Tipping the Crew

No, just numbers. It pays to remember the lessons taught in the Russian, French, and our own revolutions as well as the others going on today where they are now starting to realize that the heads of state were only a symbol of the cause of their strife. Pay it to the people how produce for you or pay it to security forces to guard you home. Simple math.

those tips must be pretty good in the two marinas I was in today, there was at least 3 diesel Ford 350's with big rims and even bigger tires owned by your fellow Captain's and not to mention the other (numeorus) large pick-ups, not Lexus cars but over 60K for one of them loaded 350's would tell me that life is not all that bad.

There was also a few of the pick-up's and SUV's with the boat name on the side and back, is that a free company car.

One other thing, you would be very surprised if you knew the business owners who had their boats repo'd and yet they kept their business's going, some small and some quite large here in South Florida.

As I recall, Yachting Magazine had an article on tipping for a charter crew. The going rate was between 15% and 20% depending on service, etc. One thing to remember is that the crew is basically 24/7 during the charter time. The clients and guests merely have to enjoy themselves.

Around here there are a ton of fancy cars and houses, and it's easy to be jealous. Don't. Most of those people are financed up to their eyballs and are one illness away from bankruptcy. It's all a show. I think you'll find that most of those toys are leased by the yacht's owners and are written off his taxes. The Repo business is thriving. When I was in the collection business I brought my wife when I went to collect from a guy who'd been bouncing checks all over the Island. In the driveway of his McMansion there sat a Jag. He answered the door dripping in gold chains. And there I was at his door. As I was leaving, the repo man was hooking up the Jag. My wife has never been envious since. I've also thrown some fancy furniture onto the curb, in the rain, with the assistance of the Sherriff.
Businesses today are making more profits than ever. But greed is growing faster than even that can keep up with. A profit margin of 33% used to be considered standard. Now business owners are looking for 50% to 100% and more, and claim to be losing money if they don't reach those goals.

Bunk! Let the CEO who lives in a normal house and drives a Chevy say that and it might sound almost real.

NYCAP123,

I am far from being jealous I was merely pointing out that you seemed obsessed with boat owners, their LEXUS cars and holidays in the med'.

Some of us out there have no car payments, small mortgages and good savings. Hard work, careful spending and not borrowing recklessly are still possible even when running a small business.

15 to 20% tips on a yacht charter are in my opinion way over the top. Just because that person can afford to pay $100,000 for the week charter does that mean he has to pay about a $20,000 tip to the crew. If you are stuck on tips why not look at the wages paid to each crew member per week and give them a tip based on that.

Of course it has but that is no justification for taking those costs out of the pockets of an employee.

Getting back to tipping ...

If a business can't afford to operate without free labor it shouldn't pretend to be in business. The cotton industry came back without slaves and poverty shouldn't be part of a restauraunt employee's job description.

The tax collector has a good pension and healthcare, the insurance business is booming, the so called "health care industry" is growing fatter daily, and the bureaucrats are breeding like rats. Stop feeding those people with the labor of the underemployed and maybe more people could afford to pay a fair price for a meal out once in a while.

Since you'd like to base it on incomes, why not base it on the income of the charterer. Basing it on the charter amount is the only fair method. If you can only afford to spend $100K, then go slumming and only charter an $80K boat so you can afford to take care of those taking care of you. Why should the kid making maybe $20K a year subsidize your extravagant vacation. BTW, the more expensive boat generally translates to a larger boat with a higher level of service. That means that the tip is split amongst more crewmembers.

Hi,

NYCAP- Reality check required.

I seriously doubt that there are any yacht crews working for the minimum wage, yacht wages are often higher than that person would make on shore so to expect 20% of the charter fee is a little out of proportion in my opinion.

If you get it well great but to get all wound up and bent out of shape about it is not the sort of behaviour I would expect to be shown by today's professional crew.

so to go along with what i think is your way of looking at things, could I suggest that instead of you taking a big fat "Captains" salary that you spread the wealth and give everybody on your boat the same salary, yourself included and the next time you go and top off your fuel tanks you tip somebody 20% of that fuel bill and when you buy that cheap 30,000 car you pay the salesman 20% on that one as well.

a larger boat does not always leads to a higher level of service, more crew maybe (probably) but.....

Hi K1W1, he is not bent out of shape, only jealous of those of us who drive Lexus cars and take holidays in the Med.

Actually I drive a GM car and take what holidays I do take here in the USA and prefer it that way.

Who wants to drive tiny cars that cost a mortgage payment to fill with "petrol", watch women with hairy arm pits and who do not shower for a week or worse still sit on a beach with topless girls.

No, a day sitting on the beach drinking cheap beer, tipping the hot waitress 50% or more and not a thought in my head about the poor bar back struggling along on his minimum wage or the guy cleaning up the beach so I can enjoy it again tomorrow after I have used up my coupon for my free breakfast but still tipping the waitress 25% of what the bill should have been and not a thought for that poor cleaner who cleans up behind me.

Life is tough....

Not debating the 20% figure, nor the varying salaries of different jobs either on yachts or on land. I've put a penny under a coffee cup and I've tipped 100%, and I've earned all sorts of salaries. But it's gotten way beyond people earning what they're worth on both ends of the equation. The point is that people deserve to be treated fairly and most of the workers you encounter in life need assistance. When one takes better than average care of you, they deserve to be thanked and shown appreciation. The other point is that, although profits are up, salaries are shrinking, jobs are disappearing and lives are being destroyed. That's a formula for trouble that money can't buy its way out of. There's a moral obligation, but I know there are many with no morals. They need to consider that by pushing the masses into desperation, this will be a very dangerous world. If anyone watches or reads the news on any given day there's no need for me to cite examples. We are creating the world our children and grandchildren will have to live in.

NYCAP123,

I can see what you are trying to write but I do not believe that "most of the workers you encounter in life need assistance". Most of the workers I meet work hard and do not expect anything for nothing.

I think the ones you are refering to appeared in Chicago about 2 1/2 years ago when there was a big celebration going on and the women when asked by the TV reporter "what does this mean to you" and she replied "he is going to buy me a new car" now those "workers" do and still do need assistance.

As for morals, that is not exclusive to poor people, alot of those Lexus drivers you seem to dislike do have morals and do provide alot in charitable contributions even in these times.

And I invite you not to give a gratuity to those who don't need or deserve. But consider that if it's a woman under 40 you're probably dealing with a single mother and sole supporter of her family. If it's a guy under 50 it's probably a divorced dad paying child support if not alimony, and the sole support of his family. If the person knows how to add and speak they probably owe from $30K to $100K in school loans. If they are in a service industry they are not earning a large sallary; middle class at best. And once again the word "all" doesn't enter into any of this exept that, when the S--- hits the fan, all are in danger. I happen to know and work for some very successful people who are very generous, much more than I would expect, and it's very appreciated. I continually search for ways to repay their generosity and caring. And those are the only types that I will work for twice.

but that is the point I am trying to make, who am I to judge if some one deserves a tip or not. If we live in a world that we know the norm is to tip then we tip, would I dream of going anywhere and not tipping. I am the one you see running out to the street when I hear the garbage truck coming up the street at xmas, same as the postmans arrival.

How can we tell one person in the service industry deserves more than the next. I think you are generalizing to much in describing a women under 40 being a single mother etc, does that include girls in their 20's and how about us guys over 50.

anyway we have flogged this one to death so I will be away to make sure my household staff have done their duties before I allow them to go to their quarters.

Please get your history correct. The reason there were revolutions in those countries was because there was no OPPORTUNITY for the average person (non government employee etc) to live at a higher level than other normal people. If you take money from the rich, and make everyone poor including what was once the rich, there is still no opportunity. The reason everyone has wanted to come to America is for the American dream that if you work hard and come up with an idea or business, you too could become successful. Take that away, and there is no America, there is no productivity, and nobody has any money..

Now while you are online learning history. Look at the history of Argentina which was one of the richest Countries in the world until a President that got into power and started giving free healthcare, welfare, free this, free that for the poor people and the rich suffered until they were taxed until they were poor, and the poor lost all incentive and productivity, and that is exactly why it is a 3rd world country now. While you're at it, research Cuba and what happened to their productivity in EVERYTHING, once everyone started making the same wage.......Haiti, research what happened there after they revolted from the French (It too was one of the richest territories and most furtil at one time.)

Now don't get me wrong, I think people that are legitamately disabled and cannot fend for themselves do need government help. But the amount of people on unemployment that turn down job offers because they're beneath them and the corruption in your normal US citizens that are taking advantage of the system is ridiculous. The reason it is so high is because as an employer you have to pay over $13hr to equal the benefits the government is giving people between unemployment, food stamps, free health care etc......so where's the incentive to get a job??>??????

I think it is fair. On a charter you are working twice as hard over most any owner and his guests. Charterers typically burn the candle at both ends and want to do everything they can fit in. A lot of good quality crew will not work on a yacht that does charters, so your employment pool is less. And a lot of charter boats are also getting used by the owner as much as a boat that does not do charters, a lot of times more often because the boats expense is being subsidized by the chartering. So between all this, 90% of the time you're working twice as hard and twice as many hours than your typical private yacht. So, if the crew has done a great job making their vacation an extremely memorable one, then the charterers should reward them. The crew is the only thing in the equation that can make or break their entire vacation.

i guess the weather, location, facilities and the vessel itself has nothing to do with making or breaking the vocation.

You & I have had "discussions" on this subject before and we ended up going no where. my thought is that if you go to Disney land and pay $5,000 for the hotel for a week plus $2,000 for tickets etc you would not pay the valet, door man, bar tender, waiter, park workers 20% of the total $7,000 that it costs you to go there but I would have no problem paying any one of them 20% for the service they provided.

You pick the location, facitilites and the boat prior to starting your Charter or trip. That's already set in stone before the charterer flys to the yacht.

Once there however, a bad crew could make your experience miserable without a doubt. A good crew could go above and beyond and make all of your expectations come true. The owner of the yacht and most likely the charter broker have absolutely no idea what the crew is and isn't doing during that charter. It might take them 6 months to figure out the crew is bad. And since people (and charterers) generally don't go out of their way to give feedback after the charter unless it is really bad, nobody knows. During bad weather the crew can go above and beyond and come up with fun things to do with the charterers, or elect to let them watch movies and do nothing. If a part of the yacht happens to break that is critical, the crew could spend all night fixing the part, or tell the charterers they have to wait for a mechanic to come to the boat the next day or whenever and having the charterers lose a day or two of their vacation. The crew is the biggest variable, and it's commonly known that they are normally tipped at the end of the charter. There is no question about that, it is all over the internet, just as it is known one is expected to tip wait staff in the US. So I feel that either one should honor tipping the crew based upon the industry standard and the level or service they've recieved, or pick a different type of vacation. Just as if you don't want to tip a waitor for dinner, go to Burger King instead or some other self service place.