Licensed 100-ton master here — ask me anything about hiring a captain, deliveries or lessons
Asked by capt_marcus in Captains & Crew on June 4, 2026
I run deliveries and owner-training up and down the Gulf and East Coast. Plenty of first-time owners on this site buying bigger boats than they've run before — which is great — but I see the same questions over and over. Fire away: what a captain actually does for you, what it costs, captained vs. learning yourself, insurance, all of it.
4 replies
weekend_wally · June 5, 2026
Moving from a 24' bowrider to a 36' express. Worth hiring you for a weekend of training, or just send it?
capt_marcus · June 5, 2026
@weekend_wally hire someone for a day or two, 100%. Close-quarters docking a 36 single-screw in current is a learned skill, and learning it by bouncing off pilings in front of your new dock neighbors is expensive and humbling. One day of training pays for itself in one avoided gelcoat repair.
onemoreboat · June 6, 2026
Worth saying: a couple hours with a captain also makes your spouse 100x more comfortable, which is the difference between a boat that gets used and a boat that gets resold. Best money I spent year one.
first_boat_bill · June 7, 2026
Following this one hard. The training-vs-send-it answer alone is worth the read.