16. Inside the Market - Yacht Sales Insights & Trends for March 2026 - Berthon International Yacht Brokerage

March brings a complex backdrop for the yachting industry, with global uncertainty continuing to influence buyer confidence and decision-making. In this episode of Inside the Market, we take a closer look at the yacht brokerage landscape as it stands heading into the spring season.

Joining the discussion are Sue Grant and Tim Carbury, who share Berthon’s Top 7 Yacht Sales Insights for March 2026. This episode also marks a transition within the business, as Tim prepares to take over leadership of the sales group, with Sue stepping away after many years at the centre of Berthon’s brokerage activity.

Across the market, conditions remain mixed. The new yacht sector is currently flat, with a noticeable slowdown in buyer activity. Rising build costs and wider economic pressures are leading some buyers to delay decisions, while others are shifting their focus towards brokerage yachts, where the gap in value between new and second-hand vessels has widened significantly.

In contrast, the brokerage market continues to show steady activity. Sales are completing across a range of sectors, particularly in larger yachts and well-presented, recent listings. While enquiry levels vary by region, there is a consistent flow of transactions, supported by both new listings coming to market and committed buyers who are prepared to move forward when the right opportunity presents itself.

Pricing and negotiation remain central to the current landscape. Buyers are approaching deals carefully and often making firm offers, but there is a clear willingness to proceed when agreements are reached. This has created a relatively balanced environment, where neither buyers nor sellers hold a decisive advantage.

There are also differences in sentiment across the industry. While parts of the new yacht sector are experiencing more challenging conditions, the brokerage market remains active and responsive. As discussed in the episode, understanding these distinctions and responding accordingly is key to navigating the current environment.

At the same time, some buyers continue to monitor the market rather than commit immediately, often waiting for greater clarity around geopolitical and economic conditions. However, as the conversation highlights, purchasing decisions in yachting are frequently driven by personal timelines as much as external factors, and interest in yacht ownership remains consistent.

As ever, the fundamentals remain unchanged. Well-maintained yachts, realistic pricing, and clear market positioning continue to determine which yachts sell and which remain available.

Key Points

• The new yacht market is currently flat, with some buyers delaying decisions or moving into brokerage due to rising build costs.
 • Brokerage activity remains steady, particularly in larger yachts and recent, well-presented listings.
 • New listings are entering the market, with a mix of discretionary and necessary sales.
 • Buyers are negotiating firmly but are following through when deals are agreed.
 • Market sentiment varies across sectors, with brokerage remaining more active than new build.
 • Some buyers are monitoring conditions closely before committing, influenced by wider geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
 • Strong pricing, good presentation, and proper service history remain critical to achieving a successful sale.

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

SPEAKER_00 0:33

Hello, this is Sue Grant and Tim Carberry from Berthon and we're doing the top seven yacht insights for March in 2026. So this will be the last insights that I do because Tim is taking over the helm of the Berthon Sales Group and I'm going to push off and go and be in the garden. So hopefully, Tim, you're looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

I'm looking forward to it to see, yeah. Thank you very much. Lots to do and big shoes to fill, but um yeah, excited by the challenge and the future that lies ahead for us in Berthon.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Yeah, no, I think it's all looking good. So as far as insights are concerned for March, of course, uh we live in interesting times, and uh the news is the news. Whilst all that plays out, we carry on being focused on our marketplace and reading the market. In our international meeting for in which we discussed uh these insights, there's certainly some differences across the territories, but the basic themes seem to be quite common. And so these are the takeaways. New yacht yacht market is flat, and we're starting to see numbers of redundancies as large new yacht distributors cut overhead, um, acknowledging the fact that buyers of new yachts are setting on their hands and either waiting it out or turning to the brokerage market. I mean that's for sure the case, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 1:58

Yeah, absolutely. I mean I think everything that's happening around the world and also the increased costs in fuel and materials is definitely making people nervous, and the yards are feeling this for sure.

SPEAKER_00 2:09

Yeah, and their prices have have have risen exponentially, you know, sort of 30-40%, and uh there is now a massive delta between uh new and second hand. Now, despite that, the larger brokerage market is solid and there are reasonable numbers of uh sales closing, not just with us, but uh across the market, and the activity is encouraging.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Yeah, I mean we're seeing that we're we're getting new listings. Um there are people out there that are now wanting to sell, uh, in some sad cases needing to sell. Uh as a result, the the brokerage market seems to be strong, and importantly, there are buyers out there willing to commit, potentially looking for deals but not unreasonable deals. I think is it a fine balance between whether it's a stronger market at the moment for the seller or the buyer, so we're not seeing outrageously low offers, but we are seeing sellers that are willing to accept these offers.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

Yeah, I mean you've come to us from Parma and from Moravia and before that Fraser, and it's certainly we are seeing in that sort of 30 to 50 uh meter segment, we're seeing boats are closing.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, yeah. I mean, when I left Palmer just a few weeks ago, uh it had been a difficult wind, so we'd had horrible weather, but uh we were starting to see once the school holidays were done, people had finished their skiing trips, that they were starting to focus on the season ahead, and and I was noticing personally a significant uplift in the market.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

Yeah, yeah. So all though all the other segments that we deal with, you know, for quality brokerage listings, cruising power and performance, they're moving, and of course, as ever, it's recent yachts who are finding a ready market, and that of course, in part, is because people who would have gone new are now going newer secondhand uh because of the price delta and assuming that people are looking after their boats. And um we see here in the UK, particularly with um motorboats, we're very good at high quality, says she arrogantly, motorboat segment in the UK, and it has to be recent, she has to have a full service history, she has to be not a problem. So, particularly in Italy, things are looking quite flat, but there are people who are choosing to buy, but they're making hard offers. But on the other hand, if the seller says yes, they're following through.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

Yeah, yeah. I mean the the buyer that would have been for a a new build boat obviously has the budget for what they would have been, so obviously they then have the budget for a good brokerage boat, but that budget means that they're maybe not necessarily going for a production Italian boat and they have the money for a higher quality northern European brokerage boat.

SPEAKER_00 5:31

Yeah, yeah, no, I think that's absolutely true. I think that's absolutely true. Um, there are those in our industry who are talking the market down, and um, it's not surprising, particularly if you're involved in new yachts, and that must be quite dispiriting. However, our market is a market, so it's important to read the current trends, um, but activity is occurring, and I think it's about being nimble and it's about listening to what the market's telling you, don't you think?

SPEAKER_01 6:01

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think you do speak to brokers who are saying times are tough, but like you say, it depends where they are and what sector of the market they're targeting. Um, but yeah, from what we're seeing, the market's good, we're signing great listings and we're and we're doing deals.

SPEAKER_00 6:19

Yeah, yeah. We're dealing with some buyers who are interested in purchase, but they don't want to commit until there's more visibility on the uh current stuff that's going on in the Middle East and elsewhere around the world. But what I think is that as a business we're very used to waiting for three years for somebody to make a decision because of their life plan and la la la. But I don't think that they're looking and not buying. I think they're looking and not buying just yet.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I think whatever whatever time of the year or that period is, people still want boats. They and so whether it's COVID, whether it's a pandemic, whether it's a war, I think there's always gonna be something that puts people off and they can find excuses for, but I think if people want a boat, they want a boat and they will buy a boat.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

Yeah, and the reality is that if you're looking for a boat because you've got kids who are going to university in a year's time and you want to have an adventure before they go, or you've decided as a family that you're gonna spend more time in the Mediterranean or whatever it's going to be, whatever is happening in the Middle East or Ukraine or whatever, um, your timeline is kind of limited by what's happening in your life. Yeah, it's and and we only come this way once. Yeah. So, um, so essentially I think that uh Berthon's really lucky to be working in the brokerage sales market and to be yacht brokers who also sell new yachts because we're able to give an honest and accurate picture of the market for our clients, and I think it also keeps us a bit sane.

SPEAKER_01 8:04

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, yeah, Solaris and Pegasus, we can obviously do new boats, but our bread and butter seems to be the brokerage market, and that keeps us going, and yeah, whilst we're always very keen to sell a new boat, um, then yeah, the brokerage market is our sort of cornerstone of the business, and and we seem to be doing very well.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

Yeah, and it and and it means that we know what's actually going on.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

Yeah, yeah, that's a great insight. We can get the feel from buyers and sellers. Um, and as I mentioned earlier, I I think it's a fairly neutral playing ground at the moment for both.

SPEAKER_00 8:39

Yeah, I think that's right. So um good luck, Tim, and um I'm gonna miss the team, but I'm gonna hugely enjoy keeping chickens and buying a floppy hat. And uh next time uh one of these are done by Berthen, it will be Tim and not me. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 8:55

Yeah, thanks, Sue. Uh you will be missed, but I know you'll not be far away.