20. Inside the Market - Yacht Sales Insights & Trends for May 2026 - Berthon International Yacht Brokerage

Inside the Market: Yacht Sales Insights & Trends for May 2026 | Berthon International Yacht Brokerage

In this episode of Inside the Market, Hugh Rayner is joined by Ben Hitchen to discuss the latest trends, activity and observations from across the international yacht brokerage market.

Drawing on conversations with Berthon's teams in the UK, Sweden, Spain and the USA, Hugh and Ben explore what they are seeing on the ground as the season gains momentum and buyers return to the market.

After a quieter start to the year, May has brought a noticeably more positive tone. Viewings have increased, enquiry levels are improving, and there is growing activity across the core brokerage sector. However, buyers remain selective, with condition, presentation and realistic pricing continuing to play a critical role in determining which yachts attract serious interest.

As Hugh explains, "there is a lot of really encouraging activity across our core brokerage space, but the boats still have to be well-presented yachts and realistically priced for the market."

The discussion covers Berthon's Top 7 Yacht Sales Insights for May 2026, including:

• The continued resilience of the brokerage market between €300,000 and €400,000
• Strong demand for quality cruising yachts such as Hallberg-Rassys, Sweden Yachts, Southerlys and smaller Oysters
• Why good listings remain in short supply
• The importance of realistic pricing and presentation
• Increased viewings and buyer engagement during the latter part of the month
• Activity levels across Scandinavia and the wider European market
• The challenges currently facing larger yachts above 65 feet
• How buyers are approaching value and condition in today's market

Ben also shares his experience of increased demand for quality cruising yachts, noting that there remains "a decent amount of interest in the well-regarded quality boats" and that viewings, walk-ins and enquiries have all increased as the season progresses.

The conversation explores how the market is rewarding owners who are realistic about pricing, while boats that are overpriced or poorly presented continue to struggle for attention. Hugh reflects on the impact of recent price adjustments, explaining that even small corrections have resulted in direct enquiries and renewed buyer interest.

The episode also looks at regional differences, particularly the continued strength of the Scandinavian market, where healthy levels of activity, new listings and steady sales continue to provide positive signals.

As the discussion concludes, both Hugh and Ben reflect on a market that feels more active than it did earlier in the spring. Serious buyers remain present, particularly in the core cruising yacht sector, but they are informed, selective and looking for genuine value.

For yacht owners considering selling, buyers looking to enter the market, or anyone interested in the current state of international yacht brokerage, this episode provides a useful snapshot of what Berthon's brokers are seeing across the market in May 2026.

Host: Hugh Rayner
Guest: Ben Hitchen

Transcript

0:00

Good afternoon, everybody. This is Hugh Raynor from Berthon International, and I'm joined by Ben Hitchin. We are here to regale you of May's insights in our yacht sales sector. So this is a monthly uh look into what we think is hot and what's not during the year, and we have to confess that we didn't press record on the one that we did last week. So this will be slightly second hand, but we'll give it as best ago as we can for you. So our feeling is that uh we've had some absolutely cracking weather here in the UK uh over the last week. It has been heat-wave tastic, and certainly that has led to uh steadier uh and certainly a much more positive tone across uh a lot of our offices. The boys up in Sweden are super busy uh uh at their desks on listings as well as boat sales. I've been here working uh in the office over this weekend, and yesterday was wall-to-wall viewings, which was brilliant. But what we're finding here is that the larger yacht market sector is uh moving a little bit more cautiously. Uh, there is a lot of really encouraging activity across our sort of core brokerage space, um, but the boats still have to be well presented yachts and realistically priced for the market. So across the UK, Scandinavia, Spain, and the USA, buyers are remaining selective in what they're looking at, but the serious clients that are there are still making decisions when the right yacht comes to the market. So, Ben, do you want to go with insight number one for me? Yeah, absolutely. So, we're starting that we're seeing a resilience in the brokerage market, um, particularly, particularly between 300,000 and 400,000 euros, looking mostly at the well-regarded cruising lot yachts of uh you know the Rassies and Sweden yachts, southerlies and so on. Um, for me personally, uh there's been a decent amount of interest in the two bowmans um that we've listed. One's going under offer quite quickly, and the other one you know viewing on viewing on viewing, which is quite nice to see. Uh, there's obviously that demand for those well-regarded quality boats, um, even if they are slightly older. And yeah, generally with the heat wave, definitely viewings uh have increased. Um, a lot more walk-ins, which is nice to see. Um, a lot more inquiries coming through. Uh, I don't know if well for me anyway, it'd been a little bit quiet until about two or three weeks ago when it's really started to pick up, which it which has been really nice to see. Um, I think, yeah, as you say, Scandinavia is getting lots of listings going on, um, lots of traction happening over there, um, which seems to be a bit of a pattern of the year so far, really. They seem to always be quite strong when sometimes it's been a little bit quieter over this side of the pond. Yeah, I think I think that's true. I think certainly I look after the sort of the Motor yacht side of it over here, and we've had two completions in the last week. Uh, one of them was quite protracted, was long term, but was a very uh defined kind of class of boat with a an owner moving out of his sailboat into a motor boat, slightly different reasons, family, etc. etc. But yeah, certainly a lot more market activity. And today I've had two good listing inquiries and uh one on a 60-foot boat and one on a 45-foot boat. So there's a bit more coming coming through the door, and um, yeah, I think generally talking to other guys who are out in the brokerage um industry, it's been relatively quiet. Um, the customer has very high demands on their expectations on what they get from the boat, from the service, from the brokerage, all the rest of it. So it's very much being at the top of your game, um, making sure that the boats are really well presented and correctly priced as much as possible. And certainly these small price corrections that um I'm dropping in, um, certainly on the last two boats that we've corrected over the last four or five days have resulted in direct inquiries on that. So, point two kind of deals with this. So, this is our second insight for this month that that good listings are still in relatively short supply uh across the board, and certainly looking at other kind of brokerage websites and all the rest of it, um, you can see that UK-wide. And uh, whilst um the the the Scandy market is certainly seeing a bit more activity, um, they need to be listing boats to be able to satisfy that demand. So um this means that the the the at the uh the spotlight is on those well-presented boats that are coming quickly to the market, everyone's got their pings on their um uh desktops for when your new Southerly Discovery 55 or whatever comes on, but um owners are being you know relatively realistic on pricing and presentation and need to be to make their their boats kind of stand out against the rest of the market. Yeah, absolutely. And we're also seeing kind of on the other side of purchases, uh, they're being you know very specific about condition and what they're looking for. Um, pricing has to be right to get those inquiries in the first place. Um, they're getting better traction when when pricing is you know spot on, whereas even slightly overpriced boats are getting very minimal interest at all. So, yeah, condition uh being presented well and priced accordingly is is kind of what's driving really good inquiries. Uh, but anything that's you know maybe looking a little bit scraggy or might be slightly overpriced, yeah, understandably it is sitting a little bit at the moment. Yeah, no, no, sure, sure. Um, and and kind of point four that we've looked at is that the the large yacht market, there's this real sweet spot in the middle at the moment of that sort of 45 to kind of 55 foot mark is pretty good. You've got that Bowman going through at the moment. Um I've had a a really nice botany. I've got a good good inquiry here on a on a 65 that we've got here at the moment. Um, but but above that, the market is quite febrile, it's quite challenging. Um still getting kind of uh inquiries on stuff, but there are a few serious buys, it appears to us at the moment in that market. Uh, and and and definitely looking at what's kind of gone through the books recently, there's a slow conversion rate at that top end of the market, too. Yeah, I mean, yeah, coming back to Sweden and the Scandinavian market, I mean, they continue to provide some really positive signals with a really healthy level of activity with new listings coming on, steady sales. The strongest activity remains centred around practical cruising yachts uh rather than luxury projects. Um, it's kind of more functional boats seem to be the most of interest going back to you know your Rassis, your Sutherleys, and so on. Um, maybe less of the extreme, kind of more modern style boats. Yeah, and a little bit more of that that function and build quality uh that people are looking for. I think that reflects both the the sail side and certainly is what we're seeing on the motor stuff at the moment, the kind of the heavier built, slightly better depreciated, slightly older boats. Um, I was on your that lovely bowman that you you you you mentioned yesterday, and she is absolutely fantastic for a what is a nion kind of I guess coming out 30-year-old boat. She is in phenomenal, Nick. Um, and and um certainly last week I was out on a uh an Aquistar, uh one of our bigger sort of listings. There, we've got a beautiful 57 down there. Guy looking at the boat wants to take it around the UK. It was designed and built for its first owner who is a real experienced guy who wanted to do exactly the same thing. So it's quite a lot of serendipity in the market. Um but um yeah, I mean, certainly from my point of view, big increase in number of viewings, pretty good follow-up conversations. We've had an offer in this morning, which is pretty close. Um, and I think a lot of buyers have kind of been looking at the market, thinking it's a bit flat, and all the rest of it, and a bit of energy coming through from the better weather and all the rest of it, he says, looking out as the rain starts to fall. Um has kind of um uh uh projected a bit more um uh interest in the market. Certainly we've seen um an increase in in completed transactions, uh, and it feels a little bit more active than earlier in the spring when it was a little bit more a little bit more quiet. Um, so there's a sense generally that serious buyers are out there. Um when the uh yachts are uh priced accordingly, when they're presented accordingly, uh and when the vendors are realistic and um and and uh ready to sell. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, overall the market continues to reward realism, really. Um they are buyers are around. Um, I'd say uh, at least on my end, there's a lot of inquiries happening, um, not a lot of you know that that turning into offers at the moment. Um definitely an increase, but still you know, slightly slower on that front. Um, but yeah, overall, well presented again. Core cruising yachts um are kind of the the boat of attention at the moment. Yeah, and I think it'll be really interesting to see how we go through over the next kind of two to three months, um, as a lot of people have kind of done their buying for the season. But it's certainly the guys that were in yesterday, one of them had recently sold. Uh there are a lot of people still out there doing their research with boats that are still on the market, and their boats are holding them back from making those forward offers. So, hopefully, with a bit more enthusiasm, a bit more energy in the market, those boats are gonna move. That unlocks um uh the boats that we're working with them on here, and it's you know the great merry-go-round of the market. So, it's interesting times. Um, you know, this is May. Um, we'll see how we go through uh into June. Certainly, you know, beginning of the month, we had the Palmer Boat Show. It's a pretty good indicator of uh what's happening in the market, and I think it was fairly quiet generally. So a lot of brokers out there, a lot of people showing product, not as many buyers out there talking to the finance houses that are there at the moment, they're relatively slow for the time of year. Um, but um, you know, it's it's it's a market economy, it all depends on how people are feeling uh and what's out there to buy. What do you reckon? Yeah, absolutely. So, I mean, we had the blue water cruising event here a couple of weekends ago, which is uh basically uh a number of boats who have done the arc come down, um, owners on board. Um, and it's just it's a day of talks with with people that have done the arc, uh looking at doing the arc um and looking at kind of blue water cruising boats. And while I do think the numbers were slightly down on previous years, I did get a really positive feeling from everyone and everyone I was talking to, some really serious inquiries and and people interested in doing these things, which is really nice to see. Um and on on top of that, I'm having a lot of inquiries at the moment from people who have been out of boating for quite a while and actually are now starting to come back into it. So I know uh uh a chap I've been speaking to about purchasing a boat, uh, he's been out of the boat the uh boating uh kind of world for 13 years, and he's like, you know, life's kind of lined up now, and and I really want to get back into it when the weather's like it has been, or even last year, what a good year we had. Yeah, I do think there is some optimism in in that, uh, and it's nice to see people getting back into it or into it uh for the first time. There's a few of them going around as well for me. Yeah, no, absolutely, absolutely. I mean, yeah, the last couple of couple of deals that we've done, one yeah, coming out of a sailboat, the other guys, you know, first motorboat, let's go and enjoy it and see what see what's out there. And um, as long as we can offer that choice and all the rest of it and do it fairly proficiently. Hopefully, people will keep going boating. That's what we need. Along with more sun, more sun, more sun, more sun, anyway. Uh, hope that's useful for you. Uh, that's our May Insights. Uh, we'll join you again soon for June. It's a pleasure. Thank you very much. All the best. Cheers. Bye. Uh, so much easier, second time around. Yeah, I was gonna say that one went quite a bit better than the last one, I think.