Report: How Many Yachts Were Sold This Year?

“There are people that say owning a yacht is a frivolous, excessive expenditure of money that could be spent on other more worthwhile endeavors. That couldn’t be further from the truth! A yacht allows you to make memories you never dreamed possible. You cannot place a value on the look on your kid’s face when he reels in his biggest fish or the uninterrupted time spent with your family outside of cell phone range, those moments are priceless.” – Peter Schmidt, Founder of United Yacht Sales

Truer words have never been spoken. If there was one positive thing to come out of the last 2 years, it’s that more people enjoyed boating and boat ownership than ever before. With a rise in high-income individuals, along with disposable income, boating is expected to continue to grow at a rate of 4.7% annually through 2030.

With the influx of new boaters in 2020 and 2021, the yacht brokerage market saw depleted pre-owned inventory nationwide in 2022. According to the industry’s MLS service, there were 16% less pre-owned yachts sold in 2022 than in 2021 in the U.S. market (37k+ vs. 45k+)

United Yacht Sales is pleased to report that, while the overall volume of yachts sold by our brokers decreased in 2022 compared to last year, total gross sales increased 6.5% to the highest in company history. “We’ve always been a company proud to sell any size boat from 20 to 200-feet,” said Brian Boettler, CEO of UYS. “Much of the revenue growth we saw this past year came in the form of selling larger, more expensive boats. Our average deal price in 2022 was 52% higher than 2021 and 83% higher than 2020. We attribute this success in a challenging market to our commitment to our yacht brokers in the form of multiple support teams, which frees them up to provide a high level of customer service to their clients.”

2022 Highlights:

LARGEST BOAT SOLD (IN SIZE & DOLLARS) BY UNITED YACHT SALES

United Yacht Sales broker Juan Morillo sold the largest boat out of our entire team in 2022. “CLOUD 9” is a 2021 62-Meter (201-feet) Steel Motoryacht built by the Sanlorenzo Yachts shipyard. CLOUD 9 can accommodate up to 12 guests in a full luxury setting that features an infinity pool, beach club, expansive staterooms, and more with a crew of 14. The asking price at the time of sale was $64 million.

TOP UNITED YACHT SALES BROKER – IN DOLLARS

Juan Morillo also had the distinction of winning the Top Broker recognition for most dollars sold in 2022. Juan, also known as ‘The Yacht Whisperer‘ on YouTube (one of his walk-through videos above), travels extensively throughout Europe and Asia for his clients, often visiting many shipyards to check in on a yacht being built or to discuss the builder’s future plans. In addition to CLOUD 9, Juan had several other brokerage cruising boats sold in the year (including a 161′ MondoMarine Superyacht) and is the brand representative in Miami for Solaris Yachts. Congratulations, Juan!

TOP UNITED YACHT SALES BROKER – IN UNITS SOLD & LISTINGS

Congratulations to Dennis Demole, the top yacht broker in 2022 in number of boats sold and highest number of listings. Dennis sold 26 boats in total, of which he professionally represented both the buyer and seller 18 times. With more than 35 years selling boats, Dennis has seen it all when it comes to what to expect in the purchase or sales process. Well done, Dennis!

RUNNER-UP FOR TOP YACHT BROKER

Coming in a close 2nd place for Top Yacht Broker of 2022 was Greg Graham, a veteran when it comes to listing high-end sportfishing boats. As a well-known captain and Ocean Reef Club member, you can often find Greg at the top of the United Yacht Sales leader board and has taken home the honor in recent years. 2022 was still a stellar year for Greg whose list of sold boats included a Viking 92 Enclosed Bridge, a 64′ Custom Carolina (sold twice), 2021 Princess 66′, several more used Viking Yachts, and a handful of other fishing boats.

SMALLEST BOAT SOLD IN 2022

At United Yacht Sales, we know that you can have an amazing day on a boat no matter how big or expensive it is. Perhaps you just need a tender sold as a new one comes in. Whatever the case, we have agents on our team that don’t shy away from selling boats under $100,000. Yacht broker Colin Scott has the honors this year of selling the smallest boat, a 1997 Pro Sport 16′ fishing boat.

MOST POPULAR BOAT OF 2022

With so many incredible boats listed in 2022, it’s hard to imagine that a 60-foot Striker built in the late 70’s would beat out all of the amazing sportfish and motor yachts. But this isn’t your ordinary boat. “SEAFOOD” is the same boat used in the popular movie Caddyshack! United Yacht Sales specializes in the sale of culturally popular boats. After going viral, the listing has been viewed over 35,000 times on our website and over 1 million times on social media.

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?