USVI-On-Line

Ok - so I have read a few posts on this before but now need some help. What do people think about tipping the Capt/Crew when they are the owners of the boat? I've done two full charters before (that is, I am the only one paying for the 6/8 people on the boat). The first time was with a Capt that was hired by the company I chartered from. Seemed appropriate to tip to me (the guy wasn't getting the full fare for himself - he was just paid a wage). The second time I had the boat owner and one crew. I felt a little weird about this one because what I felt like doing was tipping the crew only - as the Capt was taking the rest of the $$ from the $1200 day (less whatever he paid her). Now about to go out for a $1200 the two owners. Do I tip? Please - I already know that "it's worth the $150 a head for such a great day!" That's not the point. When you go to get your hair cut, you tip the person UNLESS THEY ARE THE OWNER. Just wondering what you all feel is "standard" under these circumstances. Thanks for your thoughts!!

Yes, you should tip, even if it the boat is operated by the owner. If there are crew on the boat as well give the money to the captain and they will parcel it out to the staff accordingly. Assuming all goes well, I tip 20% on the cost of the charter booking (so not including gas costs or food costs etc). I think that is pretty standard.

I also think you should tip the owner. It shows that you appreciated their service.

Thanks for the feedback! I'll be packing a couple hundred more, I guess - nothing a steady IV of painkillers won't fix!

I look at this a different way.
The boat owner will usually have a company or corporation that actually 'owns' the boat - the Captain owns this Company.
The Company called "Da Boat" pays all the expenses associated with the boat and records the rental fees as income. Da Boat pays the Captain and crew wages which is their income - on the months that Da Boat expenses exceeds the income the 1st expense that gets cut is the Captains wage - Da Boat has many expenses as you can imagine and usually also benefits from the free labor put into the vessel by the Captain doing all the maintenance on the days the vessel isn't in operation. There are not many small one vessel companies like Da Boat that actually make a profit on a yearly basis - [ this statement is from personal experience with many boat owners].
Many Captains do buy their own boat for various reasons - pride of ownership, avoiding the vagaries of finding a Captains job, freedom from the boat owners//Captain relationship, etc. - it is usually a labor of love of the sea and vessel that drives them and it is rarely an economic success on any level when the hours involved are calculated and boat expenses can easily exceed income, not counting depreciation on the boat.
Tipping the Captain of an owner operated vessel should be considered the same as any service provider - 15 - 20 % is the industry standard - and if the vessel is well kept and the days enjoyment serviced by the crew is more than satisfactory a tip should reflect this - the fact that an owner operator Captain has a million more headaches and responsibilities than a paid Captain but still loves their work and shows the guests a wonderful day on the water is just a bonus for all involved.

What if you're on a larger boat (20-40 passengers) with a group of random other people, not a private charter. Should tipping still be considered for such a trip?

Ya Know, we just hand the Capt. 20% of the charter price. How he/she doles it out is up to the individual captain. It is really pretty simple.