Yachts

How to Buy a Luxury Yacht: Sales Brokers, Prices, and More

This guide explains how to buy a yacht, from finding an honest sales broker to distinguishing between new-build and pre-owned models.

Tristan Rutherford

| July 7, 2025

A large, modern white yacht is docked at a marina, with clear blue skies and calm ocean water in the background. Some greenery is visible on a nearby hillside. — Events such as the Monaco Yacht Show are a great starting point for selecting a vessel to purchase.

Many owners will only purchase one luxury yacht in their lifetime. As their experience will be zero, it’s hard to know where to begin.

It’s a pressing market, too. In 2024, asking prices per gross tonne (measuring a ship’s volume) rose by 14%. That’s the fourth consecutive year of price growth in the superyacht sector.

Thankfully, our guide on how to buy a luxury yacht explains why you won’t be caught short. You can rely on a sea of databases (see below) that filter out charlatans trying to flog a patched-up chugger fueled by snake oil. Also an honest broker (once again, read on) will want to uphold their reputation by sourcing the best deal for you.

Where Should My Ownership Journey Start?
Where Is a Good Place to Look First in Person?
How Do I Navigate a Fast-Changing Market?
Why Do I Require a Broker?
How Do You Choose an Honest Broker?
What Does Each Brokerage House Specialize In?
What Type of Yachts Can I Buy Today?
What If I Don’t Like Any of the On-Sale Yachts?
What Are the Biggest Differences Between New-Build and Pre-Owned Yachts?
How Do I Know I Am Buying at the Keenest Possible Price?

Where Should My Ownership Journey Start?

A luxurious yacht deck with a hanging round lounge chair, cushioned seating, a coffee table with flowers, and a view of the calm sea and distant hills under a clear sky. — The suspended sunpad of the Pink Shadow by Damen offers a unique, overwater lounging experience.

Begin by reading our Yacht Encyclopedia, then Boat International, the ultimate superyacht magazine. This journal outlines the yachting lifestyle and showcases the latest models from top luxury boat brands.

Each leading superyacht shipyard, like Sanlorenzo or Damen, has an epic website. Many shipyards describe their yachts using 3D tours and drone footage. Brands like Benetti have nearly $3 billion worth of boats under construction, so they can well afford the tech.

Where Is a Good Place to Look First in Person?

A group of people dressed in light-colored clothing stand on the deck of a sleek, modern yacht with glossy black and white surfaces and futuristic design elements, set against a blue sky. — The Monaco Yacht Show takes place at the iconic Port Hercule and showcases the yacht industry’s latest innovations.

To step aboard the world’s largest superyachts — those measuring well over 100 feet — book a ticket for the Monaco Yacht Show in late September or the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in early November.

To experience firsthand the dimensions of midsize luxury yachts from 50 feet to 150 feet, visit the Miami Boat Show in February or the Cannes Yachting Festival in September.

According to sales brokers, the best way to understand your requirements is to charter a luxury yacht that aligns with your brief. A week on board will help you home in on your requirements and preferences. Some clients end up purchasing their favorite charter yacht or a sister yacht from the same series.

How Do I Navigate a Fast-Changing Market?

Three decades ago, most wealth was inherited. Yacht owners were primarily Gulf royals, British aristocrats, or American Vanderbilts. There were five big brokerage houses and two dozen yacht brokers. Today, all that has changed. The superyacht sales market is evolving at such a rapid pace.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, self-made American wealth flooded the yacht sales market, along with business-savvy new owners inquiring about resale value and charter returns — questions no one asked 30 years ago.

At the same time, the idea of working remotely from a private yacht anchored off the Bahamas suddenly appealed, so sales boomed. Many of these tough-as-nails boats are now returning to the brokerage market, making intelligent investments for clued-up buyers.

Why Do I Require a Broker?

A large, brightly lit luxury yacht is anchored on calm water at sunset, with a dramatic sky and colorful clouds in the background. — The world’s largest superyacht, Flying Fox, books for €3 million ($4 million) weekly with Bluewater.

Quite simply, an experienced sales broker has intimate knowledge of the 150 or so yacht-producing shipyards. They will be au fait with delivery schedules, unsold inventory, and forthcoming new-build models.

Brokers will also have the inside scoop on the secondhand or pre-owned market, as they prefer to call it. As recently launched yachts are almost bulletproof, they represent great resale opportunities.

After hearing your specific brief — whether for global circumnavigation or Mediterranean charter revenue — a broker will present the available options. They’ll fly to you in person or kick off discussions online.

On the buy side, a broker oversees all aspects involved in purchasing a luxury yacht. This includes sourcing the boat, negotiating the deal, surveying the project, and conducting due diligence. “At every stage, there will be experts involved in each field,” says Simon Goldsworthy, sales broker at Edmiston, who has sold more than 70 yachts. “But as the broker, you’re the main point of contact for the client throughout.”

When the contract is signed, the hard work begins. For example, sales brokers can advise buyers about ownership structures that protect their floating assets financially and legally. The largest yacht agencies, such as Edmiston, have multiple divisions that cover yacht insurance, management, crew placement, and charter services.

Rest assured that most sales brokers are total professionals. They are selling prime assets worth, in some cases, more than the most expensive private homes ever sold.

The best brokers are well remunerated. If they sell a pre-owned yacht from a major Dutch shipyard for $100 million, their commission is Wall Street–worthy. If they manage the sale process for a $500 million build at Lürssen, which manufactures the industry’s largest yachts for the likes of music mogul David Geffen and fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg, their fees are astronomical.

How Do You Choose an Honest Broker?

A large white luxury yacht cruises through deep blue ocean water, creating a trail of white waves behind it under a clear sky. — Chartered by the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Trending is a 164-foot yacht with new water toys, chefs trained in a Michelin-starred kitchen, and a beautiful sky lounge.

“A first-time buyer should ideally start by asking their yacht-owning friends which broker they used,” says Benjamin Bensahel, head of Sales and Brokerage for the U.S., Europe, and Middle East for Camper & Nicholsons. Buying a first yacht can be a steep learning curve, so you require a trustworthy broker to hold your hand.

Online research comes next. “Understand who the company is, for how long they’ve been around, and what type of market they operate in,” continues Bensahel.

Your choice of broker comes down to experience and transparency. “A good broker is someone who listens to your needs and is not afraid to tell you when something doesn’t make sense,” concludes Bensahel.

What Does Each Brokerage House Specialize In?

“If you’re looking for a very specific type of yacht,” says Bensahel from Camper & Nicholsons, for example, a swift midsize boat from Azimut, or a vintage gentleman’s yacht from Feadship, “you might want to talk to a certain specialist.”

All the big yacht brokerages purvey a similar roster of opulent yachts. Within that mix, each agency has its sector specialization.

For example, in Monaco, Moravia Yachting is renowned for facilitating discreet purchases of royal yachts, which often pass from one ruling family to another.

In Fort Lauderdale, Moran is adept at matching buyers and sellers for high-profile purchases involving the world’s largest private vessels.

What Type of Yachts Can I Buy Today?

A large white luxury yacht anchored in calm blue water, featuring a slide leading from the upper deck into the sea. Several jet skis are lined up at the rear, and a red flag is flying from the yacht’s stern. — La Mirage features a waterslide as one of its new toys.

The yacht market is like a billionaire’s candy store. Every type of boat, in every size, shape, marque, and color, is available for immediate purchase. Some yachts boast internal waterslides. Others feature cryotherapy chambers and Nemo rooms, which are secret underwater viewing pods. Many boats are powered by low-impact diesel engines. Others by sail or alternative fuels. Truly, the world is your oyster.

Approximately 10,000 luxury yachts measuring more than 75 feet exist today. Around 15% of this pre-owned fleet — that’s around 1,500 yachts in total — are on sale, whether overtly or covertly. Your yacht broker can showcase a selection based on your exacting brief.

What If I Don’t Like Any of the On-Sale Yachts?

The positive news is that alongside these pre-owned boats, the 100 or so top shipyards constantly have around 600 new-build yachts under construction. Some are custom projects that a serious owner commissions. But many more are currently being built speculatively as they await a buyer.

The most common yachts available are, naturally, in the most popular size range. These are 80-foot to 160-foot motorboats with four to six cabins and a large toy garage. The overwhelming majority are built by shipyards in Italy and Turkey, respectively, the world’s first- and second-largest yacht manufacturing nations.

What Are the Biggest Differences Between New-Build and Pre-Owned Yachts?

Modern yacht deck with white cushioned seating, wooden table, and steps leading to a glass-walled interior. Blue and white accent pillows decorate the seating area. Ocean and sky are visible in the background. — Benetti’s Alpha Waves offers spacious interiors, an infinity pool, and a Jacuzzi.

The first difference is lead time.

“For established shipyards, such as Benetti, Sanlorenzo, or Feadship,” says Bensahel from Camper & Nicholsons, “there’s at least two to four years’ wait” for a new order to be delivered. By contrast, a pre-owned yacht can be delivered directly after the sales process is complete, a duration generally between two and four months.

The second difference is price.

“In most cases, the boat will have depreciated,” adds Bensahel, “so a pre-owned yacht will usually cost less than a new-build price.” Just as a two-year-old Range Rover will be less expensive than a brand-new model.

How Do I Know I Am Buying at the Best Possible Price?

A luxurious yacht deck with modern white sofas, a wooden table, sun loungers, and shaded canopies overlooks calm blue water and a lush, green hillside. — Lady A charter rates start at approximately $769,800 weekly.

Two words: data analysis. Each brokerage house draws upon publicly available data from sources such as Yatco and BoatPro. These statistics include fuel usage, capital depreciation, average weeks on the sales market, cruising records, and the like. Brokers can analyze these hard facts to help make data-driven decisions, turning guesswork into science.

“At Edmiston,” says Goldsworthy, “being the market leader means we have a huge amount of data available to us on the prices that yachts have sold for previously.”

In 2024, around 300 pre-owned yachts over 90 feet were brokered worldwide. The savviest brokers mined the data to give their clients a competitive advantage. A good brokerage house can create an exacting market landscape for a specific type of yacht, such as a fast Italian-built yacht in the 100-foot range, built within the last five years. That way, a buyer knows the prices are correct.

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