Beyond 'super': unique yacht design with Burgess
Large yachts, low numbers
Published 09 juin 2025
With industry headlines shouting low numbers on brokerage and big percentage gains on new build, what is the reality? We speak to Peter Brown, senior broker and new build specialist, for a more complete picture.
As you move beyond 60-70m, data suggests activity and sales fall notably. Certainly, it’s fair to say the overall fleet number decreases as the size of yacht increases. There are, of course, more 40m boats than 80m boats. At the same time, we have seen reliably strong 80m+ new build numbers coming out for years, with far more yachts and deals above 100m than ever before.
So where does the large yacht market find itself in 2025?
Can you give us a picture of the large yacht market today?
To understand the large yacht market, we have to focus on brokerage first. Purely from a market perspective, brokerage sales are traditionally more numerous than new build and so give a better idea of activity. For every new build sale there will be multiple brokerage sales.
There is no doubt that the brokerage sector is rebounding from a quieter period. I have seen some stats that put new build sales ahead of brokerage in 2024. But it’s a fluid market.
Recently we’ve seen several high-profile brokerage sales above 80m and we are about to close a deal on a 100m+ yacht. It is an active, positive, market.
Data suggest it’s still a low numbers market?
Inventory is always pretty limited. Of course, that can help focus a potential buyer’s mind or bolster the new build option. But you have to remember that activity at this level is very often private, so sales figures always look light. Some of the biggest deals are never reported. They often happen quietly – off the radar and away from market headlines.
The yacht you want is out there, but you are not going to Google your next boat, you need to talk to us. Pick up the phone and we can show you how many deals we do and what is really available.
What was happening at the start of the year?
I think it’s fair to say there were some quite significant mood swings geopolitically, but a lot of our clients took the view, as we did, that certain headlines would be reversed.
Wealth creation has been very strong for a number of years and we are seeing a new group of clients, new to yachting and entering the market at an unusually high level, but the biggest group of buyers this year has been the long-term, experienced owners that have been the bedrock of the industry for decades.
How has geopolitics and financials affected the market?
The global markets play a massive part in yacht-buying culture. It has been volatile, but volatility can lead to opportunity and it’s our job to advise clients on how to respond. We pride ourselves on our longstanding US client-base and we have been working hard to navigate that market, with the devaluation of the Dollar a recent change. We have seen a higher number of US clients looking to buy in Dollars from a US seller, strengthening that sector. And if you are an existing US owner with a boat in Europe, selling in Euros, this is a potentially useful period.
Away from America, the Australian Dollar is down, but an Australian owner can afford to sell in Europe and give themselves some significant buying power back in their home market.
Of course, some people may have lost out. It is all about where you are in your ownership journey, but if you are ready to buy or sell, there are always interesting approaches.
So it's about the ownership journey and opportunity?
One thing that needs to be understood is that there is no such thing as a typical ownership journey, nor should there be. A lot of people will own a USD 30M yacht and stay at that point, they could move up but so will the running costs and might not be attractive. it is very much down to the individual.
For others, it is about opportunity and, as I say, the wealth is there when the right opportunity presents itself.
What will drive these opportunities?
Generally speaking, the 80m+ new build constructors book has remained fairly constant for the last five years, sitting at around 45 builds. That’s delivering a number of new boats to the fleet year on year. This points to a healthy brokerage market as these vessels naturally feed in, as some owners look to change.
But there is another factor to take into account, one that didn’t exist until quite recently.
Let me give the example of a premier European yard starting construction on a series of 80m yachts. That simply did not happen before. We have now sold two 80m new builds to clients because the opportunity was there. Semi-custom and series yacht builders are pushing boundaries, creating the opportunity to purchase a large yacht, and the wealth does exist to make that a reality.
Is charter a driver for sales?
Charter is definitely a leader for the sales sector. It is always encouraging to see a healthy charter market and we definitely see that here at Burgess. Just as with the sales market, the appetite, the confidence, to spend money is there. If an owner is happy to offer a large yacht for charter, we have the people to take up that offer. And these experienced charter clients are tomorrow’s buyers.
If you are able to pay EUR 2M for a two-week holiday you are clearly able to purchase a vessel. But that’s another conversation.
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