Sales of Superyachts rise despite economic uncertainty but global fears still holding back a full recovery.
The recent increase in economic turbulence has certainly had a negative impact on the brokerage market but it has not ground to a halt as many feared it might. This was particularly highlighted at the Monaco Yacht Show, which was the best that many have experienced in terms of sales since 2007.
Many believe that a similar improvement in figures would have been witnessed at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show had not the weather had such a negative impact on visitor numbers.
For most of the year it has been the smaller yachts being sold and moving off the market, but that now appears to be changing with a small number of larger yachts being sold in recent months.
With the slow but sure increase in yacht sales, underlined by the significant interest from buyers at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show in late October, it also appears that prices are finally becoming more stable. However they are still significantly lower than pre-2008 levels.
Hein Velema the CEO of Fraser Yachts believes there is an increasing demand for explorer vesselswith Owners wanting more autonomy and the ability to carry yet more toys.
Several sales were announced during the Monaco Yacht, four of which were from Dutch yards.
Among these new clients there appears to be an increasing interest in, and demand for, exploration yachts. On the one hand there is a demand for solidly built, long range vessels with ice class hulls, extended storage for remote cruising and the ability to handle and store waste onboard thereby reducing the reliance on shore-support.
On the other hand, there is also a rising interest in Mediterranean explorer boats that can often carry more toys than a regular yacht and which have a more masculine style and design, making them stand out from the crowd.