Today we’d like to introduce you to Logan Hofkamp.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My venture into private yacht charters started entirely by accident. At the time I was working for an exotic car rental company in Los Angeles and while speaking to a client he asked me if I could refer him to any companies in the LA area which rented yachts. I then reached out to some contacts and none of them had any real connections to true luxury power yachts. So I started searching on my own and found only dinky single page sites made for 30+ year old yachts but nothing compared to the luxury charters in Miami or Cabo. By sheer luck I was introduced to a now great friend Captain Matt McKinley who now runs Hi39 Vessel Services. Next we went to work meeting owners of these yachts looking for some relief from the immense cost of yacht ownership. My first charter was that very client on a 55ft Marquis which we had fully crewed Captain, Stew and Chef. The client took off to Catalina Island and happily reported it was a blast and much more unique then any of his previous charters. From there the business grew and now we offer yachts from up to 300ft and as far as Alaska.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t say we had a rocky start but there were very challenging times. Every business owner struggles with launching a company however we have unique obstacles in this industry. First will always be the level of trust owners place in our company. Myself and my crew are entrusted with keeping their immensely expensive toys safe and protected while at sea. Another obstacle is the high profile clients such as celebrities which demand an incredible level of privacy, for this we even offer NDA’s for our crew. We also have to provide an exceptionally high level of service for our guests which is unlike most industries. Other unique challenges include weather and fuel which can exceed 300 gallons an hour to run these large yachts.
Please tell us about Southern California Yachting.
We are a yacht charter company based in Southern California. Yacht charter typically entails renting a crewed boat for a day on the ocean or up to a week. We specialize in providing clients with a high end charter experience. All of our yachts at this time are 40ft plus and powered vessels meaning no sailboats. We are known most commonly for two thing the first is making anything happen from a private submarine tour to flying in a client’s favorite childhood birthday cake day of. The second is the true level of yachts we have in our fleet, none of my competitors have the level of product we are able to offer both in footage and luxury. I’m most proud of my ability to make anything happen (that is legal) for a client, we never say it is impossible and we always exceed our clients expectations.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood would be fishing king salmon with my father in the summers. I grew up in the Puget Sound about 20 miles from the Canadian border in a family of avid fishermen. These experiences are what got me into boating and ultimately yachting.
Pricing:
- Charters range from $3,500 to $400,000
- Yachts in our fleet can range from $300,000 to 15,000,000
Contact Info:
- Website: www.southerncaliforniayachting.com
- Phone: 3107741051
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socalyachts/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/socalyachting
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/southern-california-yachting-los-angeles
- Other: http://www.hi39.net/
Image Credit:
Sinuhe Xavier for all three (except the white yacht which is Howard Leight)
