All roles/Deck and Bridge/Build Captain / New Build Captain
Deck and Bridge
Build Captain / New Build Captain
The build captain is the owner's master at the shipyard, overseeing a new yacht from design reviews to delivery so she leaves the yard safe, compliant, crewed and built as the owner wants.
- Department
- Deck and Bridge
- Reports to
- Owner or Owner's Representative
- Yacht size
- 45m to 150m+
- Contract
- Permanent, yard based for the build
- Starting pay
- €12,000 per month
What the job is
A build captain joins a project anything from two years to a few months before delivery and lives near the yard, usually in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy or Turkey. You represent the owner and the future crew in every decision about how the boat is laid out, equipped and finished. You read the specification line by line, sit in design reviews and push back when something will be hard to run, maintain or keep safe at sea.
Most days are spent walking the hull with the yard's project manager, the owner's surveyor and your senior crew, checking work against drawings and logging defects. You approve or challenge change orders, track the budget for owner supplied items and keep the build schedule honest. You also work with the flag state and classification society so that the safety management system, manning and certification are ready when the yard hands over.
As delivery approaches you recruit and bring in the crew in stages, chief engineer first, then officers, bosun, chief stewardess and chef. You plan commissioning, dock trials and sea trials, then the delivery voyage and first season. The job needs a seagoing master's judgement combined with the patience of a project manager. Get it right and the yacht runs well for twenty years. Get it wrong and the crew live with your mistakes.
What makes a good one
- Reading specifications and drawings
- Defect tracking and yard negotiation
- Budget and change order control
- Flag and class compliance
- Crew recruitment and team building
A day in the life
- 07:30Coffee in the owner's team office on the quayside. Read overnight emails from the owner's representative and the interior designer, and check the day's yard schedule.
- 08:00Walk the boat with the chief engineer and first officer. Check cable routing in the lazarette and photograph a fire door that does not match the approved drawing.
- 09:30Weekly progress meeting with the yard project manager and the owner's surveyor. Go through the defect list, the schedule and two open change orders on the beach club.
- 11:30Call with the classification society surveyor about lifesaving appliance positions on the sun deck and the stability booklet timeline.
- 13:00Lunch in the yard canteen with the electrical subcontractor to settle where the bridge network racks and UPS units will sit.
- 14:00Review the draft safety management system and crew manning plan, then mark up comments for the management company.
- 15:30Second interview by video with a chief stewardess candidate, then agree start dates for the bosun and two deckhands with the crew agency.
- 17:00Write the weekly owner's report: progress, budget on owner supplied items, risks to the delivery date and decisions needed.
- 18:30Final look at the tender garage fit out before heading back to the rented house near the yard.
Pay by country
Monthly salary paid by the owner or management company, usually in EUR or USD, for 45m to 100m+ builds. Larger and more complex projects pay at the top of the range or above. No charter tips during the build; flights, accommodation and a car near the yard are normally covered.
- France and Monaco
- €12,000 – 22,000
- Spain
- €12,000 – 22,000
- Italy
- €12,000 – 22,000
- United Kingdom
- £10,200 – 18,700
- USA (Florida)
- US$13,500 – 25,000
- Caribbean
- US$13,500 – 25,000
- UAE
- AED 49,500 – 92,000
- Australia
- A$19,800 – 36,300
- New Zealand
- NZ$21,600 – 39,600
Required
- Master (Yacht) 3000gt
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- HELM (Management)
- GMDSS GOC
- ECDIS
- Advanced Fire Fighting
- Medical Care
- Ship Security Officer
Recommended
- PRINCE2 or similar project management qualification
- ISM internal auditor course
- RYA Yachtmaster Ocean
- Previous new build or major refit as captain or chief officer
- Working Dutch, Italian, German or Turkish
Visas
- Schengen
- US B1/B2
- C1/D
- Turkish residence or work permit for Turkish yards
Where it leads
- Deckhand
- Bosun / Boatswain
- Second Officer
- Chief Officer / First Mate
- Yacht Captain
- Build Captain / New Build Captain
- Yacht New Build Project Manager
Build Captain / New Build Captain jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need build experience to get my first build captain job?
Usually yes, at least as chief officer or captain on a previous build or major refit. Owners want someone who has seen a yard snag list and sea trials before, so time spent on a build as a mate is the normal route in.
Do I stay on as captain after delivery?
Often, and many owners hire with that in mind. Some build captains specialise and move to the next project after the first season, handing over to a permanent captain.
How long does a build captain contract last?
Typically one to three years at the yard, depending on when you join. Most contracts run through delivery and the first season or warranty period.