Owning a superyacht is an exclusive opportunity. There are currently just over 10,000 superyachts in the world with only 200-250 new builds delivered each year.
If you’re thinking of becoming the owner of a superyacht, you’ll notice that the yachting industry constantly writes and shares articles about fabulous yacht destinations, new model yachts and new yachts on the market, new toys and tenders and upcoming boat shows. There are so many obvious reasons why you will love owning a superyacht. However, something important to consider in your decision process is the real cost of owning one.
Some things to consider before deciding to purchase a superyacht:
Purchase Cost - New or used superyacht pricing varies widely based on the yacht size, age and other factors such as the builder, guest capacity, speed, range and more.
Operating Costs - 10% -15% of the purchase price is an estimate of annual operating costs, but the vast range of yacht size, operating location, and usage type will determine what your usage cost could really be.
Crew – Salary, payroll taxes, recruitment fees, uniforms, health insurance, food, and travel for vacation and repatriation are included in crew cost. You’ll have to consider the amount of crew you need and what caliber of service you’ll require.
Dockage – Dockage can be bought or rented. Rentals are priced per foot of the yacht’s full length and per night, although contract rates for longer periods may be available. Electricity, fresh water, and waste removal are all additional costs.
Fuel –The goal of yachting is traveling; thus you will be burning fuel. The faster you go, the more fuel you will burn. You can work with your captain or engineer to determine the most efficient speed for your yacht. You’ll also need to factor in fuel cost for generators plus any additional for tenders and jet skis.
New Destinations – Every time you want to move your yacht to an exciting new destination, you will need to decide to put the yacht on a transport or pay for the fuel to transport the yacht on her own bottom. There is a high cost to moving the yacht to a new destination.
Communications – Everyone onboard: owner, crew, and guests, will want to remain connected to the internet. Additional communications costs include satellite TV subscriptions, crew cell phone costs, mail and freight.
Hull and Liability Insurance – This is a yachting requirement and is an expensive line item on the budget.
Maintenance - There will be a spreadsheet of items that need to be on your maintenance schedule. You will spend about 8 weeks a year in a yard. Keeping up on maintenance is key to a high resale value for the yacht.
Other costs: Safety and survey costs, upkeep of the navigation equipment, computing support, car rentals or crew car.
Capital Improvement Budget - It is important to have a budget for any major items that may need to be addressed on the yacht. Ideally that is 2-3% of the purchase price yearly.
Consumables - Everything that you consume while you and your guests are onboard like food, drink, or fuel is another expense.
Amenities - No yacht is complete without jet skis, floating beach club, slides, water toys, beach set ups and a fabulous tender.
Depreciation - A rule of thumb is to expect 10% depreciation in your yacht’s worth in year one and 6-8% for the following four or five years. The vessel's depreciation will typically level off to just a few percentage points after that.
There are numerous ways to decrease the overall cost of yacht ownership and still enjoy yachting to the fullest. For example: chartering out the yacht during weeks you are not using it. In this case, you can make a profit instead of paying dockage fees while it sits unused. Another option is to sell a share of your yacht. AvYachts can help pair you with a like-minded owner and create a schedule that works for both parties. In this case, you can yacht when you want–but share the costs when you’re not.
AvYachts is the expert in yacht share brokerage. Whether you’re looking to sell a share of your yacht to a like-minded partner, or you want to buy a share of a yacht, our dedicated team of yacht brokers and veteran matchmakers is here to guide you every step of the way. Let us match you with just the right yacht, just the right partners and just the right ownership structure for you. Yacht to the fullest without the full costs of ownership.