The diversity of the superyacht market can be overwhelming. Considerations such as, where and how am I intending to cruise, how many people do I want onboard, how fast and/or economical do I want to be, do I intend to be onboard for extended spells, will I be working onboard, what features are important to me, will I be spending more time indoors or outdoors; all these factors, and more, have a major bearing on the suitability of any given yacht for your lifestyle.

We are able to guide with precision based on your preferences, but nothing will substitute spending a week or longer on a yacht that fits your initial brief. This is without question the best way to determine which factors are most important to you, and likely to provide increased clarity as to where and how you tend to spend most of your time, thus influencing layout considerations, amongst other variables.

One of the benefits of the yacht market is that plenty of the yachts for charter are also directly available for sale.

The first and most fundamental decision to make. If you are here and reading, you’ve likely already made it. The difference in experience offered by the two is so marked, and tends to elicit such strong views withing the yachting world, it almost doesn’t do either yacht type justice to compare them side by side.

Sailing yachts allow for the ability to cruise without any engines running, solely powered by the wind. Aside from the serenity of doing so, this has astronomical effects on overall fuel consumption.

Higher performance sailing yachts also provide access to competing in some of the well-known and highly celebrated yachting regattas all over the world, along with the fabulous social scene that goes with them.

Motor yachts typically offer greater onboard space and more direct cruising.

Amongst the circa 150 yards worldwide specialising in the build of >30 metre yachts, their offerings can be split into custom, semi-custom, or line production series.

Pedigree plays a key role here, as the quality of the build of your yacht has knock-on effects on maintenance costs, insurance costs, and ultimate resale value.

The Dutch and German yards have a well-earned reputation for building best in class, fully custom and semi-custom yachts over 50 metres. Builders such as Lürssen & Feadship, Abeking & Rasmussen, Amels/Damen, Heesen, Oceanco and Royal Huisman command a justifiable premium both in the new build and second-hand markets.

Italian builders such as Benetti, Codecasa and Baglietto also have an excellent history of delivering high quality semi-custom and fully custom >30 metre yachts, whilst manufacturers such as San Lorenzo, Custom Line and Ferretti focus their efforts on beautifully designed line production yachts.
Italy also has somewhat of a monopoly on high performance planing and open vessels, with manufacturers such as Pershing, Riva and Mangusta amongst those leading the field in this space.

Meanwhile, the Turkish yards, such as Bilgin and Turquoise, have seen their reputations flourish as builders of semi-custom and fully custom yachts, delivering high quality vessels at a comparatively attractive price point.
Chartering yachts and visiting boat shows can help highlight the differences in build quality, the styles and layouts favoured by various builders, and how much each aligns with your own.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The layouts and design of yachts are as varied and eclectic as the worlds of their proud owners. Having a clear sense of your own preferences goes a long way in shrinking the pool of potential candidates.

Line production yachts are, by default, designed to appeal to a wider audience. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Decades of experience has gone into fine-tuning and improving the uses of space to best deliver for the fashion in which the majority of their owners, friends and families enjoy their time onboard. The same largely applies to the semi-custom space. Fully custom yachts will have been designed for a specific individual, and as such, may have a layout and additional features that you either find absolutely superb and essential or totally redundant.

The starting point for any discussion is how many cabins, what kind of configuration, their size, placement within the layout, and whether any flexibility is required. To give some perspective, in some yachts the difference between the master cabin and guest cabins is minimal, others feature full beam master cabins with private fold down balconies, whilst some may dedicate an entire owner’s deck. Some yachts may place a staff cabin directly adjacent to the master. Others may feature a VIP cabin that can split and convert into two guest cabins.

Do you need a gym space, a cinema room, a dedicated office, a sauna, a beach club, a pool, a helipad, an elevator, decks wide enough for wheelchair access? And how much of this is deliverable within budget – what are the priorities?

Some yachts prioritise external living over internal, with ample deck space for lounging, alfresco dining and naturally flowing access to the sea. Others may sacrifice some of this for a more voluminous interior. The larger the yacht, the more possibilities there are for delivering on both fronts.
The interior styling of the yacht, whilst important, and the more aligned it is with your own, the better, can always be rectified, and often is to varying degrees by incoming owners. However, there will be plenty of structural aspects that are beyond alteration. It is always advisable not to try and defy physics and opt for a general arrangement that is as close to your vision of perfection as possible.

You are likely to have heard of popular formulas used to determine how much a yacht will cost you to run annually, based on her purchase price. Whilst this may serve as a neat catch-all principle, it also risks running wildly off the mark.

The cost of your individual yacht will depend on a large host of factors, including but not limited to, where and how much you use her, your crew needs, anticipated cost of maintenance given age and build quality, and where she is moored.

For a far more realistic and accurate picture, we will guide having solved for the variables and on the basis of specific yacht candidates

One of the most popular and obvious ways to offset running costs is through chartering your yacht. This has the added benefits of keeping your crew engaged and active, and requiring your yacht to constantly be in turnkey condition.

This should not materially change your yacht search, beyond ensuring that the yacht already follows, or is able to follow, the regulations that are required in order to make her available for charter.

The factors that drew you to a specific yacht, such as her condition, layout and design, are the same as those that appeal to a charter audience. We can help ensure that she is equipped with a healthy selection of toys and is manned by a stellar crew, covering all bases to maximise her potential charter income.

Visit our Charter Management page for further detail on how we are able to assist in this regard.

The fun part.

Following our initial discussions, having identified precisely what you are looking for and what is most important to you, we go to work.

Using our vast network built up over decades in the business, we will provide you with a shortlist of the best candidates. This may include some publicly listed yachts should they meet your requirements, as well as off-market opportunities well known to us privately.

We will then arrange for live inspections. In all cases, we will already have vetted and visited any given yacht in advance of insisting you join us for a viewing. Not just highly advisable, we would say it is a prerequisite, to see the vessel in the flesh before making any form of offer. It also tends to be an enjoyable and informative part of the process.

Should the pre-owned market be unable to deliver to your precise requirements, you may wish to consider the new build option. Visit our Build page for more information.

Just like any home, you will want to make it yours. The degrees to which you may want to chop, change and imprint can vary widely. You may have bought a yacht that is so in keeping with your own tastes, that all is left to do is to deliver some fresh linens and have some of your own artwork put up. It may be the case that the layout of the yacht is perfect, but the interiors need a full overhaul. Perhaps the exterior areas need some attention to bring them up to scratch.

Or it may well be the case that you have taken on a project, with a vision.
We have project managed with some of the top shipyards, naval architects and interior designers in the industry, and are able to deliver on time and within budget, whatever the scale and scope of works required.

Visit our Refit page for further information.