Yacht Sales & Market Report: Are Prices Coming Down?

Is it a buyer's market? A seller's market? Are there more boats available than there are buyers? Are prices going down? The conversations surrounding buying or selling a yacht in the summer of 2025 are all over the place. "There's an assumption out there that because the housing market has more inventory than the last few years that the yacht market is following suit, but it's just not the case," said Jeff Palmer, President of United Yacht Sales.

The technology-based real estate company Redfin released a report in May that said there were currently 34% more people selling their homes than active buyers in the marketplace. Is it the same with yachts?

We took a sample of 10 of the largest yacht brokerage firms in the United States and narrowed down our criteria to just boats in the U.S., pre-owned yachts for sale only, and an asking price of over $500,000. We compared these numbers to listing levels a year prior. Currently the number of listings at these 10 sample brokerages are down 10% compared to the same time in 2024 and down 11% compared to just 6 months ago.

What does this mean for you as a yacht owner?

While it may not be as active of a market as several years ago, boats are still selling, especially well-maintained, late-model yachts with good service records. There is less competition on the market than the previous year, if you've been thinking about selling your yacht, it's still a good time to list it!

If you're considering selling your yacht, contact us today by calling our main office at (772) 463-3131, fill out our website form, or email us at marketing@unitedyacht.com. With 250 professional yacht brokers, we have the perfect agent for you that specializes in your type of vessel.

(Video Below: This 2009 Marquis 500 Sport Coupe just came on the market and can be purchased for less than $600,000.)

ARE THE PRICE OF YACHTS COMING DOWN?

When you list your yacht with United, we do a comprehensive evaluation of our own database of sold boats, look at the reported sales by other brokerages in the industry, and do a deep dive into what's on the market today. Between our network of brokers and our proprietary online forum, advice from the team is only a click away, as well. Every owner listing their boat with United has a team of people behind them, whether it be connecting with another broker's buyer in our network, marketing support, our in-house listing team, or our highly experienced closing department.

In keeping with the same criteria of pre-owned yachts over $500,000 in the U.S. only, 27% of all boats listed for sale received a price reduction in the last two months. On average, there are 100 price reductions every week right now using this same criteria.

"If priced right and in good condition, your boat is likely going to sell in a reasonable amount of time and for close to what you are asking," continued Jeff. "We've had several substantial yachts go under contract fast, like Brad Newman's 2001 Hatteras 75. That motoryacht had an asking price of just under $1.2 million. It was in excellent condition, Brad's an excellent broker, and our marketing team got ahold of it. We were able to get a contract done and it's surveying shortly."

Look at the U.S. market entirely, boats sold in the last 30 days that were over $500,000 lasted 6 months on average before finally closing.

Our best recommendation: Talk to a reputable, experienced broker. Ask for references for the types of yachts he or she has sold in the past. Allow them to give you a range of what they think your yacht could sell for, along with the expected time on market.

(Image below: This 75-foot motor yacht recently went under contract in less than 6 months. United sells many Hatteras Yachts.)

hatteras 75 motor yacht sold by united broker

ARE BOATS STILL SELLING?

While exact reporting on total pre-owned sales doesn't exist in our industry, there are various MLS databases that can give you some trends. United reported back in April that boat deals were already up by 25% compared to the previous year. How have they held up since then? Here are the numbers from the largest industry MLS:

(*Criteria: Pre-owned boats only, in the U.S., over $500,000)

Industry-wide May 2025 Sales are 35% lower than May 2024
Industry-wide June 2025 Sales are 20% lower than June 2024
Industry-wide 2025 Sales are 25% lower overall than 2024 (January - June)

We have to comment that this data reflects a significant number of brokerages in the U.S. that are no longer reporting their sales to Yachtworld.com and have instead begun using Yachtr.com. The percentage drop is likely not as large as stated since there are now less boats being reporting in 2025 than in 2024.

"United Yacht Sales has comparable sales to 2024," said Jeff Palmer. "We know there is less inventory available which means there will be less sales, but our team is working hard and our outperforming the industry numbers. It's still a great time to list your boat for sale with less competition in the market."

GETTING YOUR BOAT READY TO LIST FOR SALE

If you've made the decision to move forward with selling your boat, there are a number of things you should do in order to maximize your opportunity. While the yacht broker you've chosen to list with should go over this with you, we've outlined a few suggestions to make the process work better for everyone:

Pro Tip: Get a pre-survey done. It's better to know beforehand if there is anything major you need to address.
De-clutter your boat just like you would prepare your home for market.
Spend the money to get it professionally detailed. If you can, time it right before your scheduled photo shoot.
Fix and/or replace any of the minor issues so buyers can sense how well-maintained your boat is.
Pull together all of your service records to show any upgrades you've done, as well as routine maintenance.
The Extra Mile: Ask your broker if they know a professional interior decorator to stage your yacht.
Location, Location: Consider moving your boat to a location that is more likely to get buyers.

Ask your United Yacht Sales broker for a marketing plan for your yacht. As a company that does not stock new boats or trades, our budget, focus, and commitment, is to getting our clients' listings sold quickly and for the highest dollar possible.

ABOUT UNITED YACHT SALES

United Yacht Sales has the world's largest network of boat buyers and sellers in the industry, thanks to our team of over 250 yacht brokers in 104 different locations. Whether buying a luxury boat or selling one, we have the right expert on staff to assist you in navigating the brokerage market for your type of yacht. If you're looking at selling a boat, there is no quicker way to get activity than listing it with United. Our entire team is immediately notified every time a listing agreement is made with United Yacht Sales and many boats are sold before they ever even make it online. Our support team is among the best in the industry at marketing your yacht. 100% of our marketing budget goes towards advertising our clients' listings, a claim not many other firms can make. To get started listing your yacht, fill out our online form What's My Yacht Worth?

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