Buying
How to Buy a Superyacht
Above 100 feet the process changes shape. Here is how.
8 min read · Updated
Buying a superyacht is not buying a larger boat. It is acquiring an operating asset with staff, certification, a compliance calendar and, usually, a corporate structure around it.
In short
How do you buy a superyacht?
Engage a buyer's broker and maritime counsel, define criteria and budget including running costs, review available and off-market inventory, make an offer subject to survey and sea trial with a deposit in escrow, complete technical and legal diligence covering class, flag and ownership, and close through an escrow agent with title transfer and registration.
Do I need a broker to buy a superyacht?
It is strongly advisable. The seller is represented, and the buyer without representation is conducting negotiation, technical diligence and legal review alone against professionals. Buyer's brokers are standard practice at this level.
What is the deposit on a superyacht purchase?
Around ten percent held in escrow on signing the memorandum of agreement is common practice, released or returned according to the survey acceptance terms agreed in the contract. The amount is a convention, not a legal requirement.
Assemble the team first
A buyer's broker, a maritime attorney, an independent surveyor and, for larger vessels, a technical advisor or superintendent. On yachts above roughly 130 feet, a management company should be identified before closing rather than after.
Instruct your own surveyor. A surveyor recommended by the selling side may be perfectly competent and is still not independent.
Understand the ownership structure
Most superyachts are held in a special purpose company. That structure affects tax, liability, financing and registration, and it means the transaction may be a share sale rather than an asset sale.
A share sale transfers the company's history along with the yacht — its liabilities, its contracts and its filings. The diligence is correspondingly broader, and it is a legal exercise your attorney leads, not your surveyor.
Class and flag
Class societies certify structural and machinery standards and maintain that certification on a survey cycle. Flag state determines the regulatory regime, manning requirements and, in some cases, the fiscal position.
Check both are current, and check specifically for outstanding conditions or recommendations. A yacht carrying open class conditions has known work due, and the cost of that work is a negotiating point.
The survey
A full out-of-water condition survey, a machinery survey with oil analysis, and a sea trial covering the full operating range rather than a harbour run. On larger vessels this takes days rather than hours and costs a meaningful sum.
The findings are your renegotiation lever. A survey that identifies significant work is not a reason to walk away automatically — it is information the seller now has to account for.
Crew
Crew contracts do not transfer automatically with the vessel. Retaining a captain and chief engineer who know the yacht is frequently valuable and should be raised early, because it affects both parties' planning and is awkward to introduce at closing.
Put this to use
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does buying a superyacht take?
Typically two to four months from agreed terms to closing, and longer where the ownership structure or financing is complex. Finding the right vessel usually takes longer than the transaction.
Can I negotiate after the survey?
Yes — that is the purpose of making the offer subject to survey. Findings are routinely used to renegotiate price or to require work before closing.
What is a memorandum of agreement?
The contract governing a yacht sale, commonly on an industry-standard form. It sets the price, the deposit, the survey acceptance period, the closing date and the condition in which the vessel is to be delivered.
Should I buy a charter yacht?
A charter yacht typically comes with commercial certification and thorough documentation, both genuine advantages, but has worked harder than a privately used vessel of the same age. Weigh the documentation against the hours.
Continue reading
How Much Does a Superyacht Cost?
Purchase price is the smaller question. Here is the whole picture.
The Yacht Purchase Process in the United States
Offer to closing, in the sequence it actually happens.
Yacht Survey and Sea Trial Explained
What each one covers, what it costs, and how to use the findings.