Yacht) 3000gt, STCW. Title variations: Skipper, Motor Yacht Captain, Sailing Yacht Captain, Day Captain, Yacht Master, Master 200GT.
First-year attrition drivers: owner personality mismatch, vessel condition below standard, itinerary disagreements.
Yacht Captain (30m to 60m)
P25: $85,000 · P50: $135,000 · P75: $210,000 · P90: $263,000
Scarcity: 6.5 out of 10. Candidate pool: 570 to 933. Time to fill: 7 weeks. Annual turnover: 33%.
Bonus: 20% discretionary. Signing bonus in 55% of placements, $20,000 to $50,000. Med/Caribbean charter: €7,000 to €14,000 per month additional.
Certifications required: MCA Master (Yacht) 3000gt, STCW. Counter-offer rate: 11%. Offer acceptance: 80%.
Yacht Captain (60m+)
P25: $140,000 · P50: $220,000 · P75: $340,000 · P90: $442,000
Scarcity: 8.5 out of 10. Candidate pool: 467 to 709. Time to fill: 8 weeks. Annual turnover: 34%.
Bonus: 22% discretionary. Signing bonus in 60% of placements, $30,000 to $75,000. Med/Caribbean charter: €14,000 to €25,000 and above per month additional.
Certifications required: MCA Master Unlimited, STCW. Compensation has grown 25 to 30% since 2022. Salary growth: 9% year over year. The most contested captain tier in the market.
Chief Officer / First Mate
P25: $55,000 · P50: $95,000 · P75: $150,000 · P90: $188,000
Scarcity: 5.5 out of 10. Candidate pool: 257 to 373. Time to fill: 11 weeks. Annual turnover: 25%.
Bonus: 16% discretionary. Signing bonus in 42% of placements, $12,000 to $30,000. Superyacht segment: €3,200 to €8,000 per month.
Certifications required: MCA OOW (Yacht) 3000gt, STCW. Counter-offer rate: 16%. Offer acceptance: 73%.
First-year attrition drivers: captain management style, unclear promotion timeline, vessel maintenance burden.
Chief Engineer
P25: $65,000 · P50: $110,000 · P75: $175,000 · P90: $219,000
Scarcity: 8 out of 10.
Candidate pool: 62 to 106. Time to fill: 18 weeks. Annual turnover: 37%, the highest of any deck or engineering role.
Bonus: 18% discretionary. Signing bonus in 48% of placements, $15,000 to $35,000. Counter-offer rate: 18%. Offer acceptance: 82%.
Certifications required: MCA Chief Engineer Officer (Yacht) Y4, STCW. The candidate pool of 62 to 106 globally makes this among the hardest maritime hires on vessels over 60 meters.
First-year attrition drivers: vessel mechanical issues, parts sourcing in remote ports, captain relationship friction.
Chief Stewardess / Head of Interior
P25: $48,000 · P50: $85,000 · P75: $145,000 · P90: $181,000
Scarcity: 6 out of 10.
Candidate pool: 470 to 672. Time to fill: 10 weeks. Annual turnover: 34%.
Bonus: 16% discretionary. Signing bonus in 40% of placements, $10,000 to $25,000. Med/Caribbean charter: €3,000 to €7,000 per month plus charter tips.
Certifications required: STCW, ENG1 Seafarer Medical. Counter-offer rate: 18%. Offer acceptance: 71%.
Strong talent pipeline from luxury hotel industry. Title variations: Head Stewardess, Chief Stew, Interior Manager, Head of Interior.
ETO / AV-IT Officer
P25: $60,000 · P50: $95,000 · P75: $150,000 · P90: $188,000
Scarcity: 8.5 out of 10.
Candidate pool: 15 to 35 globally. Time to fill: 16 weeks.
Bonus: 16% discretionary. Signing bonus in 40% of placements, $10,000 to $25,000. Salary growth: 8% year over year. Demand growing 20% year over year.
Certifications required: STCW ETO Certificate of Competency, STCW. The smallest candidate pool of any superyacht role. Emerging requirement on vessels 60 meters and above as AV and connectivity infrastructure complexity increases.
Bosun
P25: $45,000 · P50: $60,000 · P75: $78,000 · P90: $98,000
Scarcity: 4.5 out of 10.
Candidate pool: 200 to 400. Time to fill: 8 weeks. Annual turnover: 22%.
Bonus: 12% discretionary. Signing bonus in 10% of placements, $2,000 to $5,000. Med/Caribbean: €3,000 to €5,500 per month typical.
Certifications required: STCW, RYA Powerboat Level 2. Experienced bosuns with paint and varnish skills command a market premium. Counter-offer rate: 12%. Offer acceptance: 78%.
Head Chef (Superyacht)
P25: $98,000 · P50: $125,000 · P75: $162,000 · P90: $200,000
Scarcity: 7.5 out of 10.
Candidate pool: 200 to 400 globally. Time to fill: 5 weeks. 13th month salary standard. 14th month for top performers. Charter tips add $10,000 to $50,000 or more per year. First-year attrition runs 46%, the highest in the superyacht sector, driven primarily by taste mismatch with the owner, burnout from insufficient rotation schedules, and competition from higher-paying opportunities. Western Mediterranean carries a 5 to 10% premium. Middle East 10 to 20%. Asia-Pacific 5 to 15%. Strong pipeline from Michelin-starred restaurants and luxury hotel kitchens. Title variations: Head Chef, Executive Chef (Yacht), Chef de Cuisine (Yacht), Sole Chef.
Second Engineer
P25: $50,000 · P50: $85,000 · P75: $140,000 · P90: $175,000
Scarcity: 5 out of 10.
Candidate pool: 924 to 1,451 globally. Time to fill: 8 weeks. Annual turnover: 18%. Counter-offer rate: 11%. Signing bonus in 10% of placements, $2,000 to $8,000. Bonus runs 10 to 12% plus charter tips. Experience required: 6 to 8 years typical. Demand growing 18% year over year, one of the strongest growth rates in the superyacht sector. Superyacht segment compensation runs approximately €3,000 to €6,000 per month. Required certifications: MCA Y3 Second Engineer, STCW. Retention risks: chief engineer management style, upgrade timeline to chief, and vessel system complexity. Hybrid diesel-electric and battery systems knowledge is increasingly valued and commands a premium. Title variations: Second Engineer, 2nd Engineer, Junior Engineer (Yacht).
Purser
P25: $50,000 · P50: $80,000 · P75: $130,000 · P90: $163,000Scarcity: 4 out of 10.
Candidate pool: 200 to 433 globally. Time to fill: 11 weeks. Annual turnover: 29%, among the highest of any crew role, driven by admin workload being underestimated, dual-role expectations, and compliance paperwork burden. Counter-offer rate: 14%. Offer acceptance: 85%, the highest of any superyacht role. Signing bonus in 35% of placements, $8,000 to $20,000. Bonus runs 8 to 12% plus charter tips. Experience required: 6 to 12 years. Superyacht segment compensation runs approximately €2,500 to €5,000 per month on large vessels. Required certifications: STCW, ENG1 Seafarer Medical. The role is increasingly tech-driven with inventory management and accounting systems becoming standard. On smaller vessels the purser function is often absorbed by the Chief Stewardess. Title variations: Yacht Purser, Ship's Purser, Financial Officer (Yacht), Admin and Purser, PA/Purser, Ship Administrator.
What Drives Compensation Variation
Vessel size is the primary driver. A captain on a 35-meter vessel earns P50 of $135,000. The same person commanding a 75-meter vessel earns P50 of $220,000. The technical demands, crew management complexity, and principal expectations scale with the vessel.
Rotation structure affects offer acceptance significantly. Senior crew on large vessels increasingly expect 1 for 1 rotation (one month on, one month off). Offers without rotation on vessels over 50 meters will lose candidates to competing offers that include it.
Charter versus private operation affects compensation structure. Charter vessels carry monthly charter tip income that can add $3,000 to $25,000 per month for senior crew. Private principals competing for candidates from the charter market need to account for this in total compensation comparisons.
Geographic location affects compensation benchmarks by 20 to 30%. UAE-flagged vessels and Middle East-based owners typically run 20 to 30% below US and European market rates. European Med-based owners with charter programs often pay above US private vessel rates due to charter income.
How Talent Gurus Uses This Data
Every superyacht and yachting crew search at Talent Gurus starts with a rouka intelligence brief. Before the first candidate conversation, we model the search using benchmarks from 5,151 roles across 10 private market sectors, sourced from 200-plus verified data points including placement data from Talent Gurus, compensation surveys from Morgan and Mallet and Bluewater, industry association data from PYA and The Crew Network, and job market data across Dockwalk and Yotspot.
The brief covers where your budget sits on the market distribution for the specific vessel size and operating profile, what that means for your candidate pool, and how long the search is likely to take. We show you whether you are competing at P25 (market floor), P50 (competitive), or P75 (where passive crew engage seriously) before you commit to a timeline.
