Acquisition · Yachting
Superyachts for Sale: A Private Buyer's Brokerage
According to Passion Asset Advisory, independent acquisition advice means representing one side only under a written mandate confirmed before work begins. It sits alongside your wealth manager, never in place of them. A ‘do nothing’ recommendation is always a valid outcome.
What we help source
- Motor yachts: displacement, semi-displacement, and planing, sized to your cruising plans
- Sailing yachts: performance and classic, where the owner actually sails
- New-build opportunities: yard slots, specification guidance, and build supervision introductions
- Pre-owned yachts: where the first owner has already absorbed the depreciation
- Refit candidates: good bones at the right price, with refit exposure quantified before purchase
- Off-market vessels: owners who would sell quietly at the right number, reached through networks rather than listings
Which yacht builders do you work across?
Pedigree has a major effect on yacht pricing and resale. A hull's builder can shape its value for decades. Our mandates cover leading motor and sailing yards, from Northern European builders to Mediterranean yards and refit specialists.
- Northern European custom: Feadship, Lürssen, Oceanco, Amels, Heesen: the blue-chip tier, where build quality is the asset
- Italian custom & semi-custom: Benetti, Sanlorenzo, Baglietto, Riva: style-led pedigree with deep charter demand
- Production & performance: Azimut, Ferretti, Sunseeker, Princess: the liquid heart of the brokerage market
- Sail: Royal Huisman, Perini Navi, Nautor Swan: for owners who actually sail, pedigree and crew quality decide everything
No yard pays us, and a famous transom does not survive a bad survey: pedigree sets the starting expectation, condition sets the price.
How the yacht brokerage works: commissions explained honestly
What should a buyer weigh?
A yacht is an operating business with a hull. A sound decision must price the full ownership picture, not only the asking figure. We use survey findings, refit exposure, class and flag status, crew costs, and other operating costs to set the negotiation position.
- Size and layout: guest count, owner's deck, crew ratio, and how you actually entertain
- Range: Mediterranean season, transatlantic capability, or world cruising
- Charter potential: whether offsetting cost is realistic for this vessel, and what it does to wear and scheduling
- Crew: how many, at what annual cost, and how hard they are to retain on this layout
- Flag and classification: registration, compliance, and where the vessel can operate commercially
- Management: who runs the operation and what oversight you want
- Maintenance and refit history: what has been done, what is due, and what is deferred
Diligence before commitment
- Ownership verification, lien search, and clean title transfer
- Condition survey and sea trial with surveyors acting for your side
- Classification status and outstanding recommendations
- Charter history: revenue claims tested against records, not marketing
- Operating model: realistic annual running costs for crew, berthing, insurance, maintenance
Risks we help you avoid
- Buying the wrong yacht for actual usage: the world-cruiser that never leaves the Riviera, the day boat asked to cross oceans
- Overpaying for refit risk: "recently refitted" claims that survey contradicts, or deferred work priced as if done
- Weak operating assumptions: charter income projections and running-cost estimates that collapse in year one
- Public-market-only search: missing the well-kept vessel whose owner never listed it
FAQ
Buying a superyacht: your questions
How do you buy a superyacht without inheriting someone's problems?
Use a survey-first process. Complete a condition survey, sea trial, and class and flag review before agreeing the price. Review the refit history and operating costs. We compare these findings with the asking price and negotiate only for the buyer.
What does a pre-purchase yacht survey check?
A survey examines hull and structure, machinery and systems, electronics, tankage, and safety compliance, usually with a sea trial and engine-oil analysis. On larger yachts, class and flag status matter too. We commission surveyors who answer to you, not to the sale.
Can you find yachts that aren't on the brokerage portals?
Yes. Many of the best vessels sell quietly between owners and trusted brokers, never reaching the public portals. A buy mandate gives you access to those off-market yachts and new-build slots, with your identity kept out of the search until terms are agreed.
Should I buy a new-build or a pre-owned superyacht?
A pre-owned yacht is available sooner at a known price, and the first owner has absorbed the initial depreciation. A new build gives you the exact specification but adds a multi-year wait and build risk. Many buyers are better served by a well-surveyed pre-owned vessel or a late refit candidate. We compare that trade-off with your timeline and intended use.
Yachting
The right vessel is verified before it is loved.
Tell us how you will actually use the yacht. We source, survey, and negotiate and tell you plainly when a candidate does not deserve your money.
Compare superyacht brokers for buyers
Compare search coverage, survey coordination, legal and title support, negotiation, and the represented side.