FS Digest

So I've been on a few charter trips, and I've always tipped 15%ish, my wife is in tourism and says that's excessive $50 for a $300.00 trip. I'd appreciate advice from any with experience working on the boats what is typically expected?

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by thelinein4thewater

D Tong Loc: San Francisco,Ca

I pretty much tip everyone when I’m on vacation if I take a tour I tip the driver if I on a fishing vessel I tip the captain and so on just being polite but that’s just me

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

I tip roughly 20%for good service, wether it's at a restaurant or on a boat. But I tip the mates,not the Captain. I mated on a Charter boat part time, for a couple seasons, and know how much work it is. The Captain already makes 4 or 5 times what the mates make, if not more.

Ivey Loc: South Central Tennessee, Tim's Ford Lake

15% at the least, The tip goes to the first mate and they're the guys taking care of you on the deck.

Joecat Loc: Florida / Rhode Island

20% minimum, it’s a lot of work and a long day mated for over 20 years you earn every penny

fishingmike Loc: Kalispell Montana

I make sure everyone gets a minimum of 20% including the Captain. I found out that the next time you take the boat out, they will go way beyond your expectations.

bapabear Loc: Blaine, Washington

I paid my mate and we split the tips. On a smaller boat, both the captain and the deckhand should work their butts off if any good. As for who makes what depends upon the set up. It is all about who makes what "NET" When I had my own charter, I had boat overhead, insurance, advertising, boat show costs, off season booking, etc. The deck hand had no overhead. and only worked when on the boat. In other cases, the skipper and captain are both on salary from the owner or lodge. The skipper gets more salery, because he has earned a USCG license and he is responsible for what happens on the boat. The deck hands responsibility and skill requirements are far less than the captain, even if the deck hand is personably more capable than the skipper. The buck never stops with the deck hand.
As far as tips or gratuities, I believe that all tips should be for those that work directly with people. On a large head boat, the skipper may never have to leave the pilot house and talk to the public. Why should he get a tip. It is part of his job description to provide a safe clean platform and try to put people on fish. It is the deck hands job to take care of the fishing, bait and gear. That being said, the deck hand that does his job and goes out of the way to make the customers feel like they are special, therefore sending them home smiling and wishing the day would not end, are the ones that should get a good tip. On a six-pack boat, the skipper shares the duties of the deck hand when not driving the boat. They need to both be happy and get along, or tension shows on the boat. On a good charter, the skipper and deckhand work as a team to make the trip special for the clients. As such, they are both going beyond their basic job responsibilities to serve the guests. Thus, they split tips. I do not believe tips should be based on fish caught, but on how hard the crew "tried" to make the trip enjoyable. It is the skippers job to try his best to put people on bites. sometimes the fish just don't bite. Sometimes the people just can't figure things out even with the best of help. I have taken people out and limited on their first 12 bites (2 fish limit) by 9 a.m., 12 fish limit with 14 or15 bites by 5:00, and 4 fish after the end of the day but 40 bites. These can all be great days or miserable days depending on the skipper and crew. Tipping is not for people doing their job, it is for how they do their job.

Actual tip size. A waitress spends about five to eight minutes smiling face to face with a table of six while doing her job of getting the order right and delivering it. Smiling and being friendly is what she is tipped for. The rest is her paid job. The bill with drinks at a nice resturant is $200 or more, so a tip of $40 at 20 percent. A charter crew sends 4 to 8 hours face to face trying to make your trip a pleasure over and above just just baiting hooks and landing your fish. Why do people think 20 percent is appropriate for 8 minutes of service but 20 percent is high for 8 hours of service. Or even 10 percent for that matter. As hard as I try not to, I get a sour taste in my mouth when customers say, what an awesome day but no tip. Even though I know tips are optional. Note: My wife, most of my friends and I give 20 percent to positive waiters and waitresses that make our meal a pleasure. I tip well, but I also usually take a penny cut in half when I go out to dinner just in case it is appropriate.

tbirddude Loc: Wills Point,TX

The baiters always get a good tip or as I tell them a little drinking money.
No percentage but enough to buy a 6 pack or 2. I had one off the
TX coast , my cousin dared him to bite a squid with him for good luck. They both bit a chunk off that squid, the show was well worth the admission. He got a good tip.
Good service, good tip.

cedarirvergirl1

I have been charter fishing for salmon a lot on different boats. The mates just do what you would do if you were fishing by yourself. They prepare the bait, clean your fish or at least bleed them and keep the lines untangled. They are not over worked on many trips. I have only talked with one mate in all the charters I have done. They do not go out of their way to make small talk. They call the customers googans and pukes. I have ears that have taken it all in. All of them. The charter outfit pays them as well. I would tip them 15 % if I felt they were making an effort to serve their customers and make for an enjoyable day on the water. I went twice this year. One of the mates told me that because one person had a fish on they were going to cut my line and several others so they did not get tangled. Even after I told him I had a fish on he cut my line. Then he came back to me and said you did have a fish on as I felt the weight when I grabbed the line. If you enjoy the experience more than I did. The mates and the Captain are not fish natzis then by all means tip them well. It is up to them to make it happen for themselves. It is not our job to make it easy for them if they are just sleep walking through the whole process and are only there for the money. I pay my person that cuts my hair a 50% tip. I pay my food server a 30% tip or more when I deem it special. The fishing industry needs to get their shit together if they want a tip better than the 6% I gave them. I felt like giving them nothing but that is not who I am.





5 I gave the

cedarirvergirl1

You should not judge what a waitress has to do for her wages as it sounds like you only experienced seeing a waitress on a slow day. My daughter and I were waitresses at one time saved our money to better ourselves. The bosses stole 6% of my tips up front which is illegal in this state and which are considered part of my wages. If you complain to L and I your boss cuts your hours or makes your life miserable until you leave. I have got a $20 tip for a table of twenty for dinner. They ran me ragged. That averaged out to a dollar a person for three hours of waiting on them fetching food and drink. I do not think a mate works harder than a waitress any place I worked or my daughter worked.

bapabear Loc: Blaine, Washington

Do not get me wrong. I was a buss boy. I know how much waitresses and waiters work. It is one tough job. I was referring strictly to tips. What waiters get paid in salary and what managers do that is backhanded or even illegal has nothing to do with what I was talking about. Taking tips and making it part of the salary is very wrong as is requiring tips be shared evenly between the staff is wrong. Salary should be a lot higher to compensate for the work done. As a buss boy I got 10 present of the waiters share and did everything the waiters did except take orders. Again, that is wrong, but does not have anything to do with what I posted. If you read all the way through without looking for a reason to get upset, you would see I encourage tipping waiters if they try. Waiters should be tipped even better if the service sucks due to understaffing (that is a managers fault, not the waiters fault). If you see the waiter is giving the extra effort let her know you appreciate it with green backs. Like I originally posted, tipping is about going the extra mile with personal service. It should be a separate isolated item from salary.

bapabear Loc: Blaine, Washington

I do not believe you should have left a tip at all unless you were on a head boat with 50 or 60 people and you could see the deckhands were busting their butts even though short staffed. One of the reasons the head boats cost less is because the crew to guest ratio is so much lower than a six pack charter. As with everything, use common sense and try to look at the situation from all angles