Yacht Knowledge
Yacht Guides
Practical, plainly written guidance on chartering, buying, selling, owning and building a yacht — written by the Lund Group yacht desk for owners and charterers, not for search engines.
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Charter
How to Charter a Yacht
The complete charter journey, from first enquiry to the final APA reconciliation.
2 min read
Charter
How Much Does It Cost to Charter a Yacht?
The total cost of a crewed yacht charter: the weekly fee plus APA, VAT, delivery, extras and gratuity, and what drives each one.
18 min read
Charter
What Is APA?
The definitive guide to the Advance Provisioning Allowance: how APA is set, spent, tracked and reconciled.
18 min read
Buying
How to Buy a Yacht
The complete acquisition journey, from the ownership brief and market search to offer, survey, sea trial, due diligence, closing, delivery and the first season.
2 min read
Buying
How Much Does a Yacht Cost?
What a yacht costs to buy, to own and to build — three different questions, explained separately with live Lund asking-price data.
2 min read
Ownership
The Cost of Owning a Yacht
Crew, berthing, maintenance, refit reserve and the annual budget behind ownership.
13 min read
Selling
How to Sell a Yacht
A step-by-step guide to selling a yacht, from deciding to sell through pricing, mandate, preparation, marketing, offers, survey, closing and handover.
18 min read
New build
New Build Yacht Guide
The practical guide to commissioning a new yacht, from the owner's brief to delivery.
12 min read
Where are you in the process?
I want to charter a yacht
From first brief to embarkation, with the costs set out plainly.
I am buying a yacht
The process, the team around you, and the diligence that protects the purchase.
I own a yacht
What the year actually costs to run, and where owners are usually caught out.
I am selling a yacht
Mandate, presentation, pricing and the realistic timetable.
I am considering a new build
Custom against semi-custom, choosing a yard, and how long a build takes.
The library
48 guides across charter, acquisition, sale, ownership, new build, finance, contracts and market reading.
48 guides
Charter
How to Charter a Yacht
The complete charter journey, from first enquiry to the final APA reconciliation.
2 min read
Charter
How Much Does It Cost to Charter a Yacht?
The total cost of a crewed yacht charter: the weekly fee plus APA, VAT, delivery, extras and gratuity, and what drives each one.
18 min read
Charter
What Is APA?
The definitive guide to the Advance Provisioning Allowance: how APA is set, spent, tracked and reconciled.
18 min read
Buying
How to Buy a Yacht
The complete acquisition journey, from the ownership brief and market search to offer, survey, sea trial, due diligence, closing, delivery and the first season.
2 min read
Buying
How Much Does a Yacht Cost?
What a yacht costs to buy, to own and to build — three different questions, explained separately with live Lund asking-price data.
2 min read
Ownership
The Cost of Owning a Yacht
Crew, berthing, maintenance, refit reserve and the annual budget behind ownership.
13 min read
Selling
How to Sell a Yacht
A step-by-step guide to selling a yacht, from deciding to sell through pricing, mandate, preparation, marketing, offers, survey, closing and handover.
18 min read
New build
New Build Yacht Guide
The practical guide to commissioning a new yacht, from the owner's brief to delivery.
12 min read
Market
Asking Price vs Sale Price
The asking price is public; the sale price usually is not. Yachts conventionally trade at a negotiated discount to asking, but the size of that discount varies so widely by segment, condition and seller motivation that no general percentage is reliable.
2 min read
Charter
Best Time to Charter in the Mediterranean
Month by month, how the Mediterranean charter season actually behaves.
2 min read
Buying
Buying a Yacht in Monaco
How a buyer uses Monaco as an acquisition hub, from search and private viewings to the Monaco Yacht Show, contract, survey, VAT, flag and closing.
2 min read
Buying
Buying vs Chartering a Yacht
Charter if you use a yacht a few weeks a year, want a different yacht or cruising ground each time, and prefer a known cost. Buy if you want one yacht, your own crew and specification, continuity, and control of where she is and when.
9 min read
New build
Custom vs Semi-Custom Yachts
A semi-custom yacht is built on an existing, proven platform with personalised interior and some layout choice. A fully custom yacht is designed from scratch. Semi-custom is faster, more predictable and usually less expensive; custom gives complete freedom.
2 min read
Charter
How Far in Advance Should You Book a Yacht Charter?
When to start looking for a yacht charter — and why the answer depends on your brief.
15 min read
New build
How Long Does It Take to Build a Yacht?
A new build normally takes years, not months: a design and contract phase, then construction, then commissioning and sea trials before delivery. Semi-custom yachts on existing platforms are quicker; fully custom projects at larger sizes take considerably longer.
2 min read
Selling
How Long Does It Take to Sell a Yacht?
A seller-side guide to yacht sale timing and time on market: the stages, what drives liquidity, repricing, seasons, closing and how Lund measures market age.
14 min read
New build
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Yacht?
A new build's cost is set by the yard, the build material and standard, volume rather than length alone, the degree of customisation and the level of interior specification — plus design, supervision, owner-supplied items and a contingency on top of the yard contract price.
2 min read
New build
How to Choose a Yacht Builder
Choose a yard by evidence: yachts it has actually delivered at your size and in your material, its record on schedule and quality, its financial standing and refund guarantees, its after-sales support, and how its existing owners speak about it.
2 min read
Market
How Yacht Asking Prices Work
An asking price is a marketing position set by the seller on their broker's advice. It is not a valuation, not a fixed price, and not what the yacht will necessarily sell for — though it is the most visible and widely available market signal.
2 min read
Market
How Yacht Price Reductions Work
A price reduction is a seller's correction towards where the market is actually responding. One decisive, evidenced adjustment usually works; a pattern of small reductions tends to tell buyers that more are coming.
2 min read
Contracts
MYBA Charter Agreement
The definitive client guide to the MYBA Charter Agreement, in plain language.
18 min read
Contracts
MYBA Memorandum of Agreement
A practical guide to the MYBA Sales Agreement used in professional yacht sale and purchase transactions.
10 min read
Buying
Off-Market Yachts
What off-market really means, how discreet sourcing works and how opportunities are verified.
10 min read
Selling
Preparing a Yacht for Sale
Preparation means resolving the defects a survey will find, bringing documentation into order, presenting the yacht and her interior properly, and briefing the crew — done before the first viewing, not after the first offer.
2 min read
Ownership
Superyacht Operating Costs
The annual operating-cost model, line by line, with the capital reserve shown separately.
11 min read
Charter
The Caribbean Charter Season
How the Caribbean winter season works, island by island and month by month.
2 min read
New build
The Yacht Construction Process
A build runs through brief, concept and naval architecture, contract, structure, systems, interior fit-out, commissioning and sea trials, then certification and delivery — with owner-side supervision and class oversight throughout.
2 min read
Market
What Affects Yacht Value?
Builder, age, condition and maintenance record, volume and layout, specification, refit history, flag and commercial status, and the depth of the market in that segment. Condition and documentation separate otherwise identical yachts more than anything else.
2 min read
Charter
What Is Included in a Yacht Charter?
What the base fee covers, what is paid through APA, what is quoted separately, and what is optional.
18 min read
Selling
Yacht Broker Commission — Who Pays, and When
The definitive guide to yacht broker commission: who pays, how it is agreed and shared, buyer fees, new-build and charter commission, disclosure and Lund's representation policy.
15 min read
Selling
Yacht Brokerage Explained
Who represents whom in a yacht sale or charter: central agents, buyer's brokers, co-brokerage, off-market yachts and commission.
12 min read
Charter
Yacht Charter Etiquette
How to be a great guest aboard a private yacht — relaxed, discreet and practical.
14 min read
Charter
Yacht Charter Tipping Guide
Crew gratuity explained: discretionary, how much to consider, the basis, timing, distribution and APA.
14 min read
Charter
Yacht Charter VAT Guide
The definitive educational guide to VAT and local taxes on professional yacht charter.
20 min read
Ownership
Yacht Crew Costs
A deep dive into the crew side of yacht ownership: salaries, rotation, employer costs, crew numbers, safe manning and how to budget the first year.
14 min read
Finance & tax
Yacht Financing Guide
How yacht lending works: who lends, what lenders assess, loan-to-value, mortgages, covenants, insurance, new-build finance and how finance fits a purchase.
16 min read
Finance & tax
Yacht Insurance Guide
What yacht insurance covers, how policies are structured, what lenders require and how cover is arranged during a purchase — with the policy wording always in control.
16 min read
Ownership
Yacht Management Costs
What professional yacht management does, what the fee pays for and how to compare proposals.
9 min read
Selling
Yacht Photography & Sales Presentation
Presentation is how a yacht is judged before anyone steps aboard: accurate photography of every space, a clear specification, honest video, and a document pack that answers the obvious questions without a phone call.
2 min read
Market
Yacht Price Per Metre Explained
Price per metre divides asking price by length overall. It is a quick comparison tool within a narrow group of genuinely similar yachts, and it is misleading across different builders, ages, materials and build standards.
2 min read
Contracts
Yacht Purchase Deposit & Escrow
A buyer guide to yacht purchase deposits, escrow and client accounts, contractual release, and payment security.
15 min read
Buying
Yacht Purchase Due Diligence
The buyer-side guide to verifying an existing yacht before you commit: ownership, title, registry, class, tax, records, inventory and closing.
2 min read
Ownership
Yacht Refit Guide
The practical guide to yacht refits, from yard periods to conversions.
12 min read
Contracts
Yacht Registration & Flag Guide
What a yacht flag really means, what flag states regulate, private vs commercial registration, and how registration is handled during a purchase.
18 min read
Buying
Yacht Sea Trial Guide
How a pre-purchase yacht sea trial works: who attends, what is observed under way, limits, findings and next steps.
11 min read
Buying
Yacht Survey Guide
How a pre-purchase yacht survey works: scope, haul-out, specialists, class records, findings and post-survey negotiation.
16 min read
Selling
Yacht Valuation Guide
A yacht is valued by comparison: recent asking and transaction evidence for similar builders, sizes, ages and specifications, adjusted for condition, refit history, flag and commercial status. There is no reliable formula and no universal depreciation rate.
2 min read
Finance & tax
Yacht VAT, Customs Status & Temporary Admission Guide
What "VAT paid" really means for yacht owners and buyers: EU customs status, proof, importation, temporary admission — and the questions to take to qualified advisers.
18 min read
By subject
Charter
How a charter is arranged, what it costs, and what sits alongside the fee.
- How to Charter a Yacht
- How Much Does It Cost to Charter a Yacht?
- What Is APA?
- Best Time to Charter in the Mediterranean
- How Far in Advance Should You Book a Yacht Charter?
- The Caribbean Charter Season
- What Is Included in a Yacht Charter?
- Yacht Charter Etiquette
- Yacht Charter Tipping Guide
- Yacht Charter VAT Guide
Buying
Brief, offer, survey and closing — the acquisition process as it actually runs.
Selling
Mandate, presentation, pricing and the time a sale genuinely takes.
Ownership
Crew, management, insurance, registration, refit and the annual budget.
New build
Custom and semi-custom construction, builders, timelines and process.
Finance & tax
Financing, VAT and the questions to put to your own advisers.
Contracts
The standard agreements used across the market.
Market
Asking prices, value drivers and how the numbers should be read.
Recently reviewed
- How Far in Advance Should You Book a Yacht Charter?
Reviewed 6 October 2026
- Yacht Charter Etiquette
Reviewed 6 October 2026
- What Is Included in a Yacht Charter?
Reviewed 6 October 2026
The desk recommends
- What Is APA?
The definitive guide to the Advance Provisioning Allowance: how APA is set, spent, tracked and reconciled.
- Off-Market Yachts
What off-market really means, how discreet sourcing works and how opportunities are verified.
- Superyacht Operating Costs
The annual operating-cost model, line by line, with the capital reserve shown separately.
- What Affects Yacht Value?
Builder, age, condition and maintenance record, volume and layout, specification, refit history, flag and commercial status, and the depth of the market in that segment. Condition and documentation separate otherwise identical yachts more than anything else.
- Yacht Charter Etiquette
How to be a great guest aboard a private yacht — relaxed, discreet and practical.
- Yacht Survey Guide
How a pre-purchase yacht survey works: scope, haul-out, specialists, class records, findings and post-survey negotiation.
Common questions
- Are these guides specific to a yacht?
- No. They describe how the market conventionally works. Rates, prices, availability, tax treatment and contract terms are confirmed in writing for the specific yacht before anything is committed.
- Is this legal, tax or financial advice?
- No. VAT, registration, financing and contract guides are educational. They are written to help you ask better questions of qualified maritime counsel, tax advisers and lenders, who should advise on your own position.
- Where do the figures come from?
- Where a guide quotes market data it comes from listings Lund Group tracks, labelled as such, and a median or average is withheld where too few comparable listings sit behind it.
- How often are the guides reviewed?
- Each guide carries the date it was last reviewed by the yacht desk. Guides touching cost, tax and contracts are revisited when market practice changes.
- Can the desk answer a question a guide does not cover?
- Yes. The yacht desk answers specific questions on charter, acquisition, sale and ownership directly, and will say plainly when a question belongs with counsel instead.
Speak with the yacht desk
Charter enquiries, acquisitions, sale mandates and ownership questions are answered directly.
These guides describe how the yacht market conventionally works. They are not legal, tax or financial advice, and they do not describe the terms of any specific yacht.
— Receive the Lund Letter