Thanks, I Hate It

‘Below Deck’ Real Life Charter Tips START at $23k – and Can Reach $40k

What is a 'real' superyacht tip like when guests charter it for a week (or more) and not on 'Below Deck'?

by Gina Ragusa

Published on August 12, 2023

2 min read

A huge part of every Below Deck charter is finding out how much tip the crew receives. Below Deck charters are discounted and typically span for only a few days and nights. But the tip is almost always scrutinized as being too low or celebrated when the guest is a big tipper.

A decent tip on Below Deck is usually anywhere between $18,000 to $20,000. Tips of more than $20,000 are on the larger side and crews have seen some tips of $30,000 or more.

Despite $30,000 or more being considered to be a great tip on Below Deck, $40,000 crew tips are very possible for chartering a superyacht in the “real world.”

Real charter tips start at $23,000

A decent $20,000 tip on Below Deck is sort of “meh” in the real yachting world. Based on what it would cost to charter one of the Below Deck yachts for a week, guests would end up leaving about $23,000 for the least expensive yacht based on the suggested 5% to 20% average.

According to Rightboat, the least expensive yacht to charter is Mercury from Below Deck Adventure. The usual cost for a weekly charter is $184,000, which means a $23,000 tip would be appropriate. Chartering Sirocco from Below Deck Mediterranean Seasons 2 and 4 is about $194,500 and a $24,313 would be expected.

The most expensive Below Deck Med yacht to charter for a week is Lady Michelle for $275,000. A $34,375 tip would be in range.

Parsifal III, the only sailing yacht on Below Deck Sailing Yacht usually charters for about $254,000, which means the crew would receive about $31,000.

2 ‘Below Deck’ yachts are the most expensive to charter – which means the higher tips

The last few seasons of Below Deck have featured some of the most expensive superyachts in the franchise. My Seanna, featured on Below Deck 6, 8, and 9 costs $275,000 for a weekly charter.

But the most expensive Below Deck yacht is the St. David. This vessel was also the largest yacht to date in the series. Featured on Below Deck Season 10, the superyacht is $325,000 per week and the crew should receive a $40,625 tip.

“Working on a yacht can be a lucrative industry, especially for those lucky enough to get handpicked for Below Deck,” Piera Carchedi from Rightboat said.

“Charter guests of a yacht should tip the staff between 5 and 20% of the cost of the charter,” Carchedi added. “Using this figure, we’ve revealed the average tip for each yacht featured on the Below Deck franchise. This means the average tip for St. David, the most expensive yacht to charter on Below Deck, would be $40,625.”

Below Deck Down Under bosun João Franco told Showbiz Cheat Sheet that clearing $45,000 in tips during a single season can happen.

“On charter boats, tips can be as much as €4,000 per person, per week. And in some cases even more,” he revealed in 2019. “We’ve heard of crew members that rack up €40,000 in a summer season each, just on tips!”