Boat relocation

[Lucky Dog Fox Island]

We are traveling to SE Alaska this summer and have to be back to Seattle by the first week in August, so we’re considering using the time we have for the northbound leg and flying home, hiring a captain to bring the boat back. She’s a 49’ trawler (very comfortable, 2 cabins, 2 heads, full galley). If we (for example) handed her off in Juneau to be delivered to Seattle, any thoughts on what a reasonable cost would be?
Thanks!

 

[tiltrider1]

$500 dollars a day plus fuel & Moorage express and travel expenses. Add an additional $300 per day if you want them to run around the clock.

Some one will do it for less but you don’t want them. You might want to pay more.

 

[Taras]

since deadhead logs sometimes don't show up on radar, would running at night increase the risk of a collision? Is the preferred method running it one leg at a time, during daylight hours only?

 

[mvweebles]

$500 dollars a day plus fuel & Moorage express and travel expenses. Add an additional $300 per day if you want them to run around the clock.

Some one will do it for less but you don’t want them. You might want to pay more.

That's about right. $500-$600/day for experienced captain plus $150/day for each crew, plus expenses (fuel, provisions, travel, etc.). Rough math - for a displacement speed boat, expenses are equal to crew fees. Call or $1200-$1500 per day all-in.

Be careful checking references. Not all skippers are cut from the same cloth.

Peter

 

[ksanders]

Hope this does not sound strange, but I do not have a lot of faith in anybody that will work for $500 a day in the USA, unless they are retired and doing this on the side.

 

[mvweebles]

Hope this does not sound strange, but I do not have a lot of faith in anybody that will work for $500 a day in the USA, unless they are retired and doing this on the side.

When I was delivering 25 years ago, my rate was $400/day and that was high for the time . My last full year I spent around 225 days on the water. Expenses were low, income more or less in cash, and the opportunity to spend money restricted. While it was no match for what I earned as a Management Consultant, it was a decent living.

But as a side hustle, I agree with you - $500/day for a week or so here and there ain't great.

Peter

 

[Patemey]

Some Captains will charge per day. Some Captains will charge per mile. Either way, they decide when to go or when to stay in port. With unknown weather windows, you're still paying for sitting in port with a daily rate, but you're not paying for sitting in port with a per mile rate. The per mile rate may be a bit more expensive on an unhindered run. But likely cheaper if weather holds you up for 5-7 days waiting for a weather window.

Also consider the Captain and what else they do - whether Delivery Captain is their only job, their primary job, or their secondary job. The difference will be reflected in how they treat your boat during the delivery (i.e. are they in a hurry and race to the destination, or are they patient and careful with the boat and engine parameters)

 

[ksanders]

When I was delivering 25 years ago, my rate was $400/day and that was high for the time . My last full year I spent around 225 days on the water. Expenses were low, income more or less in cash, and the opportunity to spend money restricted. While it was no match for what I earned as a Management Consultant, it was a decent living.

But as a side hustle, I agree with you - $500/day for a week or so here and there ain't great.

Peter

My friend, 25 years ago $400 wasn't bad. Today it's a different story.
Sure for a retiree trying to have a bit of time on the water, but...

Maybe $1,000 a day for a working age person that knows their stuff enough that one might feel comfortable trusting them with their boat.

 

[Diep]

Its thread drift but the .gov site reports CPI is up 1.87 in the past 25 years. That would put your rate up to $750 today. Only posting because honestly I expected it to be even more.

225 days at $750 is $168,750. Probably takes some strong hustle to get that many days, but not a bad living with a lot of living expenses covered.

 

[Portage_Bay]

My friend, 25 years ago $400 wasn't bad. Today it's a different story.
Sure for a retiree trying to have a bit of time on the water, but...

Maybe $1,000 a day for a working age person that knows their stuff enough that one might feel comfortable trusting them with their boat.

I agree anyone worth hiring is $1,000 / day. Even quite a few not worth hiring get that much. But it's like pulling teeth to get most boat owners to pay even $600 / day for the capt. Didn't make sense to me. Hand me your boat, maybe $1 mil value, expect me to take better care of it than you do and pay me peanuts. Nope. I don't do deliveries anymore.

The last delivery I enjoyed was 2018. A Flemming 55 Anacortes to San Diego. The owner balked at $400 / day for me, $200 / day for the crew. I did it because I love Flemmings. Not for the money.

Repositioned a beautiful 1926 antique between Port Townsend and La Paz a few times for even less $$$. Again, it was for the love of the boat.

Did a few more deliveries after that, but the risk / reward ratio is not good enough to hold my interest.

 

[klee wyck]

We are traveling to SE Alaska this summer and have to be back to Seattle by the first week in August, so we’re considering using the time we have for the northbound leg and flying home, hiring a captain to bring the boat back. She’s a 49’ trawler (very comfortable, 2 cabins, 2 heads, full galley). If we (for example) handed her off in Juneau to be delivered to Seattle, any thoughts on what a reasonable cost would be?
Thanks!

In your geography, I would recommend without reservations, a guy named Skip Sethman. He usually relocates large Westports and was the former skipper of the Boeing yacht before they sold it, but he helped me out once for a bit. Good guy. Likely in the higher end of the range discussed above but you could sleep well.

 

[mvweebles]

I'd be mildly curious to know the going rate for a decent delivery skipper. Through a friend with a Horizon, I met a guy who does a ton of work with Horizon owners - he was based in Florida and charged around $350/day 6-7 years ago. And I'm pretty sure the east coast market is substantially different than west coast - it's a more active market due to seasonal migrations. @ksanders is as close to a snowbird as exists on the Pacific side. A rare bird in these parts.

A quick Google reveals the average salary is a tad under $60k these days - under $300/day (without benefits, same as a delivery skipper).

I can tell you from experience that making a living delivering yachts is tough. Fact is there just isn't that much business out there in this segment (segment being roughly 40' - 70" or so - too big to truck, too small for full time crew). My success was 90% tied to a few lucky domino's that fell my direction. On the west coast at least, I doubt there are more than a half dozen full time delivery skippers who make the bulk of their income from deliveries (vs a side hustle). Sadly, the legendary "wreck-'em-Ray" Ray McCormack with at least a couple sunk boats on his resume and a handful of badly damaged others being one (he's a shameless self promoter on Facebook).

$500/day may be a bit low, but guessing it's closer to the real number than $1000/day but I really don't know beyond reading threads like these. And it really depends on the boat and nature of the delivery. I recently heard a flat fee number of $11/nm though I'm not sure what that covers - probably all skipper/crew related expenses except travel which can be a wild card due to last minute nature. And even that probably varies widely. A strong boat and a long itinerary carries very little risk for the delivery skipper. Just a matter of who wants to shoulder the risk. Many of my deliveries we're flat fees (excluding lengthy mechanical delays which were exceedingly rare for me).

Peter

 

[ABfish]

I'm in the $1,000/day camp as a reasonable fee for a capable captain who may be running a $2 million dollar vessel. That's for short-term work, a 24 hour a day commitment, and no benefits.

But this is not like hiring a skilled technician or project manager. A lot of captains, such as charter guys, love the lifestyle and the freedom. If you don't want to work for a couple of weeks, and you can swing it financially, you don't take another delivery job this month. There's value in that to a lot of folks.

Perhaps the opportunity to run extraordinary machinery in beautiful places is a draw, though I'm sure you become jaded about that after time.

My point is that there are considerations outside of monetary compensation that result in pay that's lower than you might imagine, given the responsibility and the value of the equipment.

 

[slowgoesit]

Peter, I'm glad you mentioned Wreck 'em Ray McCormick. The only boat that I ever saw that he skippered only had the top 8' or so of the mast showing above the waterline, where he ran Boat Bum Gal on the rocks outside Turtle Bay while we were there. I hope that guy never cons another boat owner into believing his BS . . .

 

[SteveK]

Curious, aside from a day being 24 hours, how does that translate into days to make a delivery?
I mean running 2 hours a day can be a lotta days, whereas with 10 hours running will make days much less.

 

[Portage_Bay]

I can't speak to other delivery captains. I always had a conversation with the owner about the risks of running at night vs long days. All of my deliveries were west coast. Dead heads and crab pots were the main risks after dark. Aside from weather bar crossings were main drivers in schedule. I never played the game of running a few hours to book a day. It was either a good day's effort moving the boat or not. I did not charge full rate for weather delays. Only one client complained about cost after the delivery.

Curious, aside from a day being 24 hours, how does that translate into days to make a delivery?
I mean running 2 hours a day can be a lotta days, whereas with 10 hours running will make days much less.

 

[Carl H]

I used Kyle Ripley to captain my boat from Valdez to Seattle in 2022. Both he and his wife are Captains. Kyle is a very serious guy, laid out rules, and provided updates along the way (depending on cell availability). The boat arrived clean and in perfect shape. He even changed the starter when it failed (2 years as a diesel mechanic ). I’d use him/them again. (425) 314-1196, assuming that hasn’t changed.

 

[Cap Steve]

A strong second for Skip Sethman. He’s been working those waters for a long career and knows them well. I’ve crewed for him and always glean new skills even after over 50 years on the water.

 

[Retriever]

I had Nikolay Alexendrov move Akeeva north from Ventura to Seattle last January. He and his twin brother go by "SD Captains" on social media. I recommend Nikolay without hesitation. He charges by the mile rather than the day, yet doesn't seem to push the weather boundaries too aggressively. I liked the mileage basis rather than a day basis for a winter trip up the West Coast, since it removed the chance they'd hole up somewhere for many weeks on my dime.

Their per mile rate included everything but their travel costs.

They've moved a friends boat south from Juneau to Anacortes and did the run non-stop in like 5 days. They put big lights on the bow to avoid the crab pots and logs.

San Diego Captains – Yacht deliveries and instructions

 

[AndrewAdams]

Leave your boat in AK for the winter? Mine's on the hard at Petersburg Marine, John Murgas runs a good yard, it's not expensive, and then your boat will be there in the spring.

 

[Dockmaster]

Regarding the issue of running at night in S.E. Alaska; I’ve had a boat in Ketchikan for 25 years now. I never, ever run during dark hours. Way too many logs, big seaweed drifts, fishing nets and other dangerous items. You get almost 17 hours of daylight in the summer so do you really need the extra few hours vs the risks?

 

[Knewman]

Moorage express and travel expenses. Add an additional $

We are traveling to SE Alaska this summer and have to be back to Seattle by the first week in August, so we’re considering using the time we have for the northbound leg and flying home, hiring a captain to bring the boat back. She’s a 49’ trawler (very comfortable, 2 cabins, 2 heads, full galley). If we (for example) handed her off in Juneau to be delivered to Seattle, any thoughts on what a reasonable cost would be?
Thanks!

 

[tiltrider1]

Hex

 

[Captain T]

Ok, I have another way to get this done that I did several times. I delivered several boats along the Great Loop waterways for nothing. I was retired, had my 100 Ton license, and did it for fun. Owners paid for moorage, fuel/repairs, travel expenses. I actually paid for my own food as I had to eat no matter where I was. I would run maybe 6-8 hours a day depending on marina access/anchorages and my provisioning needs. I also would take an additional week of "sightseeing" time along the way that was fun. The owners needed a resume from me to get their insurance company approval and that worked fine. For my part, I required the owners to have the boat recently serviced and certain spares on board. Nothing extravagant but you'd be surprised how little spares some people put on board. I did this for 15 years and while fun. have decided I'm past my prime to continue this effort. Oh, my wife and her girlfriend loved these trips too. Basically it was a free one month vacation as most trips were around 1000 miles or so. Good Luck

 

[slowgoesit]

Yup, Captain T above did what I was thinking about recommending Lucky Dog look into! Give someone (properly vetted for experience, etc) a month or so of extra time, above and beyond the time necessary for a "delivery trip" to sight see along the way, and pay little or nothing in wages for a retired delivery skipper to relocate your boat!

Funny how most people would never EVER rent their boat out (I'm one of them), but would pay tens of thousands of $$$ to someone to deliver their boat! And for the most part, these delivery skippers don't have any insurance that would protect the boat, or the owner in the event of a mishap!

Let the flaming begin! Probably mostly from professional delivery skippers!

 

[mvweebles]

Yup, Captain T above did what I was thinking about recommending Lucky Dog look into! Give someone (properly vetted for experience, etc) a month or so of extra time, above and beyond the time necessary for a "delivery trip" to sight see along the way, and pay little or nothing in wages for a retired delivery skipper to relocate your boat!

Funny how most people would never EVER rent their boat out (I'm one of them), but would pay tens of thousands of $$$ to someone to deliver their boat! And for the most part, these delivery skippers don't have any insurance that would protect the boat, or the owner in the event of a mishap!

Let the flaming begin! Probably mostly from professional delivery skippers!

There is more that goes into delivering than most people realize. Sure there's basic seamanship skills but there are advanced skills that develop judgement and accumen that comes from having responsibility on a wide range of locations, vessels, and situations. And then there are people skills to communicate. Technical and mechanical skills. Longterm cruisers who have visited unfamiliar regions are probably best equipped to be a successful delivery skipper.

There is a fair amount of risk as a delivery skipper. You're getting on a boat you don't know well, often your client isn't well known either. Clients routinely over estimated their boats fuel economy.

Ill confess there's some ego for me. If Weebles is going somewhere on her own bottom, I'll do it myself. Cheryll won't come and I'll make the decisions based on safety vs comfort. @ksanders is doing this dance right now. A delivery skipper might have had his boat moved a bit ago but it would not have been super comfortable. It's what I balanced with my other half and glad we did - we stopped in a lot of places and waited for flat weather. Was a blast. Wouldnt do it any different but sometimes it's a delivery.

Peter

 

[darkside]

In 2018 we chartered from Ketchikan to Anacortes via Glacier Bay. More or less exactly this trip over one month.
I've done a bit of boating which gave the owner some confidence.
The boat was in great condition, which gave me some confidence.
We delivered the boat on time in the same condition we picked her up in.
We had maybe a two hour briefing on the systems from the owners and off we went.

Sorry guys it just isn't that hard.

If I had some time at present I'd offer the OP to do the run again. I'd maybe ask him to pay fuel, maybe for an extra week or two, but really I wouldn't care. It's a wonderful cruising ground.

 

[sockeye]

I agree with Captain T.Moneys not everything.Just because you pay someone doesn't mean your necessarily getting better value.I'm not a delivery captain by any stretch of the imagination but i have done three deliveries since 9/11. A boat broker in Vancouver set up each of them.One was Vancouver to Jeaunea Ak , one Skagway to Vancouver and the other was a delivery from Vancouver to Kitimat. (Douglas Channel) I was vetted by the insurance in each case and their only requirement was that i have a crew member with me. Our fee for each trip was airfair one way and our food which consisted of a breakfast bacon and eggs and a burger and beer in a pub each evening .Most delivery boats have little in the way of cooking facilities so we just had bread and peanut butter and fruit during the day. Each day we did about 100 miles .There are only two legs longer from Vancouver to Jeaunea . Pt Mcneil to Shearwater (about 130 miles) and Bella Bella To Rupert (about 170 miles) A captains license was not a requirement of insurance but experience was .I fished halibut in Ak (South east to Bering Sea from 1965 to 1980 (when treaty with USA /Canada expired) and many years fishing around Rupert ,Hecate Strait,Dixon Entrance and the west coast of the Charolettes. At the time I was between boats and went for the enjoyment of the trip. Our current boat is a 4788 Bayliner (10 years) Our last boat 42 GB we had 8 years but I ran the GB for 4 years for the then owner on numerous trips taking folks fishing before i bought it. The reason ,i like the boat and I liked fishing . All I charged was my airfair to the boat wherever it was. I might even consider another trip if i liked the boat. Trips south are much better than going north imho.
Especially in august .Those northern cohoe around Shearwater are hard to beat and on a south trip you can bring them home .Monies not everything .

 

[Kapn]

When I got into deliveries I thought it was all about knowing how to navigate, read the weather, fix problems and logistics of travel. Turns out it was all about how to deal with people. Nervous owners far from their baby and micro managing or nervous owners onboard and living in tight conditions with strangers.
I charged based on a calendar day but had an exception if we ran over 10 engine hours per day. So at the end of a trip I'd divide the engine hours by 10. The summer trips where I ran numerous 15 hour days or overnights I'd save the owners the expenses of dockage and food and the boat would arrive sooner. If we got weathered in or were fighting mechanical issues then I'd be compensated for calendar days.

 

[sockeye]

I never had any issues with the owners on my deliveries.The trip to Jeaunea was for a doctor who moved from eastern usa to Alaska and thought he should have a boat so he bought one in Vancouver .He was tickled pink to have it delivered for him for out of pocket costs (fuel,food ,any marina charge and airfare home) and I got to cover some great real estate on his nickle. We did have to hire a mechanic for a small job in Alert Bay for a couple hours but otherwise no issue. As a Canadian I might have actually had issues if i charged a fee as USA tax system would open up a bag of worms .Also maybe an issue if your taking away a job from an american?
Don't know the answer to that but no issue if there was no charge .The other two were for Canadians so i guess I could have charged a fee but did them for costs as well.Today would be much easier with cell phones .You could call the owner each day to report location etc if necessary .I also have a sat phone which i haven't used for years . We never travelled at night and did about 100 miles per day .Lucky Dog has a trawler so you wouldn't cover that distance.Also there is usually morning fog in August up north so that slows you down .But his boat is presumably well equipped so dropping the hook would be ok as you could cook etc. The boats i delivered were stripped by previous owners so had no creature comforts.Frankly cant think of a better way to
spend a few weeks!