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
From first enquiry to embarkation, and what the charter contract actually covers.
2 min read
Charter
How Much Does It Cost to Charter a Yacht?
The charter fee and everything that sits alongside it, so the final invoice holds no surprises.
2 min read
Charter
What Is APA?
The Advance Provisioning Allowance, explained plainly.
2 min read
Buying
How to Buy a Yacht
The acquisition process, step by step, from the first brief to delivery and the first season of ownership.
2 min read
Buying
How Much Does a Yacht Cost?
What actually drives the asking price of a yacht, and the running costs that sit behind that figure.
2 min read
Ownership
The Cost of Owning a Yacht
Crew, berthing, maintenance, refit reserve and the annual budget behind ownership.
2 min read
Selling
How to Sell a Yacht
A yacht is sold by appointing a central agent, agreeing a realistic asking price, presenting the yacht properly, marketing her to a qualified buyer pool, then running offer, survey and closing under a written agreement — usually over months rather than weeks.
2 min read
New build
New Build Yacht Guide
How a new build is conventionally contracted, supervised and delivered, and how it differs from buying an existing yacht.
2 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
47 guides across charter, acquisition, sale, ownership, new build, finance, contracts and market reading.
47 guides
Charter
How to Charter a Yacht
From first enquiry to embarkation, and what the charter contract actually covers.
2 min read
Charter
How Much Does It Cost to Charter a Yacht?
The charter fee and everything that sits alongside it, so the final invoice holds no surprises.
2 min read
Charter
What Is APA?
The Advance Provisioning Allowance, explained plainly.
2 min read
Buying
How to Buy a Yacht
The acquisition process, step by step, from the first brief to delivery and the first season of ownership.
2 min read
Buying
How Much Does a Yacht Cost?
What actually drives the asking price of a yacht, and the running costs that sit behind that figure.
2 min read
Ownership
The Cost of Owning a Yacht
Crew, berthing, maintenance, refit reserve and the annual budget behind ownership.
2 min read
Selling
How to Sell a Yacht
A yacht is sold by appointing a central agent, agreeing a realistic asking price, presenting the yacht properly, marketing her to a qualified buyer pool, then running offer, survey and closing under a written agreement — usually over months rather than weeks.
2 min read
New build
New Build Yacht Guide
How a new build is conventionally contracted, supervised and delivered, and how it differs from buying an existing yacht.
2 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
Monaco is a brokerage and berthing centre rather than a jurisdiction most yachts are registered in. Buying there means access to brokers, surveyors, lawyers, managers and yards on one stretch of coast — while flag, VAT and berthing are decided on their own merits.
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.
2 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?
Lead-time guidance for peak Mediterranean weeks, Caribbean winter and major events.
2 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?
Most brokerage yachts take several months to sell, and it is normal for a yacht to be on the market for six to twelve months or longer. Price relative to the comparable set is the single biggest driver of how long it takes.
2 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
A practical introduction to the standard charter agreement used across much of the professional yacht market.
2 min read
Contracts
MYBA Memorandum of Agreement
The MYBA Memorandum of Agreement is the standard contract used across much of the professional market for a second-hand yacht sale. It records the yacht, the price, the deposit, the survey and sea trial rights, and the conditions for closing.
2 min read
Buying
Off-Market Yachts
An off-market yacht is one that is not publicly listed but whose owner would consider a sale. They are found through broker relationships and direct, discreet approaches, and they account for a meaningful share of larger transactions.
2 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
A superyacht's annual operating budget is dominated by crew, followed by maintenance and refit reserve, insurance, berthing, fuel, compliance and management. It is driven by size, age, crew number, flag and usage — not by purchase price.
2 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?
Understand the base charter fee, APA and the items normally quoted separately.
2 min read
Selling
Yacht Broker Commission — Who Pays, and When
How brokerage and charter commission conventionally work, and what to ask before signing anything.
2 min read
Charter
Yacht Charter Etiquette
Charter etiquette comes down to a few things: the captain has final say on safety and itinerary, the preference sheet is how you get what you want, shoes come off, crew areas are private, and plans are shared early rather than sprung late.
2 min read
Charter
Yacht Charter Tipping Guide
How discretionary crew gratuities are conventionally approached after a private yacht charter.
2 min read
Charter
Yacht Charter VAT Guide
VAT on a yacht charter is generally due where the charter starts, at that country's rate, with reliefs and treatments that differ materially between states. It is quoted alongside the fee and stated in the contract — and it must be confirmed for the specific charter.
2 min read
Ownership
Yacht Crew Costs
Crew is normally the largest line in an owner's annual budget. The cost is set by how many crew the yacht requires, their qualifications and rotation, plus travel, training, insurance, uniforms and the payroll and employment obligations that come with them.
2 min read
Finance & tax
Yacht Financing Guide
Yacht finance is specialist asset lending. A marine lender advances against the yacht as security, secured by a registered mortgage, with terms set by the yacht's age, builder, flag, valuation and the borrower's own position — and it is arranged before an offer, not after.
2 min read
Finance & tax
Yacht Insurance Guide
Yacht insurance normally combines hull and machinery cover for the asset, protection and indemnity for third-party liability, and crew cover. Terms depend on the yacht, her cruising area, her crew and her management, and are placed through a specialist marine broker.
2 min read
Ownership
Yacht Management Costs
A management company runs crew employment, compliance, budgeting, technical oversight and yard periods for a fee — conventionally an annual fee, sometimes with separate charges for major projects such as a refit or a new build.
2 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
On a brokerage purchase the buyer conventionally pays a deposit — often ten per cent — into an escrow or client account when the agreement is signed. It is held by a neutral party, not spent, and released or returned according to the contract.
2 min read
Buying
Yacht Purchase Due Diligence
The paper side of an acquisition: title, flag, class, VAT position, crew and the records that support a price.
2 min read
Ownership
Yacht Refit Guide
A refit is a planned yard period to renew, repair or improve a yacht. It runs on a specification, a yard contract, a supervision team and a contingency — and it almost always takes longer and costs more than a first estimate suggests.
2 min read
Contracts
Yacht Registration Guide
Registration gives a yacht her flag, and the flag sets her regulatory regime: safety and manning standards, survey and certification, crew employment rules, and whether she may be chartered commercially. It is chosen with maritime counsel alongside ownership structure and tax position.
2 min read
Buying
Yacht Sea Trial Guide
What a sea trial tests, what is recorded, and why it sits alongside the survey rather than replacing it.
2 min read
Buying
Yacht Survey Guide
What a pre-purchase survey covers, who attends, and how findings are conventionally used in a negotiation.
2 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 — A Practical Guide
How VAT commonly applies to yacht charter and ownership in European waters, and why advice must be specific.
2 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
- Yacht VAT — A Practical Guide
Reviewed 21 September 2026
- Yacht Valuation Guide
Reviewed 21 September 2026
- Yacht Survey Guide
Reviewed 21 September 2026
The desk recommends
- What Is APA?
The Advance Provisioning Allowance, explained plainly.
- Off-Market Yachts
An off-market yacht is one that is not publicly listed but whose owner would consider a sale. They are found through broker relationships and direct, discreet approaches, and they account for a meaningful share of larger transactions.
- Superyacht Operating Costs
A superyacht's annual operating budget is dominated by crew, followed by maintenance and refit reserve, insurance, berthing, fuel, compliance and management. It is driven by size, age, crew number, flag and usage — not by purchase price.
- 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
Charter etiquette comes down to a few things: the captain has final say on safety and itinerary, the preference sheet is how you get what you want, shoes come off, crew areas are private, and plans are shared early rather than sprung late.
- Yacht Survey Guide
What a pre-purchase survey covers, who attends, and how findings are conventionally used in a 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