With Sailing finally out in Old School RuneScape and the early-game chaos starting to settle, prices have stabilized and the market has found its rhythm. That means one thing: it’s time to test the most talked-about Sailing money makers, track the numbers, and rank which ones are genuinely worth your time. I spent several hours trying everything-from niche Grand Exchange flips to crafting methods, farming runs, and full Sailing-based skilling loops. Some of these are way stronger than expected, and a few are so simple it feels like cheating. And while many players rush to buy OSRS gold for a shortcut, the methods below show what you can realistically expect to earn on your own right now.

1. Squid Beaks → Rosewood Blowpipes (400k Profit Each)

Requirements: 84 Fletching
Profit: ~350–420k per blowpipe (limited supply)

This method shocked me. You buy a Squid Beak (around 1M GP) and two Rosewood Logs (~5–6k each), use a knife on the logs, and immediately turn the beak into a Rosewood Blowpipe. Blowpipes sell for about 1.39M GP, resulting in roughly 400k profit per craft.

You can’t mass-produce these because beaks buy very slowly and likely have a GE limit, but every single one is pure profit. If you leave buy offers running in the background, you sometimes snag several at once-during my test, five came in, resulting in nearly 2M GP in under five minutes. It’s not an hourly method, but it’s an incredible side hustle.

2. Plank Make with Magic – Ironwood Logs (2.5M GP/hr)

Requirements: 86 Magic, Lunar Diplomacy, Dream Mentor
XP Gain: ~166k Magic XP/hr
Profit: ~2.5M GP/hr

This is the best “active” money maker of the tests. Using the Plank Make spell on Ironwood Logs results in rapid, consistent profit due to massive demand from Sailing construction.

I tested 100 logs in 3 minutes 20 seconds and pocketed 139k profit, which scales to 2.51M per hour. Camel logs also work (1.7–1.9M/hr), but Ironwood outperforms them significantly. Higher-tier logs were tested as well and were not profitable.

If you want elite Magic XP and reliable income, this is currently one of the strongest methods in the game.

3. Lead Ore → Superheated Lead Bars (1.5M GP/hr)

Requirements: 25 Mining, 25 Smithing (for mining/smelting), Superheat Item spell
Profit: ~1.49M GP/hr

Shockingly good for such low requirements. You simply mine lead ore in the new Sailing areas and Superheat it immediately for boosted value. The bars sell instantly due to heavy demand.

In a 10-minute test, I earned 240.9k profit, scaling to 1.49M per hour, and this was at only level 25 Mining and Smithing. Without Superheat, the rate drops slightly, but it still remains above 1M/hr-one of the best low-level moneymakers the game has ever seen.

4. Hemp Farming + Processing (200–400k Profit Every Hour for 5 Minutes of Work)

Requirements: 37 Farming and basic travel teleports
Profit: ~226k per run (5–8 minutes)
Hourly profit: ~2M+ if repeated throughout the day

This method is absurdly efficient because the farming time doesn’t count toward your “active” time. You plant hemp in four patches (Entrana, Feldip, Yanille, and Alderin), spend about 5 minutes total, then return an hour later to harvest around 50 hemp.

Turning that hemp into canvas bolts (via spinning and looming) increases the profit to about 226k per run. If you repeat it 8–10 times a day, that’s easily 2M+ GP for under an hour of “real” gameplay.

5. Cotton vs. Hemp Processing (2.8M GP/hr Winner)

Requirements:

· Hemp canvas: 39 Crafting

· Cotton canvas: 73 Crafting

Many players process hemp into yarn, but cotton embarrasses it in raw profit. From testing:

· Hemp yarn: 1.77M GP/hr

· Cotton canvas: 2.84M GP/hr

Cotton takes slightly longer due to an extra step, but it nearly doubles the earnings. If you have 73 Crafting, this is one of the best consistent money makers available right now.

6. Salvaging Large Shipwrecks (150k/hr early, improves later)

Requirements: 53 Sailing
Profit: ~150k/hr at level 53
XP: ~25k Sailing XP/hr (fully AFK)

This isn’t great early on-only around 150k per hour-but it becomes worthwhile at higher Sailing levels when the salvage tables improve dramatically. It’s fully AFK and still beats dropping items on the ground, especially for Ironmen.

Final Thoughts

Sailing has introduced some of the most profitable skilling methods OSRS has ever seen, and many players still haven’t caught on. Whether you're flipping Squid Beaks, mass-producing Ironwood planks, or passively farming hemp for free hourly profit, there’s genuinely something for every level. And while some players look for shortcuts like cheap OSRS gold, the truth is that these in-game methods are so strong you barely need it.