US sailor Joe Franta reveals the incredible amount of money he saved in just five months working as a Merchant Marine

An American sailor revealed the surprising amount of money he was able to amass in just five months of working for the Merchant Marines.

In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Joe Franta shocked his fans when he told them he had saved $41,000 before taxes in five months of sailing.

Franta, whose sailing-themed YouTube channel has 121,000 subscribers, told viewers that one of the perks of his career is not having to spend money on groceries or other bills while on board a ship.

But he warned that the lifestyle also has drawbacks, including the fact that the pay is rarely consistent.

“It’s all relative to how it’s happening at the time,” he explained. ‘A ship could be great in a month. The next month it could be worthless.”

The YouTube personality makes a living sailing ships through American and international waters. Together with a large crew, Franta helps oversee the maritime trade sector from a private ship.

Merchant ships may include tugboats, ferries, dredges and deep-sea boats.

Franta works on huge ships that transport cargo and sometimes passengers. In the video he clarifies the ‘pay scale’ for seafarers, explaining that there is a large degree of fluctuation in salaries.

“Normally I work on a union deep-sea vessel, so guys who work on barge tugs or guys who work on MSC ships or non-union ships… that will be a very different pay scale,” the sailor explained.

Franta, who considers being a sailor “the best job in the world,” pulled out “pay stubs” and “files for every ship” he’s ever worked on from a filing cabinet to investigate his payment history.

He then outlined three critical factors that determine how much pay a sailor is entitled to, the first being the job title.

“It’s clear that the steward’s assistant who does the dishes won’t do the same as the captain,” Franta said.

The next factor is the type of contract they signed. The type of contract available to a sailor depends on that person’s skills and the type of role delegated to him or her on the ship.

The third factor, which is potentially the most lucrative, concerns the operations the ship will perform.

Depending on the danger of the operation, the sailor may be able to make more money. The more dangerous the operation, the more they are paid.

Franta called seamanship “the best job in the world,” but he warned his fans against taking up work just to earn a paycheck

If an operation is dangerous, sailors are entitled to a ‘penalty rate’, a form of financial compensation that supplements their wages

Dangerous actions can include anything from ‘working with certain chemicals’ to ‘entering certain areas’

For dangerous missions, which can involve anything from “working with certain chemicals” to entering “certain areas,” sailors are charged a “penalty rate.”

A penalty rate is a payment intended to compensate sailors for working in dangerous conditions. Franta explained that sailors work at a daily rate instead of an hourly rate, and they can earn overtime during their voyage.

When Franta consulted some of his documents, he said that his daily rate for a ship he had recently worked on was just ‘OK’.

But the sailor was able to supplement his meager daily rate with overtime and a fine.

“For the 250 hours I worked, I earned $5,600 in overtime,” Franta said.

He looked at another paycheck from his time working on a grain ship.

“I made $18,000 before taxes on that ship, so I still have to pay taxes, and that doesn’t include vacation pay.”

He added a caveat: “But that $18,000 I made…someone could jump on that ship a month after me and make a completely different amount.”

To make it as a sailor, Franta says a love for the lifestyle is essential. Franta’s YouTube channel, which has 121,000 subscribers, gives fans a glimpse into the lives of sailors

Later in the video, Franta said that the 130-day trip he had just completed was “actually the most money” he had made “in a long time working on a ship.”

“Before taxes I earned $41,000 and that doesn’t include vacation pay.”

Towards the end of the video, Franta warned viewers not to become a sailor simply to earn a paycheck.

Franta said a love for the sailor lifestyle is crucial for anyone wanting to make it in the industry. Without that love, sailors are likely to become “distressed and salty” during their journey, hundreds of miles offshore.

“Come over here because you want to come over here. Because you want to sail. Not for the money.’