27N · Private Vessel Captain
Private Vessel Captain in Sarasota, FL
27°N provides a licensed captain for your own vessel. The boat stays yours, in your slip, on your terms. A captain arrives at the agreed time, completes a pre-departure check, takes the helm, and returns the vessel clean, secured and fueled as arranged. Nothing leaves the water at any point. There is no trailer, no lift, no haul-out — the boat is run under its own power from its own berth.
Most owners call for one of three reasons. They want to be a guest on their own boat instead of working it. They have a vessel that has outgrown their comfort level in traffic, at the dock, or in a following sea. Or they simply have a day on the calendar where the boat should be used and they cannot be there to use it. All three are ordinary requests, and all three are handled the same way: quietly, on schedule, with no drama.
Cpt. Roman Frapiccini is USCG licensed [LICENSE TBC] and owner-operated. When you book 27N, the person you spoke to on the phone is the person standing at your helm. There is no dispatcher and no rotating roster of contractors.
What's Included
- Pre-departure inspection: fluids, batteries, bilges, steering, throttle and shift response, safety gear, and a walk of the hull above the waterline.
- Route planning appropriate to the vessel, the draft, the tide and the day's weather window.
- Helm duty for the agreed period — day charter of your own vessel, sunset runs, offshore days, ICW transits, or a fishing day where you would rather fish than drive.
- Docking and undocking in your slip and at any stop along the way, including fuel docks and waterfront restaurants.
- Anchoring, mooring and tender handling as required.
- Guest safety briefing before departure when guests are aboard.
- Post-run shutdown: fresh water rinse of the working surfaces, cockpit tidy, canvas and covers set, shore power and lines secured.
- A short written note after each engagement flagging anything that needs a mechanic's attention.
Who It's For
Owners who want to enjoy the day. You bought the boat for the water, not for the docking. A captain aboard means you are with your family and guests the whole time.
Owners of a larger new-to-them vessel. Stepping from a 28-foot center console to a 50-foot flybridge is a real change. A captain aboard bridges that gap, and can hand back the helm progressively as you get comfortable.
Seasonal and absentee owners. If the boat sits from May to November, regular captained runs keep the systems exercised and the fuel moving.
Owners hosting clients or family. A licensed professional at the helm changes the tone of the day, particularly with children or non-boaters aboard.
How It Works
- 01
Call or send the details
Tell us the vessel, its length overall, the marina or slip, the dates you have in mind, and roughly what the day looks like. A phone call usually settles it faster than a form.
- 02
Confirm the day
We confirm scope, timing and rate in writing, and confirm that your insurance carrier accepts a hired licensed captain. You add the captain to the policy where the carrier requires it.
- 03
Meet at your slip
The captain arrives ahead of your departure time, completes the pre-departure check, and has the vessel ready and running when you and your guests step aboard.
Vessel Sizes Handled
Typical engagements run from roughly 24 to 65 feet — center consoles, express cruisers, downeast boats, flybridge motor yachts, catamarans and trawlers, single or twin screw, outboard, inboard, and pod or jet drives.
Larger vessels and unusual configurations are discussed case by case. If a boat is outside what can be run safely and legally by one captain, we say so and help you scope the crew you actually need. We do not take a job to find out whether it fits.
What We Need From You
- Vessel make, model and length overall (LOA).
- Current marina, slip number and gate or dock access instructions.
- Confirmation that your insurance permits a hired captain, and the carrier's requirements for naming one.
- Location of keys, safety equipment, and any system on the boat with a quirk worth knowing about.
- Known mechanical issues, however minor. Nothing on a boat stays minor at sea.
- The dates and departure times, plus any hard return time for guests.
Common Questions
We captain your boat. 27N does not charter or supply vessels. You keep your boat in your slip, and a licensed captain arrives to run it for the day or the week.
Yes. With written authorization from the owner and confirmation that the insurance policy permits a hired captain, the vessel can be run with guests aboard, with crew only, or single-handed for an exercise run.
A week's notice is comfortable for a single day. Holiday weekends and multi-day engagements in season fill early. Short-notice requests are worth a call — schedules shift.
More questions are answered on the FAQ page, or call Cpt. Roman Frapiccini directly at (941) 287-6698.
Put a licensed captain on your boat.
Sarasota, Florida. Everything by water.