U.S. brokerage sales increased again in February as 1,908 boats sold for an aggregate of $231 million. According to YachtWorld.com member brokerages reporting in their proprietary database, Soldboats.com, the volume of sales rose 13 percent, compared with February 2011, and the total value of the boats was up 25 percent.
See Related Articles
For the year to date, 3,452 boats have been sold for an aggregate price of $425 million. Those represent 8 percent and 17 percent increases, respectively, from sales volume and valuation in January and February of 2011.
Sales of big boats and superyachts have dominated the headlines for much of the last year, but boats under 26 feet sold well in February; 639 changed hands, a 16 percent increase from 2011.
Sales of boats 36 to 45 feet increased 11 percent, to 370 boats. Even the 26- to 35-foot category, which lagged in January, saw improved year-over-year sales in February — a 10 percent increase, to 714 boats. Collectively, 1,723 boats under 45 feet changed hands, a 12 percent increase, and they sold for $102 million, an 11 percent gain.
Not to be outdone, brokers selling boats over 55 feet closed 147 deals in February, a 32 percent increase from the same month in 2011. The boats involved sold for 43 percent more, totaling $177 million in sales. Sales of 16 superyachts (boats over 80 feet) accounted for $56 million of the total, which was more than double the total price paid for the nine superyachts that were sold a year earlier.
A detailed report summarizing recent U.S. brokerage sales will appear in the April issue of Soundings Trade Only.
Hank Sibley Bluewater Yacht Sales 