Charter Boat Etiquette

[REEL EXCITED]

On 6/12/2013 at 1:22 PM, GAMBLER said:

99% of the captains and mates work thier butts off to put fish in the boat for clients.  Most mates do not make much $ for the job they do either.  I would tip the mate and the captain $50.00 each minimum. 

I hear the new standard is as a restaurant tip of 20%.

[REEL EXCITED]

On 7/3/2013 at 1:28 PM, screamin_reelz said:

As a mate I would say tip according to service.  Just remember its fishing.  If you see us changing rods consistently but the fish are not biting we are still doing our job.  I know when i go to dinner i give a generous tip if my service is great.  We remember good clients but always remember the bad ones...  And as per pay, many of us are paid min wage. we ALL work for our tip.  Don't forget to ask too if the tip is being split with the Capt.  That was the mate is not being f$%$ over.  

Exactly. Do the clients as a mate,

realize we have to go through drug and alcohol random testing??? 

[REEL EXCITED]

On 6/12/2013 at 1:15 PM, EsoxHunter said:

Going out on a charter for the first time on Lake Ontario.  What is standard for tips for the Captian and the First Mate?  What if there is only a Captian and no mate? 

 

I have heard that you tip the mate and not the Captain, but just want to make sure that we are doing right by the Charter, especially if they are friendly and put us on some fish. 

 

Thanks

Just like a restaurant. Hopefully 20%. It's up to the Captain to split accordingly. Most times, the Captain is only as good as his mate!

[rolmops]

Apart from this thread being 12 years old, I have a problem with tipping period. Please give me the price for the trip that includes a living wage for the mate.  Tips are mostly a way for the company to not have to pay a living wage to its workers. Besides, tips go mostly undeclared. which means no taxes paid, but more importantly no social security taxes paid , which comes around to bite the mate in the rear as he reaches the age where he is eligible for social security.

[Fishy]

Not to ruffle any feathers,if the trip is going to be (x) amount of money.  Then post the price with all of the extras   

[zach]

We've had tips as large as the charter while other have proudly tipped $20.

The $20 tip came from a grandpa after full limits for his family and grandkids from Arizona. Smiles all around, 4 people got their 1st kings and one of our best fish catching evenings ever.

You never know what you'll get- all you can do is smile, treat people well and realize your a lucky person for not punching a clock in an office. 

One of our neighbors has those signs saying, "tip your captain bc its a long swim to shore".

To me- sweating in the sun, switching out dead lures, good conversations, some jokes, showing em how things work with some good fillets do the same thing as any sign ever could without being awkward. Clients know who gives em their all and are usually appreciative bc for many- its their 1 day vacation from life. 

Edited May 15, 2025 by zach

[HB2]

Tipping in general to me has kind of gotten out of hand . I worked in the restaurant business for years . I feel service workers should get tips . Waitress  , floor workers , not cooks or managers . And that should depend on their level of service . But it seems everyone feels they deserve a tip .Even garbage men .   As a business owner , interior carpenter contractor , I've received tips , but I don't expect it. I charge what I think I should get . I personally go above and beyond to bolster my reputation and get more word of mouth business . 

 

Mates have always traditionally been tipped . But the Captain / boat owner expecting one also ? IMO no . And having the long swim to shore sign ? A little arrogant to me . I might hand him 5$  , point out that fact , and never set foot on that boat again and tell my friends and everyone else . 

If you expect more money , charge more . 

 

 

[fisherdude]

That makes total sense to me HB2.

I was looking at charter cost for 1 to 4 people say on the average $1,000 for 4 hours half day plus 15 % for the mate . For 4 people be around 350 $ a person plus drinks subs and gas to get to the lake . Sounds like enough coin to go fishing . But I own a boat and the kicker burns 5 bucks for 4 hour trip plus truck gas main gas for boat 30 bucks total and a bottle of water. Being old state launches are free Monday through Friday. 

Edited May 15, 2025 by fisherdude
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[GAMBLER]

2 hours ago, fisherdude said:

That makes total sense to me HB2.

I was looking at charter cost for 1 to 4 people say on the average $1,000 for 4 hours half day plus 15 % for the mate . For 4 people be around 350 $ a person plus drinks subs and gas to get to the lake . Sounds like enough coin to go fishing . But I own a boat and the kicker burns 5 bucks for 4 hour trip plus truck gas main gas for boat 30 bucks total and a bottle of water. Being old state launches are free Monday through Friday. 

After expenses, time, gear, a big enough boat, maintenance, ect. captains do not make a lot of money.  It's hard work and not a ton of monetary reward.  I don't know of a charter captain that charges $1,000 for a 4 hour trip on Lake Ontario for 1-4 people.   Price out a 27' or bigger boat, calculate the payment, get an insurance quote, figure out the cost of ALL of the gear, price out fuel for 120 trips a year, calculate paying slip and storage fees, calculate your time, paying a mate, paying for healthcare, retirement, and calculate maintenance costs,  Tell me if you would be happy with the wage you are making.  I have sat down and looked at these figures as a part time job.  I chose to build tackle instead of chartering.  It is not worth it unless you charge what these guys are charging and do a lot of trips a year.  I give the fulltime captains and serious parttime captains a lot of credit.  There are easier ways to make money, yet they choose to continue to charter.  They constantly have to compete with hack captains that under cut their prices and give clients a crappy time on the water.  It's easy to sit and judge when we are weekend warriors that run smaller boats with kickers or small outboards, but in reality, it shows that we don't have a clue what it costs to run a SUCCESSFUL and PROFITABLE charter business.  

[fisherdude]

What are the rates for 4 people for half day i said on the average of 1000 I thought I looked it up different Charters some were lower the others were around 900 however you cut it it's expensive to go on a Charter and I do only would want to tip the mate. I go to dinner I tip the waitress not the restaurant owner

Edited May 15, 2025 by fisherdude
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[HB2]

18 minutes ago, fisherdude said:

What are the rates for 4 people for half day i said on the average of 1000 I thought I looked it up different Charters some were lower the others were around 900 however you cut it it's expensive to go on a Charter and I do only would want to tip

 

[Bozeman Bob]

A decade plus two years years later , jeesh ,talk about a old post .

Edited May 15, 2025 by Bozeman Bob

[HB2]

Running a charter business is just that ,a business. And to stay in business , you need to run it well, by keeping expenses low as possible , being efficient , and doing good work to have satisfied customers for return and new business . You need to charge enough to cover all that and turn a profit . If not you will be out of business soon . Before a huge outlay of cash is made , you better be damn sure the business is viable. 

 

I have people undercut my prices all the time but my clients use me because of the value I bring . 

 

I'm sure Yankee has no problem booking trips because of his reputation . 

 

if you want to tip , that's great . But you should not be obligated to do so. 

[GAMBLER]

6 hours ago, fisherdude said:

What are the rates for 4 people for half day i said on the average of 1000 I thought I looked it up different Charters some were lower the others were around 900 however you cut it it's expensive to go on a Charter and I do only would want to tip the mate. I go to dinner I tip the waitress not the restaurant owner

You’re a little high.  6 people, 4 hrs is 900 ish for most reputable captains.  4 people is around 600ish.  Go to Florida and they get $1000 +.   

[tedc54]

If a group of four can't afford $25 a man to tip the mate $100, then you can't afford a charter.

[fisherdude]

3 hours ago, tedc54 said:

If a group of four can't afford $25 a man to tip the mate $100, then you can't afford a charter.

I agree to that 100%, long as it goes to the mate.  

[Gator]

I can't imagine not tipping, particularly for good service  - guides and carpet installers alike. I've fished a bunch in places where the tip was larger than the cost of the trip, simply because of the economics of the situation. It feels good to give folks who bust a$$ something extra for their effort. 

 

That having been said, the only time I didn't tip was on a party boat out of LA Sport Fishing Harbor. We fished the Catalina islands, and I caught a drum in the first hour that ended up winning the pool. The kicker was that the boat got hung up on something on the bottom, and we couldn't fish for four out of those six hours as the captain maneuvered trying to get free. Except that as it turned out, we were hung on an old Navy anchor, and we could have gotten free anytime, but the price of salvage convinced the captain to attempt to recover the anchor. We were offered a "free" trip as compensation, but of course I was gone the next day. So the trip was no bueno.

 

It gets better. On the ride in, the mate gave me my pool winnings, and it was significantly less than I'd expected, so I queried the sports onboard as to how many had entered. Well, virtually everybody got in. So I asked the captain whether the pool got split with the boat. No. Hence, when it came time to tip the mate, all things considered, I told him that what he'd skimmed off the pool should suffice as a tip. The guy just turned away and didn't say a word. 

 

I've had some poor outings over the years, but never another where I felt obliged not to tip.