Charting A Course: From Dreams To A Luxury Yacht Charter Buisness
Sailing across the ocean is a novel tale we learn about throughout our childhood. James Cook, Christopher Columbus, and Magellan to name a few. These daring explorers navigated the unknown seas using a compass, map, and the stars to guide them. The spirit of these adventurers lives on in Ryan Lager, captain and owner of a meticulously maintained Navigator 5300 yacht, named Island Magic. Back in 2020, he crossed the Pacific Ocean in 15 days, going from San Diego, California to Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Join us as we delve into Ryan’s captivating journey across the vast ocean to start one of Oʻahu’s most luxurious yacht charter businesses, Island Magic Hawaiʻi.
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Interviewer: How did you become the owner and captain of this beautiful yacht?
Ryan Lager: Thank you for having me! That’s a loaded question, spanning almost 20 years. The short version is that I bought my first sailboat in 2005. A good friend introduced me to the wonders of boat ownership. In Hawaiʻi, you can enjoy your boat all year long, unlike in other places. From 2005 to 2020, I sailed various 25- to 45-foot sailboats off Waikīkī and to the outer islands for both pleasure and commercial purposes. After many years of sailing, I decided to venture into the world of big, powerful, spacious powerboats.
Interviewer: Why did you choose Island Magic?
Lager: After owning and working on several boats, I learned the priorities of selecting a boat for chartering. Most important is the safety and comfort of the passengers and crew in our unpredictable Hawaiian waters. Secondly, ease of maintenance to keep the boat in excellent operational and cosmetic condition. Lastly, a boat that is relatively economical to operate.
Interviewer: That seems like a lot to ask. How did you find a boat that met these requirements?
Lager: The Navigator 5300 checked all the boxes. Finding one on the islands, however, was nearly impossible, so I turned to the West Coast. My search took me to San Diego where Navigators are plentiful due to them being built in Southern California.
Navigators are designed for ocean use. They are built sturdy with the finest materials making them an excellent choice for safety. Because they are designed to operate in an ocean that is warm most of the year, they come with many features desirable in Hawaiʻi—an open flybridge with ample seating, a spacious back deck with room for swimming and snorkel gear, and a large integrated swim step with a boarding ladder and hot water shower. Another key feature is having 360-degree views from inside the boat cabin—something you will not find in the compartmentalized designs of boats built for colder climates.
Southern California is like Hawaiʻi with year-round sun, so the Navigator is built with no exterior wood to maintain, only gel-coated fiberglass and stainless steel. Additionally, the engine rooms on most luxury-style boats are not designed with the maintenance mechanic in mind. With me as the only person in charge of maintaining the vessel, a spacious engine room was a must. The boat had to have straight shafts and rudders vs. maintenance-intensive outdrives and twin mechanical diesel engines vs. unreliable and dangerous gasoline.
Speaking of engines, Navigators come with very economical hull shapes and diesel engines that propel all 57 feet of maximal luxury with minimal fuel consumption when operated at cruising speeds. These two features would be a requirement for the next part of the journey; the 2600-mile passage from California to Oahu.
Interviewer: We will definitely talk more about that 2600-mile journey, but first, what was the process for finding the exact boat?
Lager: There are websites with boat listings that you can filter by boat model and location. When I flew over at the beginning of 2020, there were three Navigator 5300s that were similarly priced and stated to be in excellent condition. The best thing to do is to contact the broker for the boat you like and make sure to have a list of all of the questions you want to ask. Ideally, ask the really important questions via email so you have written documentation as to the answer. I would also recommend you even write a follow-up email for clarification of anything and ask how they find the answers to your question, as the source is important and could be a resource in the future.
Interviewer: What set Island Magic apart from the other two Navigators?
Lager: When I first laid eyes on Island Magic I knew she was the one. For starters, she embodied Hawaiʻi vibes: her name matched the islands, her interior had palm fronds, and when I turned on the CD player Hawaiian music began to play! Additionally, her engines and engine room looked new, indicating an excellent maintenance program that even came with records. Her engine hours were only 900 each and according to the boat’s captain, she was taken out once or twice a month with him as the hired captain—only within San Diego Bay. Her gel coat was also in fantastic shape, with zero signs of any damage, suggesting regular waxing and washing after use.
Interviewer: So, just like that you buy a boat?
Lager: Not quite. After deciding on the perfect boat, the next step is to negotiate a price and if accepted, sign a contract and give a deposit. Thereafter, the usual next step is to hire a surveyor to look through every inch of the boat to find any flaws that could be a deal breaker or be grounds for renegotiation of the price; in this case, there was nothing major to note. Because Island Magic is a power boat and the engines are a major factor, I also elected to have an extensive mechanical survey done by a licensed Volvo mechanic. He also facilitated a fluid analysis and was present during the sea trial; everything checked out tops. The last step is to hull the boat out and look at the bottom for damage or defects. Her bottom was in great shape, as was expected with such little, professional use. Since the boat was hulled out of the water it made sense at this time to also order a complete bottom job, which includes sanding down the old bottom paint, applying two to three fresh coats of new bottom paint, and new zincs on all the underwater metals.
Interviewer: Ah, what’s a sea trial?
Lager: The sea trial is an important step in the purchase process that should always be performed unless you are buying a floating condo. This is where you start the engine up and actually head out of the slip to run the boat through typical use conditions and ensure everything works as it should. I also recommend running the boat in harder than typical conditions to ensure the boat will run well for a long time. We ended up running the boat up to 22 knots, or 25 mph, for an extended period—something an owner wouldn’t typically do. We monitored the gauges, while the mechanic monitored engine heat dissipation throughout the motors and the transmissions, listened for any unusual sounds, looked for leaks, and felt for unacceptable vibrations.
Interviewer: Wow, how fascinating! Sounds like you were very thorough. I’d feel safe with you as my captain.
Lager: Thank you! Island Magic is amazing—she performed as designed, giving me the confidence I needed to make the voyage from San Diego to Oahu.
Interviewer: Thank you for taking the time to go over your decision-making and purchase process. In our next segment, we’ll discuss how you brought Island Magic all the way from San Diego to Oahu!
