Beyond 'super': unique yacht design with Burgess
The value proposition
Published 09 六月 2025
Buying the right yacht, protecting its value, and selling at the right time is the holy trinity of successful ownership – and it’s all interconnected.
A yacht purchase will be a big outlay, and it will require ongoing investment in its running and upkeep. At some point you will want to sell, and the timing of this sale will play a big part in how successful it will be. Multiple facets create a scenario that is both good for the seller and attractive to the buyer. And it’s vital to know that they are the same thing; what is true for the seller is also true for the buyer, because, one day, the buyer will be the seller.
We speak to Senior Broker, Rupert Nelson, on what makes a successful sale but first we take a look at some of the key drivers for yacht values.
PROTECTING THE VALUE OF YOUR YACHT
Keeping your yacht up to date technically is more important than the cosmetics – a new owner may well stamp their own style on a yacht’s interior and furnishings, but good air conditioning will always be in vogue.
Refit schedules
The five-year refit is the time to implement key upgrades. The yacht’s domestic systems, navigational equipment and general upkeep and appearance are all priorities. A fully digitised, modern wheelhouse points to a yacht that’s been well looked after. Paintwork is always important. It is an expensive element of a yacht’s upkeep and a massive part of a potential buyer’s first impression.
A proper refit will take care of all this, but it takes a lot of planning. Costs can easily push past EUR 5-10M and that’s before you get to finding the right yard to take your boat, arranging the teams, materials and services you need.
Refit vs resale
From a commercial point of view the circular nature of refits and major works is clear. As the buyer, you either pay now or later. If you buy a yacht fresh from a five-year year refit, you can enjoy years of relaxed ownership before you will need to go through the same process. If you buy a boat in need of update and renewal you may save yourself money on the purchase but will face a maintenance bill far sooner.
Crew continuity
There’s no magic formula to this one, but keeping the same crew is a great way of protecting the value of your yacht. A captain, engineer and chief stew that know their yacht will be in a far better position to look after it. Just as important, a happy and well-supported crew is more likely to take pride in their work, stay longer, and maintain the vessel to the highest standard.
SELLING YOUR YACHT
When?
Traditional thinking says you should have your boat ready in the spring or ahead of the big shows. But this is ever evolving – and we’re increasingly seeing the importance of being prepared for Burgess-owned events, which offer more targeted exposure and direct access to serious clients.
Most buyers are existing owners, so make sure your yacht is available to view in the summer when the yachting community is active. But you also need to think ahead, well before your next refit and round of costs.
Think about when the person on their smaller boat will be looking at the bigger boats around them. That’s when they starts thinking about moving up and your boat needs to be available then.
Where?
When you take the decision to sell, a natural reaction will be to minimise costs until a buyer is found, but these two things can be in conflict. You are far more likely to find a buyer if the yacht remains in a yachting hotspot rather than somewhere remote.
How?
How you come to market is key. That’s where Burgess comes in. We make sure your yacht is ready for sale, priced correctly and marketed to suit the yacht’s style – from explorers to performance yachts, we know the right way to come to market and the buyers to engage.
Is there a right time to sell a boat?
There are two fundamental answers to that. The first involves the standard playbook answer; putting your boat on the market ahead of the season or before a big show where it can be exhibited. But there’s another answer that overrides everything else.
The crunch time to sell your yacht is when you’re prepared to let her go. Every successful yacht sale needs two motivated people, that’s when success happens. Of course, you need to get the asking price right, but, again, that is more likely to happen when you’re serious about selling as opposed to being lured by the promise of a high asking price.
What other factors come into play?
As the buyer, you want to see what I call a healthy logbook: a record of maintenance history and, ideally, very few crew changes. As the seller, it’s vital you keep your yacht current and updated.
Fortunately for me and my clients, we have the entire Burgess Yacht Management Team to support this and deliver an efficient route to updating your yacht. I liken it to re-fuelling. You can turn up to the pump and pay what everyone else does or you can use our supplier and save yourself five or 10 percent. If you consider that the cost of a re-paint on a 70m yacht can easily push past USD 2 million, you really want someone who knows a good paint applicator.
Also, let’s get you ahead of the refit schedule. A proper refit can be two years in the planning and require down payments to book slots and materials. You don’t want to find yourself on the hook to the tune of USD 2 million in refit scheduling and then decide to sell.
What advice would you give to the seller?
I would say it can be tough selling your own boat, it’s a lot harder than buying. You can walk away when you’re buying!
You may get low offers. When you take your first low ball hit it hurts! Just remember you’re dealing with people like you, who just want the best deal.
It all comes back to being ready to sell and, dare I say it, taking my advice on the right price. Don’t be sweet-talked into an inflated price. The right price is what sells.
What makes a good broker?
I see it as looking after the client. Boats come and go, but the client remains. We invest in our owners by investing in our team, to ensure we can support them properly.
You also have to look ahead for the client and sometimes tell them things they don’t want to hear. The market is always tough to manage, but we will always fight your corner.
I also look at running costs for the buyer. You can’t borrow the money for running costs. It has to be affordable to be enjoyable.
Three sales, five days
Sold: FOCUS
