Getting started7 min read
Your first yacht: the buying checklist that comes before the shortlist
Define the mission, realistic budget and non-negotiables before opening the listings.
Read guideGetBoat Advice
Buy, own and sell a yacht with fewer blind spots
Practical decision guides built around the complete ownership journey — from the first brief and market comparison to survey, finance, running costs and resale.
Original GetBoat editorial guidance · Updated 2026-07-20How we create and review adviceRSS feed
Decision toolkit
Move from reading to evidence
Every guide connects to a useful next step inside GetBoat — no dead-end editorial pages.
Six decisions, in the right order
01Define the briefMission, people, cruising area, budget and deal-breakers.02Read the marketCompare listings, reviews, age bands and price evidence.03Verify the yachtOffer conditions, documents, survey and purposeful sea trial.04Structure the dealFinance, insurance, ownership, flag and closing plan.05Operate with controlBerth, maintenance, crew and a whole-ownership budget.06Protect the exitKeep evidence, condition and future marketability intact.
Browse by topic
26 practical guidesAdvice for the complete lifecycle
0710 guides
Co-ownership maths
What a share of a 50–110 ft yacht costs, proved on GetBoat’s own catalogue and index.
014 guides
Getting started
Turn an idea into a clear cruising brief before you compare boats.
024 guides
Buying a yacht
Shortlist, compare, negotiate and close with fewer expensive surprises.
032 guides
Finance & legal
Understand funding, ownership structures, registration and tax questions.
042 guides
Survey & safety
Use the survey, sea trial and records to test the yacht behind the listing.
052 guides
Ownership & costs
Plan berthing, insurance, maintenance, crew and the true annual budget.
062 guides
Selling & resale
Prepare the yacht, evidence its condition and protect resale value.
Advice library
Find the decision you need to make
26 guides
Getting started6 min read
New vs used yacht: compare time, certainty and total cost
Compare delivery time, specification risk, depreciation and refit exposure on equal terms.
Read guideGetting started6 min read
How to choose the right yacht size for the way you cruise
Choose space and capability from real use cases, not status or a single length number.
Read guideBuying a yacht8 min read
How to make an offer on a yacht without weakening your position
A strong offer is clear about price, evidence, deadlines and the route to closing.
Read guideSurvey & safety8 min read
Marine survey and sea trial: what each one must prove
The survey inspects condition; the sea trial tests behaviour under load. You normally need both.
Read guideFinance & legal7 min read
Yacht finance explained: prepare a stronger individual application
Finance is assessed around the buyer, the yacht, the jurisdiction and the intended use.
Read guideFinance & legal8 min read
Yacht VAT, registration and flag: map the questions before closing
Tax status, ownership, flag and use are connected — verify them as one structure.
Read guideSurvey & safety7 min read
Yacht insurance: build cover around the real cruising programme
The cheapest premium can conceal the wrong cruising limits, deductibles or exclusions.
Read guideOwnership & costs8 min read
The true cost of yacht ownership: build a budget you can operate
Model the yacht, location and usage plan — generic annual percentages hide the important risks.
Read guideOwnership & costs6 min read
Mooring, berthing and marinas: secure the base before the yacht
The right yacht in the wrong berth can create an immediate operating problem.
Read guideSelling & resale7 min read
How to prepare a yacht for sale and protect the closing price
Remove uncertainty before launch: document the yacht, fix the right defects and make access easy.
Read guideBuying a yacht6 min read
Charter before you buy: turn a holiday into useful due diligence
A focused charter reveals which yacht features matter after the brochure excitement fades.
Read guideSelling & resale7 min read
Yacht depreciation and resale value: buy with the exit in view
Resale value starts at purchase: model choice, records and maintenance shape the future buyer pool.
Read guideGetting started8 min read
How much does a 35–50 ft boat cost per day in 2026?
Motor-yacht medians run €1,038–€1,787 per day across eight destinations; catamarans €424–€2,322. Listed rates, not final bills.
Read guideBuying a yacht7 min read
How to read yacht asking prices: 2026 benchmarks by class, age and region
Median asking prices run from €23,248 for fishing boats to €5.27m for megayachts — but the middle-50% band, not the median, tells you whether a listing is typical for its class.
Read guideBuying a yacht8 min read
Yacht asking prices by brand: 30 brands compared in 2026
Median asks run from €854 to €84,891 per foot across 30 brands. Including syndicated listings raises this catalogue’s market-wide figure by 15%.
Read guideCo-ownership maths8 min read
Yacht co-ownership maths: what a share of a 50–110 ft yacht really costs
A share of the median motor yacht 62-85 ft costs €602k at entry against €2.41m outright — and €519k net over five years.
Read guideCo-ownership maths7 min read
The same budget, a bigger yacht: what partners change about your shortlist
€500k funds nothing at the 50 ft+ medians on its own, a 50–62 ft sailing yacht with one partner, and the median motor yacht 62-85 ft with five.
Read guideCo-ownership maths7 min read
The idle-weeks problem: what a yacht costs per week you actually use
Eight weeks a year on the median motor yacht 62-85 ft costs a sole owner €51,866 per week — the same weeks cost €12,967 per week to a partner in a group of four.
Read guideCo-ownership maths7 min read
Depreciation is the biggest cheque you never write — and it divides
The median motor yacht 85-110 ft loses €1.5m in five years on our index — €375k if four owners carry it.
Read guideCo-ownership maths7 min read
Two partners or six? Where the maths of a yacht group stops improving
Going from two partners to four halves the entry to €602k; going from four to six saves €201k but costs you 4 weeks a year.
Read guideCo-ownership maths7 min read
New or five years old? What the age of the yacht does to a share
Motor yachts of 6–15 years ask €21,097 per foot against €36,806 for new — a different share entirely.
Read guideCo-ownership maths7 min read
Motor, sail or catamaran: the same share buys very different boats
At four partners the median 50–62 ft sailing yacht needs €152k of capital; the same band in motor costs €278k.
Read guideCo-ownership maths7 min read
Where a yacht share buys more boat: price per foot by country
Per-foot medians in our 50–110 ft catalogue run from €18,779 to €50,422 depending on where the yacht lies.
Read guideCo-ownership maths8 min read
Charter or co-own? The break-even, using our own charter and sale data
At class-median charter rates a 70 ft motor week asks €7,840; a quarter share of the median motor yacht 62-85 ft works out at €10,373 a week — plus a resale share at the end.
Read guideCo-ownership maths7 min read
Exit maths: what comes back when the group sells the yacht
On the median motor yacht 62-85 ft, each of four partners sees €403k back after selling costs — about half of everything they put in.
Read guideJargon, decoded
Eight terms worth knowing before a viewing
LOA
Length overall: the yacht’s maximum overall length under the stated measurement method.
Beam
The widest point of the yacht; a key constraint for berths, lifts and handling.
Draft
The depth below the waterline, which determines shallow-water access.
Air draft
Height above the waterline, relevant to bridges, yards and covered storage.
Displacement
The yacht’s weight expressed through the water it displaces, not its interior volume.
Gross tonnage
A regulated measure of enclosed internal volume; it is not the yacht’s weight.
Sea trial
An on-water test of the specific yacht’s operation and systems under agreed conditions.
Flag state
The jurisdiction where the yacht is registered and whose maritime rules apply.
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