Any advice on obtaining a mate position on a charter boat? Im burned out with cooking, looking to to take a break. I have limited experience fishing from boats , but have many hours logged in the surf. Looking for something in S.county or Narr bay.

Thanks

this is definetley the wrong time of the year. just about everyone except the head boats have pulled theirs out. you just may have to gut it out until the weather starts to break. this is not a well paying job chef. been there, done that.

I know not , now . I was looking for May. What kind of pay?? Wanted to just cook 40 hrs or less and possibly do this in the mornings.

I know not , now . I was looking for May. What kind of pay?? Wanted to just cook 40 hrs or less and possibly do this in the mornings.

Odds of finding something that be just mornings are somewhere between slim and none. Almost all charter boats want someone for full days. You might be able to find something on a 1/2 day fluke boat when that season starts. Check with the Frances fleet and rthe seven Bs, they are the only boats in RI that regularly do 1/2 day trips.

Apply for the job at the Cuttyhunk Fishing Club. Breakfast only, mid June til Labor Day.

Craigs list, has an ad in the boat section someone looking for the same thing ...I think you'll get some good ideas from it.

You might want to check out the RI Charterboat Assn website - they have a list with all the Cpts and their phone#'s, websites, and emails -- just start contacting people and see if anyone has an opening. You could also walk the RISAA show this winter and introduce yourself in person to any of the RI boats.

Getting a regular gig to start off might be difficult, but offer up to be a fill in - If you can fill in on a couple of different boats, I bet you would find a regular gig by the end of the season.

As for $ - tips at first, some Cpts will guarantee you a certain amount per day (guard against someone stiffing you). If your really experienced or have been with a cpt a while some boats will also pay a flat fee per trip or small % of the charter. How you do on tips can depend on the boat -- some guys are very up front about tipping the mate when people book, others just kind of leave it up in the air. We're really clear about the tipping thing when people book, that way the people don't feel surprised at all, and the mates end up doing better too.

Most important thing - show that you have a good way with people, are curteous and polite -- on some boats the mate spends more time with the customers than the capt, so many would rather teach a good guy how to fish, than have a crackerjack fisherman that shows up hung over and is rude to the customers.

Last thing -- all Captains and Mates are supposed to be enrolled in a random drug testing program. Every year someone loses one of their college kids to this -- if you can register in the program ahead of time ($75, Newport Alliance-they have a website) you will be a step up on anyone else looking.

Hope that helped. Good luck.

I know the six hour trips on a charter out of Falmouth Harbor they get $150.00 right up front for the mate. Thats as a tip. You must get something from the Cpt./owner also.

I know the six hour trips on a charter out of Falmouth Harbor they get $150.00 right up front for the mate. Thats as a tip. You must get something from the Cpt./owner also. That sound a little high to me.
How big was the boat? :huh:

I don't think mating on a charter boat is something you get into for the money!
More because you LOVE fishing and just being on the water!!!
If you figured out how must $ you make an hr, you could do better flipping burgers at McDonalds!!!

I make so much money mating I don't have to work all winter.

That sound a little high to me.
How big was the boat? :huh:


It was Doak's boat, the Eastwind, out of Falmouth. It wasn't that big. We paid it up front for 18 guys, three boats for eight hour trip.

So was that $150 tip per boat, or the total tip upfront for all 3 boats?

Big Jay kind of beat me to the punch but to add to his question, was it an eight or six hour trip??

:confused:

I don't think mating on a charter boat is something you get into for the money!
More because you LOVE fishing and just being on the water!!!
If you figured out how must $ you make an hr, you could do better flipping burgers at McDonalds!!!

i agree with Ronnie. you could do better [moneywise] working at cumbys. but the benefit of being on the water and learning the game are hard to put a $ to.

As a kid I worked summers on a boat in Harwichport. I was well paid by the skipper and I earned tips. For a high school kid, I made a ton of money, as an adult I would be homeless right now. I like the idea that someone mentioned, get word out as a fill-in with a group of boats in a busy harbor. When I was working that was the tough part, finding a replacement when I had to take a day off, as it turned out, days off ended up being very rare! Good luck Chef, some of the best days of my life were on that 31 JC south of Nantucket.

I don't think mating on a charter boat is something you get into for the money!
More because you LOVE fishing and just being on the water!!!
If you figured out how must $ you make an hr, you could do better flipping burgers at McDonalds!!!

That about sums it up!!!!!

I ocassionally work as a fill in mate on various boats in Green Harbor if I am available and they need me. It is a long day ground fishing east of the bank. About a 12 hour day. Most boat owners will pay you $50 and the rest is tips. Sometimes you can do ok.. $200 for the day, but per hour forget it, and I have been stiffed before too. It is just about being on the water and seeing some one that your helping land a 50 pound cod on ocassion. As a groundfishing mate you always buzy assisting, teaching and dehooking fish, dogfish and filleting. And you have to have some people skills too, which isn't always easy depending on the charter. Your well beat at the end of the day.

Chef, with you surf experience I think you'd do allot better having a shore guide service in the mornings.

It's funny, I run charters now for a captain when he needs time off and as a skipper I can see the value in having a super mate. The big keys are this, be personable with the charter and talk with them! Second, be able to run the show on deck. If a mate can do these two things he should do very well on tips $$$. Plus, that allows the guy running the boat to focus on catching fish, not yappin' with the customers!

Chef, with you surf experience I think you'd do allot better having a shore guide service in the mornings.

I dont have enough experience to do that yet, i still know next to nothing.

Thanks for all the advice

It's funny, I run charters now for a captain when he needs time off and as a skipper I can see the value in having a super mate. The big keys are this, be personable with the charter and talk with them! Second, be able to run the show on deck. If a mate can do these two things he should do very well on tips $$$. Plus, that allows the guy running the boat to focus on catching fish, not yappin' with the customers!


Some good points!
A big part of charters is entertaining people!
Both Capt and mate need to be personable.
Some trips that is easy and enjoyable,
so trips no so, especially when drinking alcohol (too much of it) is involved!
also, long hrs is the norm.
If i'm capt or mate for an 8 hr trip that starts @ 5:00 am, I'm up @ 3-3:30, trip starts @ 5, so 8 hrs ends @1, then you start cutting fish, then cleaning the boat and gear ect...., I get home @ 4 - 5 pm at best.
If you do live bait trips like we do, you can plan on an even longer day so you can get the bait before the trip begins.
Like I said, you have to love doing it and being on the water!
That being said,
I can't wait for the winter to be over and the fishing season to start so I can be doing it again !!!:usd:

Being a mate is extremely tough in terms of long hours. Poor base pay and sometimes you deal with A-holes the whole trip. You need to be able to be




a people person, cordial and interestng towards them. A good mate will keep the charter engaged in terms of the fishing and what is going on and also passing time via talking. You also need a lot of patience which hasn't been discussed. Some charters don't and wont listen to your suggestions, beat the hell out of the gear, and expect to be catered to. You also need on the water experience so that you can be able to respond to certain situations.

A great mate has a depth of knowledge of fishing techniques, knots, and being able to adjust and alter spreads. He or she will have an innate ability to untangle the mother of all tangles (sometimes with a knife):jester: and be able to multi-task (re-baiting, settting gear, explaining to the charter what is up, setting the hook, gaffing fish, etc all in short order) knowing that your tip will be decided sometimes by this.

I know many "PROFESSIONAL" mates on some of the best boats in the world and have the priviledge to fish with them a lot and they love what they do for a sure. But they are not getting rich, and some have other jobs to support their families.

Think about it. Also with the current economic state, gas/diesel prices, and the dollar not being what it was once worth, people losing jobs, I wouldn't be surprised to see some charter captains go out of business because the cost of doing business is too high for the average guy to pay for a day on the water. Ask some of the charter captains. I know of three captains who are getting "real" jobs in their eyes not mine, and are going to run trips only on weekends. They have bills on land as well as the sea to cover.

Lastly I dont know how much experience you have on a boat maybe a lot but if you dont have a lot of experience try to get on some peoples boats(personal) that you know to hone your skills.

Good luck, Matt

I help out a couple of friends on their charters and while it is fun, its also long days with early mornings. It's not about the money (cause there is NO WAY you can make a living doing it for a few months a year). As some others said its also about being skilled at sea and with various types of gear and mostly being able to have a positive attitude and to talk and take interest in the customers so even if the fishing is slow, so that they are involved. This is why some charters do MUCH better than others. (Me and some buddies charter every year on the great lakes, and there is one boat we will always avoid, (because of attitudes))..

But the rewards are time on the water, meeting new people and learning new techniques because everyday is different. The money you make can be used for your morning coffee !!!!!! :D:D:kewl:

I run a charter out of Falmouth and have worked as a mate for years on my dad's boat that is located 2 slips over from the EastWind on the Obsesssion a 32 Blackfin. We might have been one of the three boats mentioned we often share larger bookings. When doing multiple boat charters for larger groups the tip is often mentioned up front so the tip is disributed for all mates. on normal individual trips the captain doesn't know what the mate received for a tip until after the clients have left and the boat is clean. Tips are usually passed with a hand shake and a thank you directly to the mate. A good mate will put the money directly into a pocket without looking at it until later. $150.00 is an average tip for a good mate for a six hour charter.

Most mates work strictly for tips and are not paid by the captain. Some captain's will pay a flat sum of money per trip on top of tips, others work out a mimumim that the mate should recieve total between tips and a flat fee. This is done in case a client stiffs the mate so he/she didn't work all day for nothing.

A six hour trip is close to an eight hour day for a mate. The boat needs to be prepped before a trip, fish cleaned/disposed of, and the boat needs to be spotless again before you leave.

Without going into all the in and outs of mating and what to expect from the fares ( alot of good advie in this tread), the most valuable piece of advice I can give you is to get enrolled in a random drug testing program. All mates are SUPPOSED to be in a drug test program, though sometime when we need a fill in every captain will look the other way rather than sailing sithout a mate. But if you have the card, you will get a ton of work as a fill-in mate and you can work your way up from there.