Last year’s superyacht sales were still higher compared to any pre-pandemic year both on the brokerage and new build sides of the market.
2022 Summary
The number of transactions on the superyacht market in 2022 did not reach the record figures of 2021, yet substantially exceeded the results of any other previous year - 502. The sales were higher than in 2018-2020 in almost every size sector.
Among the most significant sales of the 2022 were Golden Odyssey (Lurssen, 123m), Carinthia VII (Lurssen 97m), Palladium (Blohm+Voss, 95m) and Tatoosh (Nobiskrug, 92m).
The 2022 holds a record in terms of new listings – 606 yachts were introduced to the market.
2022 Dynamics
The surge in demand and record sales of 2021 encouraged a lot of sellers to test the market with speculative asking prices. This provided an increase in new listings during Q1 2022 and supply outstripping demand for the first time over a year.
The political uncertainty since the Ukrainian crisis breakout led buyers to become more cost-conscious than ever. They kept looking for reasonably priced opportunities, including off-the-market yachts. The lack of reasonably priced offers and world events have understandably slowed the market during Q2-Q3.
Ahead of the autumn boat shows in Cannes, Monaco and Fort Lauderdale the brokerage market demonstrated another surge in the number of owners putting their yachts up for sale in August-September.
The last quarter of 2022 was especially notable for an unusually high number of price reductions in October-November, as many owners were seeking to close deals before the end of the year and ahead of any possible negative political and economical developments that may influence the market. The number of sales was slightly higher than in Q2-Q3, but still below the Q1 results.
2022 Trends
1. Average last asking price of brokerage yachts sold in 2022 was higher than in 2021.
2021: avg last asking price €11mln
2022: avg last asking price €13mln
2. With the market being very tight and the demand ever high there was a significant decrease in the average number of days yachts spent on the market in 2022 vs 2021. Good reasonably priced yachts were selling really fast.
3. The number of new orders in 2022 decreased in comparison to 2021, but still exceeded all previous years.
2021: 312 new build contracts
57% - 30-40m
5% - 80m+
2022: 202 new build contracts
51% - 30-40m
6% - 80m+
4. On the back of increased demand, many shipyards raised their new construction prices by 10-20%. As a result, a huge price gap can be seen between the new yachts and 10-15 years old brokerage yachts.
5. All the shipyards, including less promoted and relatively new to the market, have their order books stretched into 2026. Even builders of production GRP yachts are now selling slots with deliveries in 2025. Now it is especially important to be in contact with brokers to find good opportunities like projects on various stages of construction to cut delivery times.
6. Because of the increased demand and the heavy workload in the yards, contracts are now being concluded 6 to 18 months before the start of construction work (mostly for small and GRP yachts).
2023 Predictions
Though rising fortunes and increasing number of billionaires promise more buying force on the market, the global uncertainty and lack of supply are going to put some serious pressure on the sales in 2023. With the build slots completely sold-out for the next 2-3 years the new construction market is going to be very tight. Though we may of course see a number of distressed sales, owners are likely to remain stiff on their asking prices, not least because of the high replacement costs.
Pick of the market:
New Construction below 40m
Benetti Oasis 34M, delivery 2024. Asking price € 17,258,250
Azimut Grande 38 Tri-Deck, delivery 2023. Asking price € 22,000,000
Moonen 110, delivery 2023. Asking price € 17,000,000
Pick of the market:
Brokerage yachts 40-60m
Pick of the market:
Expedition yachts
Project Fox, 35m, Pendennis, delivery 2024. Asking price € 17,000,000
Sponsored by YT Partners
E. ask@yt.partners
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