StormJib said:jboothe said:StormJib said:
One questioned to consider. Are you contracting for a captained boat to drive you from beach bar to beach bar? Or a crewed trip where your meals, drinks, and cleaning are done 24/7 for you? If you are one a boat where cleaning and hospitality is part of the offer you should get on the boat with a minimum of 20 percent of the total cost in cash. Depending on the level and quality of the service a minimum of 10 percent in cash is handed to the captain with your thanks on the last morning. If you and your group are delighted with the effort put forward that number should reach 20 percent of the total bottom line number of the cost paid for the boat and crew. You tip in cash, always to the captain, always on the last day and the minimum number is 10 percent.
So for a 7 day all-inclusive charter where the captain/first mate (husband and wife) owns the boat and the rate is somewhere around $10k-$12k you take $2000 - $2400 cash with you to tip with at the end of the trip?
You can always bring travelers checks? I understand many have some issues with carrying a few thousands dollars in cash. Please consider many walk around with a wedding ring and electronic stuff of far greater value. For the crewed yacht bank accounts and taxes may always be an issue. That is where the custom of delivering cash to the skipper's hand comes in. There is great flexibility that comes with those cash payments and how those payments can be divided both on and off the boat. To answer your question we would have 20 percent of the total cost in cash or another way to look at it at least 200 dollars per day, per crew in cash unless we made some other arrangement well in advance. In your early communications with the skipper you can ask what the options are for gratuity payments. Some skippers may have a bank routing number to provide. Some crews may leave scheduled wiring instructions for near the end of the charter for half and then pay whatever the remaining 0-10 percent in cash on exit. A ten thousand buck charter I would plan on 2,000 in cash for gratuities paid aboard and a $100,000 charter, I would plan on handing over 20,000 in cash unless clear arrangements were made with the skipper in advance. That is how the crewed charter industry works.
Just my opinion, but I disagree. You should be tipping for the services provided by the crew if they do an excellent job for you, not the cost of the charter boat for the week.
If I charter a boat (example Moorings) and hire a Captain for $200/day, I would tip that person based off what I paid them for the week ($1400) not what I paid them and the cost of the boat I paid to Moorings. From what you are saying I should tip them more than what I paid them for the week (figuring the boat charter is $7500 weekly rate = $1500 + their services $280).
For an owner/operator based charter I would figure their services are worth around $200/day for a Captain and $100/day for cook/first mate and tip them based on $2100 for the week. $400 sounds reasonable for the week as a tip.
Just my humble opinion since I don't have a need to hire a captain or cook lately. Takes all the fun out of it for me!
