Gratuities for bareboat charter operator

[sloopguy]

I've been bare boating in the BVI for 30 years. never was I ever asked for a gratuity. That said, the first thing I do upon arriving is pour over the boat looking for any potential issues. Arriving the night before the charter begins and sleeping aboard the first night affords me the time for my crew to check everything. Common ones seem to be cockpit speak(s) not working, loose latches in the salon, lightbulbs not working or missing, fans not working, a dinghy outboard that won't stay up on difficult to lower. In the morning I grab the head dock crew guy, throw him $50 and everything gets taken care of lickedy split. Call it a bribe, call it whatever you like, but here I am spending thousands for 10-12 days in paradise and the last thing I need or want are headaches like dishes or utensils flying out of a cabinet or a light in the cockpit that doesn't work or a dinghy that is a pain to land on a beach. I use second tier charter bases but I hear the same problems from guys out of Moorings and Sunsail where you're paying top dollar for a boat. I don't see the benefit of tipping "after" a charter. Nor would I tip someone who is asking for one. Just my two cents.

[Sun and Moon]

Originally Posted by henryjm

... I was surprised to be handed an envelope the day we departed on our vacation marked "gratuities appreciated " ...

The envelope is part of the equipment provided with the boat. Make sure your guests are aware of it, and establish a policy on how you plan to divide the tips among the crew.

[SoFla Sailor]

Originally Posted by sloopguy

That said, the first thing I do upon arriving is pour over the boat looking for any potential issues. Arriving the night before the charter begins and sleeping aboard the first night affords me the time for my crew to check everything.

Interesting.... leads me to a question that perhaps may be a little off topic: My upcoming charter in Greece stipulates the boat is not guaranteed to be available until 1800 hrs. On the 1st day of the charter. How do you handle those particular maintenance issues?

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[Saleen411]

Originally Posted by SoFla Sailor

Interesting.... leads me to a question that perhaps may be a little off topic: My upcoming charter in Greece stipulates the boat is not guaranteed to be available until 1800 hrs. On the 1st day of the charter. How do you handle those particular maintenance issues?

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Moorings in BVI allows you to spend the night before... for a fee of course. Otherwise, contract says the boat will be ready at noon.

Last October our boat was NOT ready at noon...far from it. By the time we finally were allowed to board the boat, I had little time to go over it before the sun was going to set. In the short time I had, I found LOTS of stuff wrong with the boat...

Cabinet hinge broken, aft cabin hatch broken, forward v-berth door knob broken, charts missing from chart tube, several guages not working, stove pot restrainer doodad broken, wine opener broken (horror)...then when underway (just before sunset), more guages inop (knot meter, wind vane doodad) and then noticed the left jib car was MISSING! Boat also wasn't fully fueled and watered (broken guages).

Next time, I'm spending the night before on the boat.

[duefocena]

If you have a Captain it is not a bare boat charter it is a skippered charter and yes, it is customary to tip the captain and crew. Additionally with the fact that almost all cell phones have a camera it might be wise to note the condition of the boat in photo's or video.

[MarkJ]

On the Client Left Overs...

Often charterers make sure their boat is fully prepped with great food and drinks, and not all are used. If you are near a cruising boat on your last day most would find it a lovely guesture to get a bottle of something you cant take home.

Some cruisers are on a bit of a shoestring and may really appreciate it


Mark

[Ex-Calif]

The place I charter predominantly has a 9am-9am policy. "If we are not here in the morning drop the keys in the mail slot." Never tipped. If the boat is not booked the night before you can stay on board for free. They usually know this days in advance so you can plan.

The only caveat that concerned me was there was a proviso specifically for keel damage (grounding the boat) i.e. not covered by insurance and I would pay for damage. - I asked them if I needed to dive on the boat or if they were going to dive on the boat before and after the charter. They looked at me like I was from Mars.

The first night out I did free dive on the keel as I was swimming anyway.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

On the Client Left Overs...

Often charterers make sure their boat is fully prepped with great food and drinks, and not all are used. If you are near a cruising boat on your last day most would find it a lovely guesture to get a bottle of something you cant take home.

Some cruisers are on a bit of a shoestring and may really appreciate it


Mark

The shoestrings, and shoes, of dock crews are considerably thinner than those of cruisers. Owning even a modest cruising boat is way beyond their financial reality. They don't really have a need for high end booze, but certainly leave the rest for them...they are working hard for very little money.

[blackswan]

Never heard of anyone tipping the charter company.

Whenever I work as a charter skipper (Greece, Turkey, Malaysia, Australia) I never ask for tips but I am always very thankful to get them when quality service is provided.

I can't think of any reason to tip a charter company as everything additional to the normal hire has extra fee's in the contract anyway.

[bobamis]

I've chartered from different companies at different bases, and never was handed an envelope for tips. I have seen a jar in the base office for tips, however. My thinking is the same as already expressed in previous posts: If you received some very special service, I would consider some form of a small tip. But services included in the charter contract, like a clean boat, assistance docking, boat check out or chart review should not be additionally compensated. I don't consider the staff coming out to fix a repair necessitating a tip either, in fact, they often bring me something (like ice), to make up for the inconvenience. On one occasion, however, a "friendly skipper" spent a several hours with me, including assisting with luggage from a late crew member and he had to pay for a taxi home from our anchorage, so I tipped him. General rule, then, is if you receive additional and exceptional service, then a small tip may be in order. Otherwise, no.

As one member mentioned, the left over food and drinks, makes for a very nice "gift" for the dock workers. We often make drinks upon arrival at the base and pass them out to those who help us.

[Keb]

Someone mentioned the captain. So if you hire a captain who charges a market based day rate, and captain provides quality service is a gratuity expected? The captain is running a business and must provide quality service to stay in business, I don't see how a gratuity should be expected or the charter client made to feel obligated. If the captain needs to earn more then they should raise their rates. If the service is above and beyond what is expected - quality service - then sure. (Not referencing boat crew, just hiring a captain to run the boat). I have run into this with fishing boat charter captains. No additional crew, no additional service or time other than what was agreed to and the captain asks for tip on top of his very generous day rate requested. I don't get it. It's amazing some of the places you now see a "tip jar".


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[blackswan]

Never expected, always appreciated..

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by Keb

So if you hire a captain who charges a market based day rate, and captain provides quality service is a gratuity expected?

No. Not if you are hiring an independent captain, running his own business. If you get a captain who is an employee of the charter company, then a tip would be appropriate.

The rule of thumb is that you don't tip the business owner.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

No. Not if you are hiring an independent captain, running his own business. If you get a captain who is an employee of the charter company, then a tip would be appropriate.

The rule of thumb is that you don't tip the business owner.

....or the boat owner...Ive noticed over the years that if running my own boat I don't tend to get tips, but I do encourage them for the crew (I usually give my share of tips to the crew anyway...they are actually working hard to earn a living...I'm just playing around).

Tips have become the norm in the full service charter industry and are typically divided between the crew. They do provide a lot of service on a well run charter and normally get paid low wages. Especially true of the cook, they are often the hardest working person on the boat. Tips can easily total more for crew than their base compensation.

At some charter bases, the dock crew also gets a small share of the charter tip money. These guys are working very hard behind the scenes, for even less pay, and its good to keep your dock crew happy...they can make the life of captain and crew much easier...especially on tight turn arounds...or more difficult.

If hiring just a captain for something then I would not feel obligated to tip him for paid services rendered, but might tip if he went beyond expectations.

[EmeraldCoastSailor]

I have bareboat chartered many times and have never tipped. But, being a brainwashed American, I have thought about it many times. Never for the operator/company in general but for the specific people that help out as part of the process. I just got back from the VI renting from CYOA; I had the same feeling and several of my guests wanted to tip the helpful people. CYOA is a terrific outfit that does a great job but the only tipping I do is to provide them my unconsumed alcohol when I return the boat after charter.

I am glad someone asked the question because I have always wondered if others do. The brainwashed American is coming out again.