Why do we tip the mates?

[reason162]

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.