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  #21  
Old 07-07-2013, 10:10 PM
Joey Dah Fish's Avatar
Joey Dah Fish Joey Dah Fish is offline
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Default Re: Why do we tip the mates?

Bullet well said. One counter point though. Do you think the boat would have sailed at all to take you fishing with out the mates. Is it the mates fault that the captains decide to determine his or her salary by under paying and making them dependent on tips. Is it the mates fault if the captain doesn't find fish?
  #22  
Old 07-07-2013, 10:26 PM
bulletbob bulletbob is offline
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Default Re: Why do we tip the mates?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joey Dah Fish
Bullet well said. One counter point though. Do you think the boat would have sailed at all to take you fishing with out the mates. Is it the mates fault that the captains decide to determine his or her salary by under paying and making them dependent on tips. Is it the mates fault if the captain doesn't find fish?
No, if the boat doesn't catch fish, they simply aren't biting.. The captains know where the fish are.. The only excepe\tion is when they simply aren't where they normally should be, such as bluefish this year.. Its the fault of the conditions that particular day, if the fishing is bad.

I can't say why a mates salaries are low.. However, I can remember years ago, some mates stayed with certain captains for YEARS, had homes and families etc.. They probably did ok, otherwise why stay in the business?
As far as sailing without the mates, of course, the captain needs them to sail.. However, my question remains.. Do I tip the mate just for showing up for his job??.. Even if he never comes in contact with me at all on any given day?... That happens a lot. Thats my point.. I am not sure I am obligated to tip... Lets put it this way.. If you went for pizza, but brought it out to the car yourself , should you tip the waitress thats serving others at tables??.. Yes they work there, they work for tips, and should be tipped for good service,, However you did NOT utilize her service that day.. Next time you might if you sit down to eat... Thats my take on it.. Tips should be a reward for services rendered.. If no services are forthcoming however, am I still obligated???. bob
  #23  
Old 07-07-2013, 10:36 PM
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reason162 reason162 is offline
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Default Re: Why do we tip the mates?

Quote:
Originally Posted by bulletbob
Just playing devils advocate here..
So you clean your own fish and untangle your own lines, that's great. They will happily do it for you, but it's a free country. Do you prep the boat to sail in the morning? Do you clean the boat after you're done fishing? Do you help with anchoring and docking?

And I'm just curious: when you go bottom fishing, on those trips where you purportedly have zero contact with the mates...do you tip nothing as you step off the boat?

The problem is you think any amount of tip is solely for "good service." That might be true beyond the 20%, but that 20% ought be thought of as part of their wage, not a "bonus" for exceptional service. That's the reality of the system, same is true in the food biz. Minimum wage does not apply to servers/waiters, and I suspect not to mates on a party boat either. The correct way to frame this in your mind is thus: tack on the 20% to your fare, and just pretend it's part of the fare. Unless something egregious happens on the water, you are responsible for your portion of their wages.
  #24  
Old 07-07-2013, 10:58 PM
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Default Re: Why do we tip the mates?

I (and the guys I go with) generally tip 20% of the fare, if for some reason we are needier than usual than we give more, but we're pretty self sufficient and think the mates should concentrate on those who need help more than us (getting tangles out/fish off hooks etc...). I've never won a really big pool..but the last one I did I wound up splitting with the mates, just kept enough so that my day of fishing was free.

One issue I always had is WHO to tip. It's often my experience that one guy is working the deck where I'm fishing and another guy the other part of the boat (I usually get there early enough for a stern spot), but when it comes to cleaning the fish they are splitting the work, or the other guy does most of the cleaning.....If the mates pool tips at the end no problem, but I sometimes I feel that one guy of the two may be getting stiffed.
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  #25  
Old 07-07-2013, 11:21 PM
Cuz Cuz is offline
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Default Re: Why do we tip the mates?

I try to make the mates day easier by handling my own fish and tangles. I tell them to cater to the greenhorns where they are needed.
Last week I saw a pool winner of $45.00 give the mate $3.00. I had to bite my lip really hard. But I could tell he wasn't a fisherman. How do you get through to someone who doesn't understand the business. He was out with a friend for a fun day. He'll probably won't be back very soon.
Some boats post a 20% tip is fair. They should all do that.
When I mated on Captain Joe Vasallo's boat, Captain Joe, out of Belmar many moons ago, I use to bring a big straw hat and walk it around at the end of the trip. This way I reminded people they forgot to tip the mate. Even the cheap skates were shamed into giving me a couple of dollars. Maybe passing the hat around could solve, if not help, the tip issues. Sounds like a winner to me. Can't count on peoples memory to tip.
  #26  
Old 07-08-2013, 12:41 AM
bulletbob bulletbob is offline
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Default Re: Why do we tip the mates?

So if a boat has 50 people on board, and the fare is $75 and everyone tips 20%, 2 mates get to split $900 for the day???.. Lots of bread there... I have to work 3 weeks to bring that much money home...
Ridiculous scenario I know....

I am glad there are so many guys that can afford to pay $65 and up for a boat fare, plus a $15 and up tip for a mate that fishes the entire trip[again, not all, but still a lot of them], not to mention tackle, gas, to and from, tolls, etc.. I personally am not in that position.. Should I NOT go on a head boat, because I don't feel I need to tip the mate simply because he's there?. I have in the past and will in the future tip the mates, and have and will share pools with them if I ever win another. However, I feel no obligation to do so.. If they have no contact with me, never say a word other than "hey guys" as we walk aboard, and they fish most of the day leaving customers to cut their own bait, I will probably not tip.. If they provide reasonable service, sure, why not?
I can't recall the last time I saw a mate help a struggling newbie on a boat catch a few fish... I have seen it in the past, yes, but its more and more rare today.
For some reason,most of the mates I see these days are very young as well. I just don't see the seasoned vets like I did years back.

On one trip the kid was telling the customers that the previous day's stinkin' rotten bleached out white clam snot he was passing out was every bit as good as fresh shucked clams.. NO difference at all!.. Everyone knew better, and went and got their own clams and shucked and cut them themselves, me included.. Maybe he was under captains orders to use the rotten shit up first, but the paying customers didn't like it, and let him know.. Good tips should follow good service, thats all i am saying.. It would be great if everyone got top pay for substandard or lackluster work performance, but thats simply not the real world.. I have to have a good attitude, and provide my best effort every day at work to earn my meager salary, and go the extra mile daily to gain the respect of those I serve as well as those that employ me.. Sorry guys, but I don't see it on all the head boats.
Might be just me, but it seems a few of the captains care more about cheap help as opposed to seriously good help.. Just my take on it, flame away if you'd like.. Good tips for good service is what the mates should be thinking, Not expecting good tips simply because they work on a head boat.

Put down the rod, and ask the guys if they want some fresh bait, and keep an eye on the obvious beginners, and show them the ropes. A smile and some real, honest friendliness goes a long way toward winning customers hearts and minds as well. Thats what gets the borderline cheapskates to open their wallets.
Not fishing much of the trip, and only working when the boat is underway, or anchoring. bob

Last edited by bulletbob; 07-08-2013 at 12:45 AM..
  #27  
Old 07-08-2013, 07:01 AM
fishguy fishguy is offline
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Default Re: Why do we tip the mates?

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.
  #28  
Old 07-08-2013, 07:27 AM
tombanjo tombanjo is offline
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Default Re: Why do we tip the mates?

Quote:
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.
Thought Bob's reply was well thought out and covered the bases vis a vis good and bad mating. Don't know how you consider it being cheap. I'll use the restaurant analogy so many others here have used Fishguy. If you can't find your server for long periods of time, like when you want to return a dish or need to order more and their service ends up giving your meal a bad taste, do you still automatically tip them 20% or more? I don't think so.

Somebody brought up a scenario where a big crowd might end up giving a large amount in tips at the end of the day. Some restuarants have been known to take a cut of that, do salaried captains do the same? I've heard complaints about a % of fish money having to be kicked upstairs.
  #29  
Old 07-08-2013, 07:41 AM
fishguy fishguy is offline
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Default Re: Why do we tip the mates?

Quote:
Originally Posted by tombanjo
Thought Bob's reply was well thought out and covered the bases vis a vis good and bad mating. Don't know how you consider it being cheap. I'll use the restaurant analogy so many others here have used Fishguy. If you can't find your server for long periods of time, like when you want to return a dish or need to order more and their service ends up giving your meal a bad taste, do you still automatically tip them 20% or more? I don't think so.

Somebody brought up a scenario where a big crowd might end up giving a large amount in tips at the end of the day. Some restuarants have been known to take a cut of that, do salaried captains do the same? I've heard complaints about a % of fish money having to be kicked upstairs.
I'll throw the restaurant analogy right back at you. You go to a restaurant and the food is good but the service is terrible. (good fishing, bad mate) Then I tip less. Conversely, if the food is terrible and the service is good (bad fishing, good mate) I will tip well, like always. If the food and service are bad then I don't go back to that restaurant. (This is where the analogy gets dicey because comparing bad food to bad fishing doesn't really add up. There are so may reasons out of a Captains control that could make fishing poor)

I'm saying it sounds like bullet keeps going back to a restaurant with good food and bad service so he can justify not tipping.

As for a Captain dipping into the mates tips, that is simply outrageous.

Last edited by fishguy; 07-08-2013 at 07:48 AM..
  #30  
Old 07-08-2013, 08:46 AM
Flukenstein Flukenstein is offline
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Default Re: Why do we tip the mates?

The restaurant analogy is only good up to a point. The waiters don't put in hours of prep time before you arrive and clean up time after you leave. They don't wash the dishes and silver ware. They don't set the table. If you sit in a diner for breakfast how much extra attention do you need from from a waitress? We are all "self sufficient " eaters. I guess Bob doesn't tip in that case because the only service he got was when the server delivered the food. Bob, it sounds like you are fishing on a boat (or boats) with crappy mates who don't do much of anything. Try fishing with some polished professionals and you'll see a big difference. I would not be a regular where the service is as bad as you get. Also, you might notice better service if you were a better tipper. Why would a mate give you a lot of attention when he knows he'll be getting a paltry tip if any at all. There are other fishermen who are self sufficient AND good tippers.
 


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