Who has the "best job" in yachting...?!

The one that pays enough to afford a yacht.

airship, you left out...

Yacht Brokers!

We get to go for lots of free boat rides and, most importantly, can afford the luxury of time to do so.
As far as never buying one as a result of what we have gleaned from all those boat rides, including chats with surveyors and other knowledgeable folk, we certainly would know which boats to avoid.

Now, where is that kayak paddle, anyway.

how could anyone know unless they have done all those jobs?

working in a company that does commercial ship work as well as yachts, it is certainly exciting for me to get involved with yachts in any way.

I would not say that it is good every time though, some owners can be quite difficult to deal with as they are sure that they are right even when everyone is recommending a different action. So we end up taking the long difficult way round. If they were more experienced they would have known and would have listened. On the other hand it can be a pleasure and meeting some really great people who love their job. Lots of BS talk in the yacht industry though, i have noticed...Some owners not paying also.......although that is in all industry.

The yacht designer, the builder? - it must be nice indeed to see your design built or to actually build something so beautiful and work to such high standards of craftmanship that you can be really proud. On the other hand, what about projects going terribly wrong, overextending yourself and having to deal with lengthy lawsuits. Difficult owners with repeated spec changes. Indeed its going to take some effort to climb the ladder and be known in this competitive atmosphere which has much scrutiny also.

The project manager, the owner's representative? - Nice to be in a commanding postion but how nice it would be would depend on the size of the project/relevant experience and of course the quality of the yard. it could be a pleasure at a very good yard and a terrible experience at another. With yachts of course you have to achieve very high quality and you're not going to get that everywhere. Difficult owners again with their repeated spec changes and perhaps inexperience. Shipyards playing games and hiding things. Being the guy in the middle. Possibility even to be so in the middle that you are working for both the yard and the owner and everyone is happy about that except you, it has happened sometimes.

The yacht, charter broker or crew agent? A very competitive market. With a big name it may be very successful indeed. Otherwise lots of effort for maybe infrequent success. Nice to be central broker but some dont get to be that.

The skipper or one of the crew? Well you have the private yachts which are being used frequently. Or you have the private yachts which are sitting in the marina only to be used for 1 month or less per year. Or the charter yachts which are not getting good charter. Or the charter yachts having a very heavy schedule, lots of work indeed. Possibility to see the world maybe or just the quay at antibes or flisvos and maybe st. tropez etc once per year. Possibility of getting paid very nice or not getting paid at all on occasion. Depends on the personality i guess. Looks like a job for life for some of the rarely used private yachts with home port in greece, i have met many crew which have been on the yacht since it was built. I might find it boring though, some people might consider it an easy job with most of the crew going home at night. Otherwise being skipper of any yacht it may be really great sometimes but other times problems with crew, owners, shipyards...not an easy job. For heavily chartered yachts its going to be lots of work indeed.

The chandler or spare parts supplier? possibility to make some nice money, sourcing and shipping parts all over the place. hectic perhaps. lots of competition though. maybe not getting paid by owners sometimes.

The bankers or insurers? - well these are desk jobs. Both have potential for job for life maybe. Insurers maybe not being paid as much as you think. Nice to have others further down the food chain wanting to be your friend. High profile bankers have potential to be making nice money after retirement being directors of companies. On the other hand loans gone wrong, big lengthy insurance claims. "Friendly" big company atmosphere....

The yacht forum operator...?! hmmm do you know how many hours Carl puts into this thing?

In the end, I think it really depends on one's personality though, different people would prefer different kinds of jobs. Each has its pros and cons. Nice to be working in yachting though

I do! Great boat, Great owners, Great Crew!

Well, it's not mentioned, but making models of the yachts is good.
upsides; it's fun, I can work from home on the Sunshine Coast (Canada), I get to see the latest designs, it puts food on the table.
downsides; I'm not rich, I rarely get to go on the real things, I have a cartopper!
Wait a minute...forget I sent this.

Deck hand

I'd say the decky.

No worries, fun job. Can be hard work but almost always fun.

I think you are all wrong because I have the best job.

I got, I sell and trade oil.

You Guys are all wrong. The best job is "No Job", with the only life challenges and decisions being which Yacht to Charter and where to work on your tan.
The only work should be "working on your umbrella drink".

Simple - I've been in the yachting world for over 15 years and CLEARLY the best job is the "CFYO" (Close Friend of Yacht Owner).

All the rest are REAL work, long hours and with few of the perks that the uninitiated attribute to working on white boats.

And real work can be very rewarding and very satisfying.

Naturally Happy. Besides, I'll be sleeping in my bed at home by next weekend.