spraynet 1

A friend of my brides asked her to ask me about tipping for a charter trip there taking soon. He knows I had a boat so I guess he thinks I've been out on a charter before, which I haven't so zero clue on what to tell him. I told him I would get him an answer though.
Guess his charter will be running him $1200 and there's one mate and one captain. He's taking his family, that is where he is confused. He told my bride that he's been on many before but only with 5 other guys who have each chipped in, now it's all on him.

Whats a customary tip in this circumstance he wants to know?

Thanks all.

Offshoreaddicted

If it is just him and wife 50.00 to 100.00 bucks. I should have been more clear I meant per person but this is dependent on what kind of performance the mate provides.

mrmooch1

HUH? How is does the number of people going impact the tip? This is how they make their livelihood. 15% is standard, but 20% is usually more appropriate IMO. If it's a $1200 charter I'd say min tip of $200 if they do a good job. If you can afford to drop $1200 of a charter, who should be able to afford a decent tip for the mate.

TorFed

Based on treatment/effort of course, but for a good trip 25%. Never less than 10%

MarlinBohner

Running charters is a customer service industry same as serving tables. 20% is customary.

Marlin308

A former member Rventura would say only a cheapskate tips less than 50%. But he was a douchebag and isn’t here anymore so I’ll go with the standard 20% for good service.

Jay_Rod

^^^^^^Exactly! Regardless of how the food at a restaurant turns out, if the server is busting their but and keeping my family/friends glasses full and checking on us throughout the meal, then she/he will get a minimum 20%. Same goes for charters. Captain and crew need to remember that this is an experience for the guests. Especially those that may have never fished before or seldom go out on the water. If they succeed and provide you and your group a great experience, then they should be rewarded appropriately. I’d say $200-$250 for your specific charter.

Snow Shovel

20%. If the mate busts his ass, throw in more money. If he is a no load and the trip sucks, never use them again.

Driftwood386

As a Charter Captain myself I will just say that 20% is standard. The 8hrs or more you are fishing is the show, you didn’t see the 2 days of prep catching bait, rigging, making sure equipment isn’t going to fail, etc. 8hrs of fishing = 24hrs of prep.
Sometimes of those days when the fish box doesn’t look all that great (not enough meat for your standards), those are the days that the great Captains and Mates are working their hardest, some people don’t understand this!

spraynet 1

Perfect, thank you all very much!

I'll relay the minimum 20% tip, but also tell him to bump it up from there if service is really good.

meritmat

25ish. The captains remember. There going to do everything in there power to put you on fish

HookMeUpII

20% minimum tip for the mate. Higher if he really goes above and beyond.

popeyeiii

Amazing responses from a group that can;t manage "there, their, and they're".

Did this for 12 years and got some nice ones and some real stiffs. 20% is pretty high. I never got much more than a c note for a $600 trip. So $200 seems fair if they did a good job. Maybe a little more of they busted their asses and cleaned your fish, less if they sucked. Just please don't judge the tip by the number of fish you catch.... I've actually made my best tips on the days with the worse fishing.

I only stiffed the tip one time and that was on a head boat where the mate decided he was going to fish for himself and literally told everyone else to F-off and tag their own fish.

doctor_ake

20%

Smoothwater

I’ve always had the question do you split the tip between the captain and mate? I usually tip 30% or more. I’ve always had good trips.

I usually split between the them.

20biminitwist

Hard call on the split. My mate and I split the tip as we work as a team due to a lot of bottom fishing I am in the pit most of the day.

I also pay my mate 100 bucks a day and would say we average 20% on a 1200 trip. There is a lot more to it in the grand scheme. The mate and I prep the boat and entertain the customers all day. At the dock he starts cleaning the boat while I clean the fish and help the customers gather their belongings.
It's not a one shoe fits all when it comes to tipping...If asked I explain to the customers our arrangement. I think they appreciate knowing what's going on.

Creekwood

I am always confused by this too. The Captain owns the boat, the mate does a lot of the hard work. Both contribute to the success of a day on the water. Should I be deciding who gets what or just give the total tip to the captain and ask him to split it with the mate?

EdwardB

The few times I've chartered, I made sure I caught the capt and the mate together and said: "Great trip fellas - here's something to show our appreciation on a job well done - you guys firgure out how to divy it up..."

Unga Bunga

I don't do many charters but do fish head boats often enough . 20 percent or better and the mates remember you .

popeyeiii

Trust that they have a system. Pay the captain and he will pay the mate. Sometimes the mates come around with their hat in their hands.

I just wish most of you guys were my customers.