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Charlotte Hogarth-Jones caught up with a
group of high-profile owners at the Palm
Beach Boat Show to discuss the US market
PhotographyMario Alzate
Y
ougetagoodfeelforthestateofthe
marketatyachtshows,andatPalm
Beachthisyearthepositivitywas
palpable.Therestaurantsandbars
werefull,thepontoonsheavywithclients,butmost
importantly,businesswasbeingdone–lookno
furtherthanRisaMerl’spieceonp118todiscoverjust
howmuch.It’snotallunalloyedgoodnews,however;
insiderswillrightlypointtotheshrinkingnumber
ofUSshipyardsproducingsuperyachts,andthe
preferenceforsomebig-nameUSbuyerstolookto
Europefortheirdreamboats.Andjusthowresistant
thebuoyantmarketistounforeseeneconomicand
geopoliticalshocksremainstobeseen.Butthetruth
remainsthatrightnowtheAmericanloveaffairwith
superyachtingisblooming–andthatthere’splenty
ofmoneymakingitswayontothebalancesheetsof
brokersandbuilders.Withbuyersfromtherestof
theworldstillquiet,atleastcomparedtotheUS
(helloRussia,EuropeandtheMiddleEast...),the
obviousquestionis:whatmakestheUSsodifferent?
Tofindout,wewentrighttothebuyersthemselves...
08 2019