Why do we tip the mates?

[RussA]

Originally Posted by AJFISH13

1/4 to 1/3 of the pool is customary but 20 is fine. Trust me when fishing is slow this business is tough.

The pool money is not owed to the mates, none of it, zip, Nada.

I worked on a boat for years and I never counted on pool money just the services I gave for my tips.

When I worked deck the pay was $50 a day and this was 15 years ago, so I will assume that the rate of pay is around $50-$80 a day depending if you are first, second or greenhorn. I am talking about party boats here, not charter.

I made 150-200 a day on average and summer weekends we would rack up we had $400 days.

Now I tip 30% ($20) and the pool I give what I feel I want to. I fish a lot so pool money gets used for me to go fishing again, and that means with that extra fare a mate can work deck some times and that boat stays in business.

You think you are entitled to anything and you will be sadly mistaken... Good Luck

[AJFISH13]

All true but do you really need that 300 dollars??? What about the tourist who wins the pool and tips nada do you really need all that money??? 20 is perfectly fine but a decent amount after helping them out all day is greatly appreciated. No its not entitled to us neither is a 15-20 percent tip its just appreciated. Thats all and if you use that pool money to fish on that boat again more power to ya but we always appreciate getting something out of it.

[Ol Pedro]

I don't depend on the pool as a big source of my income either . I would rather it be a pleasant surprise than expect a red cent from it . Some customers get a little funny when money's involved . Sometimes the hassles are not worth the trouble we go through . I would rather be cutting Bluefish/scrubbing down than sorting through every tote to find a winner . When I get to fish I don't get in the pool very often . When I do and I win the crew gets it all .

[Honger]

caught a big fish once and was probably leading the pool. One of the mate kept asking me "have you ever won pool before?" more than once during the rest of the trip. I guess i looked like a newb since I didnt have a bib on a winter trip and he wanted to make sure he got good chunk of the pool.

Pool ended up being $300, there were 2 mates so I gave one $80, and the other $80 in plain sight of both of them. The dude that kept asking me the question seemed pissed and actually told me he needs more. I was like WTF, threw him $20 more and never went back to that sponsor boat.

He was probably one in a few but there are times when some of them push the envelope. Ive also seen a mate go around with a jar at end of trips collecting tips. That made me not go on that boat again too.

[PocketFisherman]

If mates are only being paid 50 - 80 dollars for 12 hour days then the owners of these boat (collectively and through culture) have made the patron a scapegoat for not paying their employees a wage consistent with the work performed.

Doesn't NJ have a minimum wage? How do boats work around the fair labor and standards act? Overtime and the such?


That said - don't be cheap, good mates work hard and can make or break how enjoyable your trip is.

[Taxman]

Change the structure, raise the fare to cover the mates.

This will not happen because there will always be that one captain that will tell his mates that they will keep the lower price and make it up on volume

Mandatory tipping???? Really? Tips should be for good service, not just showing up

It is a pool, not a 50/50. If you want the mates to get half, make it a 50/50. How many people have complained that they thought the boat was skimming pool money from the top of the pool?

I tip well when treated well. I have tipped up front to have and have the mate disappear instead of helping with my daughter like I told him I was tipping him for.

You get what to pay for, you should not be obligated to pay for what you dont

[RussA]

Originally Posted by AJFISH13

All true but do you really need that 300 dollars??? What about the tourist who wins the pool and tips nada do you really need all that money??? 20 is perfectly fine but a decent amount after helping them out all day is greatly appreciated. No its not entitled to us neither is a 15-20 percent tip its just appreciated. Thats all and if you use that pool money to fish on that boat again more power to ya but we always appreciate getting something out of it.

Yes I really do need the $300. I made a calculated gamble and won, so yes i want the money.

Let's say you go to AC and win when playing black jack, and you win $500, are you going to give the dealer 30%-50% of your winnings for dealing your cards so they can then split it with the waitress who brought you drinks all night?

Yeah I think not... It's the same thing. Both of them are working their asses off too.

[Flukenstein]

"Change the structure. Raise the rates." Why am I not surprised that this is proposed by "Taxman"? If a captain raises the rate 15 - 20% this will likely reduce the number of fares who show up at all. Who does this benefit?

[Flukenstein]

Originally Posted by Flukenstein

"Change the structure. Raise the rates." Why am I not surprised that this is proposed by "Taxman"? If a captain raises the rate 15 - 20% this will likely reduce the number of fares who show up at all. Who does this benefit?

Nobody has proposed "mandatory tipping". Just asking people to remember all the work that is done before and after the actual fishing. The cleaning of the boat, the maintenance of the rods and reels, the tying of the rigs, the stocking of the galley, the help in loading and unloading coolers and bags and much more. I think this should be considered when deciding on a reasonable tip.

[Taxman]

Originally Posted by Flukenstein

"Change the structure. Raise the rates." Why am I not surprised that this is proposed by "Taxman"? If a captain raises the rate 15 - 20% this will likely reduce the number of fares who show up at all. Who does this benefit?

I make my living helping people keep their money instead of paying taxes. I firmly believe if you work hard, you should keep your money to do what you want, not give it away for others to spend

You have pages of posts saying how everybody should tip no matter what because the mates need to make a living, all I am saying is pay them from the fare so they dont have to depend on the customer to pay them