Daywork Deckhand
Most deckhands get their first yacht through daywork. You join a boat for a day, a week or a month, usually during spring prep or a yard period, and do the jobs the permanent crew need extra hands for. You are paid by the day and tomorrow is never guaranteed. It is also the best audition you will get.
The jobWhat fills the day
The work is mostly physical and repetitive. You do washdowns and chamois the topsides. You polish stainless, scrub and seal teak, sand and mask for varnish, carry stores down the dock and pick up whatever the bosun points at. On a yacht move you might handle lines and fenders. You rarely see guests, because daywork happens when the boat is empty. Expect 08:00 to 17:00 with lunch provided. Plan on going home dirty.
Timing drives everything. In the Mediterranean the busy window is March to May, when yachts in Antibes, Palma and Monaco get ready for the season. In Fort Lauderdale it runs from October to December, before the Caribbean winter. Boat shows such as Monaco, Cannes and FLIBS mean a week of polishing. On a 30m yacht you may work beside the captain and turn your hand to anything. On an 80m yacht in a shipyard you are one of several dayworkers taping and protecting surfaces under the bosun.
Captains and bosuns hire dayworkers who turn up early, look tidy, keep their phone in their pocket and work without being chased. Formal experience matters less. You need STCW Basic Safety Training and an ENG1 medical before anyone will let you aboard. Most new crew stay in a crew house, walk the docks with printed CVs and register with agencies. Every good day of daywork gives you another reference and another bosun who knows your name.
A lot of permanent deckhand jobs start with a bosun asking a dayworker to stay on, because the boat has already seen how they work. Some crew go back to daywork between contracts to keep money coming in while they look for the right boat. Once you are permanent, the usual ladder runs from deckhand to lead deckhand, then bosun, and on to officer tickets if you want the bridge.
Skills captains look for
- Washdowns and chamois work
- Sanding and varnish prep
- Stainless and brightwork polishing
- Teak cleaning and care
- Line handling and fendering
- Punctuality and work ethic
A day aboardSpring prep daywork, 55m motor yacht, Port Vauban, Antibes
Arrive at the passerelle in clean shorts and a plain polo. Sign in with the bosun and get a briefing on the day's jobs.
Full washdown of the upper deck and sun deck to get rid of the Saharan dust that came in overnight. Then chamois everything dry before the sun spots it.
Coffee in the crew mess. Sit quietly and listen. This is where you learn which crew are leaving.
Mask the cap rails on the aft deck and start hand-sanding for the varnish coat the lead deckhand will put on tomorrow.
Crew lunch cooked by the chef. Take off your shoes and eat with the rest of the crew.
Help carry a provisioning delivery and a pallet of deck chemicals from the quay to the lazarette.
Polish stainless stanchions and the bow rail with metal polish. The bosun checks your work section by section.
Clean and stow tools, coil hoses and sweep the dock box area. Leave the deck tidier than you found it.
Get your day rate in cash. The bosun asks if you are free for the rest of the week. Say yes.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Daywork pays a day rate, usually around EUR 100-150 in the Med and USD 150-200 in Fort Lauderdale, paid in cash or by transfer, with lunch included. These figures assume about 20 working days a month. Full months are rare, and there is no leave, accommodation or flights. See the Bosun & Deckhand salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical (or recognised equivalent)
Gets you hired
- STCW PDSD
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- VHF SRC radio licence
- RYA Competent Crew
- Food Hygiene Level 2 (for galley or mess help)
Visas
- EU passport or valid right to work for Med daywork
- B1/B2 for joining yachts in the US
- C1/D for transiting to join a vessel
Where it leadsA typical career path
Bosun & Deckhand jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
How do I find daywork?
Walk the docks in Antibes, Palma or Fort Lauderdale early in the morning with a one-page CV and a clear photo. Register with crew agencies, join the local crew Facebook and WhatsApp groups, and tell your crew house you are available. Most daywork comes from being in the right marina at the right time.
How much does daywork pay?
Expect roughly EUR 100-150 a day in the Med and USD 150-200 in the US, usually with lunch. Rates are higher in yards and for anyone with varnish or tender skills. You are not paid on days you don't work, so keep a cash buffer.
Does daywork count as sea time?
Time alongside or in a yard does not count as seagoing service for MCA certificates. If the yacht goes to sea while you are aboard and the captain signs a testimonial, those days can count. Ask for a written reference anyway, because it helps your CV.
Can I do daywork without a work visa?
You need the legal right to work wherever the yacht is. EU citizens can daywork freely in France and Spain. Non-EU crew, and non-US crew in Florida, often cannot, and captains are increasingly careful about it. Check your status before you buy a flight.