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'd been able to accumulate in just five months of work for the Merchant Marines.

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

Franta, whose sailing-themed YouTube channel boasts 121,000 subscribers, told viewers that one of the perks of his careers is that he doesn't have to spend money on groceries or other bills while he is onboard a ship.

But he warned the lifestyles comes with its downfalls, including the fact pay is rarely consistent.

'It's all relative on how it happens at that moment,' he explained. 'One month, a ship could be great. The other month it could be crappy.'

Sailor Joe Franta revealed that in just five months of work with the merchant marines, he made $41,000 before taxes

The YouTube personality makes a living sailing ships through US and International waters. Together with a large crew, Franta helps oversee the maritime trade industry from a private vessel. 

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

Franta works on enormous ships that convey cargo and occasionally passengers. In the video, he clarifies the 'pay scale' for sailors, explaining there is a high degree of fluctuation in salaries.

'I work on a union deep sea vessel usually, so guys who work on inland tugs or guys who work on MSC ships or non-union ships...that's going to be a completely different pay scale,' the sailor explained.

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

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

'Obviously, the steward's assistant doing the dishes isn't going to make the same as the captain,' Franta said.

The next factor  is the type of contract that they have signed. The type of contract available to a sailor hinges on that person's skills and the kind of role they have been delegated on the ship. 

The third factor, which is potentially the most lucrative, concerns the operations that the ship will be conducting.

Depending on the operation's level of danger, the sailor might be able to earn more money. The more hazardous the operation, the more they are paid. 

Franta called being a sailor 'the best job in the world,' but he cautioned his fans against enlisting just to earn a paycheck

If an operation is hazardous, sailors are entitled to a 'penalty rate,' a form of financial compensation that supplements their pay

Hazardous operations could involve anything from 'working with certain chemicals' to 'entering certain spaces'

For perilous missions, which might entail anything from 'working with certain chemicals' to entering 'certain spaces,' sailors are given a 'penalty rate.'

A penalty rate is a payment meant to compensate sailors for working in hazardous conditions. Franta explained that sailors work on a day rate in lieu of an hourly rate, and they are able to earn overtime pay while on their voyage.

Consulting some of his documents, Franta said his daily rate for a ship he'd recently worked on was just 'OK.'

But the sailor was able to supplement his meager daily rate with overtime pay, as well as a penalty rate.

'For the 250 hours I worked, I made $5,600 in overtime,' Franta said. 

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

'On that ship, I made $18,000 before taxes, so I still have taxes that have to come out out and that's not including vacation pay.'

He added a caveat: 'But that 18 grand I made...someone can jump on that ship a month after me and make a completely different amount of money.'

In order to make it as a sailor, Franta said 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 voyage he'd had just done 'was actually the most money' he'd made 'in a long time working on a ship.' 

'Before taxes, I made $41,000 and that doesn't include the vacation pay, too.'

Toward the end of the video, Franta cautioned viewers against becoming sailors simply to earn a paycheck.

Franta said a love for the sailor's lifestyle is critical for anyone hoping to make it in the business.  Without that love, sailors are likely to grow 'upset and salty' while on their voyage, hundreds of miles from the shore.

'Come out here because you want to come out here. Because you want to sail. Not for the money.'