Our History

Off The Hook Yachts came to fruition in 2012 as Jason Ruegg, CEO and Founder, sought to formalize his lifelong passion for buying and selling boats. Prior to launching Off the Hook Yachts, Jason began his career in the marine industry at the young age of 10 by assisting his friends and family in negotiating boat acquisitions and sales. The internet had just launched, and Jason began posting online advertisements for boat buying and selling assistance. Jason’s father, Dan Ruegg, encouraged his son’s entrepreneurial spirit and had an office set up for him in their Annapolis, Maryland home - the impetus of Jason’s first yacht firm. Although Jason was far past his years in terms of knowledge and raw ability to sell, his new venture did not take off at this time as his customers were in disbelief when they would hear his voice and discover that he was of such a young age.

After high school, Jason went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management with a concentration in Accounting from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Although the plan was to begin a career in accounting after graduation, Jason’s true passion was and always had been centered around boats. While his parents stressed the importance of getting an internship and working for a credible accounting firm, Jason was more interested in fishing, boating with his friends, and ultimately flipping boats. By his senior year of college, he had developed a sufficient track record to convince his parents that he was ready to start a business.

Fast forward 10 years - Off the Hook Yachts now acquires over $100M in boats and yachts across the world annually, has 8 locations, and has an incredible amount of funding. The firm has made it to the Inc. 500 list of America’s Fastest Growing Companies for two consecutive years, is consistently ranked as a top 100 dealer in the USA by Boating Industry, and has been listed as the #1 dealer (out of 1,000 dealers) by its floorplan company for the last 4 years.