Beyond 'super': unique yacht design with Burgess
Availability on the rise
Published 09 June 2025
Any industry needs supply to fuel its market, and the world of superyachts is no different. What is different about this market is that the numbers involved are comparatively small. It is a fine line between a yacht market short of stock and one that is over-subscribed, with small changes in performance always threatening to produce a good headline at the expense of real-world actuals.
THE LOCKDOWN EFFECT
Among these idiosyncrasies came the post-lockdown period, blasting a hole through any sense of normality, skewing brokerage prices and demand and throwing new build capacity under the spotlight.
In 2025, a few years on from the brokerage sales spikes of 2021/22, we would expect to see those yachts coming back to market as part of the typical ownership lifecycle. At the same time, new build orders placed since lockdown have been delivered, or soon will be.
SEMI-CUSTOM ENGINE ROOM
Behind it all, the increase in semi-custom yacht building over the last decade means there is more choice in the market than ever before. Even ignoring the increased demand created by the post-Covid period, the 30-50m semi-custom market has been highly active over 10 years, with steady growth across new build and the brokerage fleet.
This also points to a similarly healthy order book for the 60-80m sector, as 30-50m owners move up in size, with over 100 new build deliveries in the 65m/1,200GT sector expected in the next few years.
In large part, this is down to the Italian semi-custom yards that continue to develop series builds. But, across the size sectors, 2024 saw the biggest increase in new build deliveries (228) since 2008 (256), with a projected 210 deliveries in 2025.
So we know availability is good today and it looks like it will be good tomorrow. To find out what it all means we speak to Managing Director of Semi-Custom Yachting, Richard Lambert.
‘We are going through a period of normalisation, taking a breath after the 2021 boom and returning to the longer-term positive market that we were experiencing. Brokerage sales were down in 2024 and we are seeing an increase in new to market vessels across the board. But this is a period that demands sensible commentary and analysis. We have to take into account market realities and avoid sensationalist, disarming statistics, whether they point up or down.
'The post-Covid period was bound to create market turbulence down the line. For new build, the shipyards did a phenomenal job in increasing production and meeting demand. We are now seeing the result of this effort in relatively new yachts coming to market as brokerage, as their owners look to move up.'
THE NEW BUILD LAG
'There is always a lag in the overall market due to how long it takes to build a boat. A lot can happen within three years, particularly after an anomaly like Covid. So now we are seeing an increased productivity turn into increased availability of yachts already in build, offering a very short lead time to delivery.
'This availability of new, in-build yachts coming to market could be reaching a peak, as that increased output meets normalised demand. For those interested in stepping into an existing build, now is a great time to buy.'
Rupert Nelson, Senior Partner and Senior Sales Broker, agrees. ‘The market has gone through many changes since 2020 but the fleet is growing, spectacularly in some sectors, and so choice is good for buyers and will continue to improve. The rising cost of new builds is unarguable but it is having an interesting effect on brokerage.’
Hear more from Rupert as he discusses what makes a successful sale and the key drivers of yacht values.
Three sales, five days
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