Why do we tip the mates?

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by fishguy

That's a long and thought out reply, bullet. You are cheap. Only someone trying to assuage his own guilt about being cheap would put all that effort into a reply such as yours. It sounds like the mates on the party boats you frequent are EXACTLY the kind of mates you like. They don't need to take care of you as you are self-sufficient so you can justify being a lousy tipper.

You can think I'm cheap, thats fine, and I really have no guilt feelings to justify.
I like to explain myself as best I am able, and am not a guy that provides one line answers to complex issues.. At my age, I have plenty of time on my hands.

The fact remains. If you wish to be well rewarded, take the level of effort up a notch or three. That goes for any endeavor in this life , from brain surgery to shining shoes.

Maybe I am "out of the loop" and times have changed.. Perhaps it is proper etiquette in the modern age to tip well in any "tips accepted " , venue, even if you have received no service at all.

That simply goes against my nature..

I simply feel one needs to put forth ones best effort always if expecting a customer to generously grease the palm at days end.
Lackluster effort?? Its the customers call .
Again, perhaps its a trend, but I see mostly young kids working the boats these days. I see a pretty poor work ethic compared to years ago.
I don't go 2-3-4 times a week like some regulars here, so of course I don't get to see every mate on every boat.. If I get on a head boat 3-4 times a year these days I am lucky, so I readily admit, there is an awful lot I DON'T see.

Another thing I have considered is this.. I am always an outsider. I don't know the mates, and they don't know me.
These kids might be a lot more forthcoming to regulars they see often and know they can expect a good tip for good service. Perfectly understandable.. In any case, think of me as a cheapskate if you'd like, thats fine, regardless, I have enjoyed the debate... bob

[Ol Pedro]

It's all about service . When a crew always tries to do the right thing regardless of if they get a tip or not in the end it always works out. If I didn't do a good job please tell me . If I didn't earn it then don't give it to me . I pray that I never get jaded and come to expect a tip . I have never stiffed a crew in my life but when they didn't do their jobs I let them know about it and stopped fishing on their boats . When you have to make most of your money in 4 to 6 months every penny counts . Don't forget that if the Boat doesn't sail the Mates don't get paid . If there only enough for one or two Mates the rest go home or fish .

[DonJose]

I tip the same way I do at a restaurant or anywhere - great service = great tip. Lousy service = lousy tip. However I always DO tip. If you get $5 or $10 from me, ask yourself why. If you get $20 or 15% o 20% (which is higher based on fare) keep doing what you're doing.

If I don't use you much, but you're smiling, say hello, ask me if there's anything I need, etc. then you did what you could to earn it. You'll get a good tip.

Everyone is entitled to a bad day. But just because you show up, don't expect 20%. Earn it & you won't feel bad about reminding people that you work for tips. Sometimes people do forget. Show people you care about them & you'll get tips.

Captains - remind everyone that the guys work for tips. No shame in that ESPECIALLY when they're giving great service.

Remember - good service & customers will recommend you. Bad service & customers will tell everyone to avoid you.

[DonJose]

I tip the same way I do at a restaurant or anywhere - great service = great tip. Lousy service = lousy tip. However I always DO tip. If you get $5 or $10 from me, ask yourself why. If you get $20 or 15% o 20% (which is higher based on fare) keep doing what you're doing.

If I don't use you much, but you're smiling, say hello, ask me if there's anything I need, etc. then you did what you could to earn it. You'll get a good tip.

Everyone is entitled to a bad day. But just because you show up, don't expect 20%. Earn it & you won't feel bad about reminding people that you work for tips. Sometimes people do forget. Show people you care about them & you'll get tips.

Captains - remind everyone that the guys work for tips. No shame in that ESPECIALLY when they're giving great service.

Remember - good service & customers will recommend you. Bad service & customers will tell everyone to avoid you.

[BlueDog]

Question: if I fish on a ling trip and catch 30 ling and have them filleted by the mates and give them 20$, is that good enough or should I give them more as I step off the boat? My tip usually depends on how many fish I (we) catch , if we have say 50 Seabass to fillet , it's usually 50-60 bucks. But it's always a minimum of 20$ even if there's no fish to fillet.
Art

[jswany04]

When on a boat that has 4 mates how does one go about tipping each one? At 20% of the fare for each one is expensive.

[Skolmann]

Originally Posted by jswany04

When on a boat that has 4 mates how does one go about tipping each one? At 20% of the fare for each one is expensive.

My son just started mating oi a boat out of Belmar this summer. According to him they divide the tips evenly; if there are 3 mates working that day and the tips add up $300, they each get $100.

[fishguy]

I think tips are divided evenly with the crew.
That 20% is the starting point for your fare and the fish cleaning and quality of service is where the adding or subtracting comes in. If the mate is a jerk, not helpful or absent all day than tip less. If he does a great job and is helpful than add some more to the tip. If you don't catch any keepers that is not the mates fault so don't stiff him.
If you come with a group, like the wife and kids tag along one day or something, the tip should still be based on the fare total for everyone. So many times I've seen a guy with a family and the mate takes care of him all day, untangling backlashes on their rental rods, helping his kids all day, being nice to them etc etc only to get 5 bucks (or less) in the end. The fare total for the group is like $150 or something and they tip 5 stinkin bucks? It should be more like $30.

I know that good tippers get remembered well by the mates as do the bad ones. It's very simple. You get what you pay for.

Don't be Mr. Pink...

[Ol Pedro]

Originally Posted by BlueDog

Question: if I fish on a ling trip and catch 30 ling and have them filleted by the mates and give them 20$, is that good enough or should I give them more as I step off the boat? My tip usually depends on how many fish I (we) catch , if we have say 50 Seabass to fillet , it's usually 50-60 bucks. But it's always a minimum of 20$ even if there's no fish to fillet.
Art

Once is fine but It's up to you , I have no problem taking tips as I'm cutting . You should give how you feel . You can also tell who ever is handling your fish that you will catch him when you are getting off the boat . Sometimes waiting till you get off the boat helps get the tips flowing . Also our hands are clean and we don't get blood all over the money (more than once I have had to explain that it was fish blood on the money at the register )

[PCO]

It seems like a lot of mates would rather hang with the regulars then help the new guy! Once I took my brother on the Prowler for his B-day and gave the mate a tip of $20 as we bordered and never saw him again as he decided to hang with his buddies on the bow! You would think the new customers should get equal or more help! There are some very good mates and boats at the Highlands! The answer is 20% to a "good" mate is right on at the end of the day.