In this October Market Insights episode, Sue is joined by Andrew Fairbrass from Berthon Spain to discuss the global yacht market as the team returns from the Annapolis Boat Show. Across all Berthon offices, activity remains steady, but the way buyers are engaging, researching, and making decisions continues to evolve. The conversation explores changing buyer behaviour, the challenges facing yacht manufacturers, and what’s driving momentum across new yacht sales, brokerage, and refit sectors as 2025 heads toward its final quarter. This month’s insights: 1. The day of the boat show is waning. With more localised events, digital walkthroughs, and access to detailed online specifications, most buyers are viewing, assessing, and deciding outside traditional exhibition settings. The autumn shows have seen busy docks and halls, but fewer committed buyers as organisers prioritise visitor numbers over qualified clients. 2. Multihulls are hot. Interest continues to rise, led by production models linked to charter opportunities. Alongside these, there is strong demand for semi-custom, well-engineered, high-quality designs offering performance, comfort, and long-range capability. These are yachts that combine speed, seakeeping, and liveability, true bluewater cruisers appealing to experienced sailors and newcomers alike. 3. New yacht sales remain challenging. Long-standing American builder Catalina announced the suspension of production – a significant indicator of wider pressures in the sector. Rising costs, cautious buyers, and stock overhangs have slowed the pace of new orders. More announcements of this kind are expected into 2026. 4. Production yacht and motor yacht builders are struggling to reduce stock levels. As 2025 draws to a close, unsold stock remains high, a concern as unsold boats cross into a new model year. Many manufacturers are expected to delay or scale back production rather than discount heavily, in order to preserve pricing integrity. 5. Refit and service demand remains strong at the top end. Berthon’s service and refit operation in Palma has a full order book stretching into 2026, largely from yachts 100 feet and above. However, activity in the 60–100 foot range has slowed, impacted by high berthing costs and market hesitation. Palma’s berth prices have begun to soften again after sharp increases last year, and brokers are now negotiating attractive winter deals to keep yachts local. 6. Buyer confidence remains fragile. Levels of buyer remorse are high, with some clients stepping back at the final moment. Global uncertainty and economic caution are feeding a wait-and-see approach, particularly among first-time buyers and those upgrading into larger yachts. Brokers across all offices report that their role now involves more reassurance, education, and managing expectations throughout the process. 7. Market sentiment expects prices to fall, but stability continues. Some buyers remain convinced that brokerage prices will drop sharply over the winter, but this appears unlikely. The price delta between new and brokerage yachts remains wide, and builders are far more likely to slow or pause production than to sell below cost. For now brokerage values are holding steady, with well-presented, sensibly priced yachts still finding serious buyers. Across the group, the message is consistent: while confidence wavers and decision-making takes longer, the market remains active, disciplined, and value-driven. Multihulls are a clear growth story, refit work continues strongly at the large-yacht end, and owners who price realistically are seeing results. The final months of 2025 look set to close on a stable footing, as the yacht industry continues to balance global caution with a steady appetite for quality and adventure afloat. Send us a text
