Boat International US Edition - June 2018

The state of the sailing superyacht market, 2009 to 2017

Number of sales

Total asking prices ($ million)

Total LOA (t)

Average LOA

Number of deliveries

Total LOA (t)

Average LOA

(^200920102011201220132014201520162017)
BROKERAGE SALES
DELIVERIES
316.5 189.
4,
99' 10"
18
2,
144' 2"
50
376 181 295.4 127.3 201.9 447.8 167.
33 25 39 19 32 45 32 39
3,740 2,812 4,199 2,087 3,635 5,299 3,474 4,
113' 4" 112' 6" 107' 8" 109' 10" 113' 7" 117' 9" 108' 7" 113' 3"
50 40 33 37 28 25 22 22
5,751 4,980 4,104 4,144 3,294 2,815 2,605 2,
115' 124' 6" 124' 5" 112' 117' 8" 112' 7" 118' 5" 117' 6"
ON BOARD
Slow and steady
WORDS Chris Jefferies RESEARCH Raphael Montigneaux
Reports of sailing’s demise have been greatly exaggerated,
according to two of the biggest players in the market
he annual total of sailing
superyacht deliveries continued
its gradual decline in 2017: there
were 18 completed projects,
compared with 22 in 2016 (-18 percent) and
37 in 2012 (-51 percent). The total has fallen
over six of the past eight years with 2012
providing the only respite from this trend.
The average length for deliveries shot up by
more than 22 per cent to 144ft 2in year-on-
year from 2016; however this figure was
skewed by the completion of Sailing Yacht
A, the 468ft 6in Nobiskrug that could be
considered a motor yacht with sails.
But there’s no reason to panic, says Ruurt
Meulemans, co-founder of Hoek Design
Naval Architects. “The sailing yacht market
has always shown ups and downs. I’m sure
we will see an increase again,” he predicts.
“People will still like to have a new design
that is built exactly to their liking.”
The brokerage market had a busy year in
2017, with 50 sailing yachts changing hands

• the highest total since before the 2008

crash, although the average length dropped

from 113ft 3in to 99ft 10in year-on-year. “The

growth of the brokerage market definitely

represents an opportunity for new build

yards, making it easier for existing owners

to upgrade to a new yacht,” says Andrea

Micheli, sales manager at Pegaso, Southern

Wind’s sales and marketing arm. “We do not

think deliveries will grow in the short term,”

he adds. “We don’t expect newcomers to

enter this complex and small market.”

Hoek Design and Southern Wind seek to

sell owners on three key benefits of sailing

over motor yachts: silence, eiciency and

the potential for regatta racing. “In the end,

sailing is the most sustainable and green

option of traveling through nature,” says

Meulemans. Who could argue with that?

T

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