Howard and Amish Ed,
You guys have some good points, I agree. I think that most people who have been around long enough to understand how things work on a party boat feel the same way, myself included. Deckhands and captains even the ones that aren't the greatest, do work their butts off for not much money. Like Brian mentioned it's very rare that I do not tip the whole pot and I would encourage other fisherman to do likewise. Like Amish Ed said, when you treat a crew well, you see the rewards on every trip you take thereafter, something that pays for itself in a way. It's kind of a cycle where if you take care of the crew, they take care of you and in the future you take care of them even more.
-Rob