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Boat captain vs vessel master

The differences between boat captains and vessel masters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a boat captain and a vessel master. Additionally, a vessel master has an average salary of $54,895, which is higher than the $43,632 average annual salary of a boat captain.

The top three skills for a boat captain include vessel maintenance, boats and CPR. The most important skills for a vessel master are TWIC, USCG, and coast guard.

Boat captain vs vessel master overview

Boat CaptainVessel Master
Yearly salary$43,632$54,895
Hourly rate$20.98$26.39
Growth rate1%1%
Number of jobs2,8608,404
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4242
Years of experience66

Boat captain vs vessel master salary

Boat captains and vessel masters have different pay scales, as shown below.

Boat CaptainVessel Master
Average salary$43,632$54,895
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $66,000Between $21,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between boat captain and vessel master education

There are a few differences between a boat captain and a vessel master in terms of educational background:

Boat CaptainVessel Master
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversitySUNY Maritime College

Boat captain vs vessel master demographics

Here are the differences between boat captains' and vessel masters' demographics:

Boat CaptainVessel Master
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 92.0% Female, 8.0%Male, 98.5% Female, 1.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 3.2% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between boat captain and vessel master duties and responsibilities

Boat captain example responsibilities.

  • Lead a platoon that earn numerous awards for jamming opposition force artillery nets and conducting counterattacks on opposition electronic warfare platoons.
  • Train to use an a defibrillator, and conducting CPR.
  • Train law enforcement personnel of several islands of the Caribbean on law enforcement and boarding procedure.
  • Deliver yacht from Europe to Caribbean.
  • Work with NOAA in collecting subsurface oils samples.
  • Experience in weather observation, first aid, CPR, and fire fighting.
  • Show more

Vessel master example responsibilities.

  • Manage records and assist customers with billing and reservations.organize and assist with running of events.
  • Perform basic maintenance and upkeep on trucks, boats, booms, pumps, and other equipment.
  • Operate two 40,000 DWT tankers off of east coast of Canada in ice congest waters (SLS - Quebec).

Boat captain vs vessel master skills

Common boat captain skills
  • Vessel Maintenance, 28%
  • Boats, 14%
  • CPR, 13%
  • USCG, 11%
  • Safety Drills, 5%
  • Safety Training, 3%
Common vessel master skills
  • TWIC, 33%
  • USCG, 28%
  • Coast Guard, 18%
  • Safety Equipment, 16%
  • Boats, 4%
  • DP, 1%

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