The U.S. brokerage market continued to exhibit strength in September as 2,549 boats changed hands, a 29 percent improvement in sales volume from the same month a year earlier.
The number of boats sold was not only much higher than a year earlier, but it also was 353 boats above the five-year average for sales in September, according to YachtWorld member brokerages reporting in SoldBoats.com, their proprietary database.
The aggregate value of September sales was up 9 percent from $219 million last year to $232.3 million this year. The average price of sold boats increased among boats 45 feet and smaller, but decreased among those 46 feet and larger.
The strongest size range in terms of total value was the 36- to 45-foot segment. Unit sales increased 21 percent from 474 boats to 573 and the total value rose 31 percent from $53.1 million to $69.5 million.
Among boats 46 to 55 feet, sales were up 28 percent from 116 boats to 149, but the total price paid increased only 3 percent from $36.2 million to $37.2 million. In the volatile over-80-foot superyacht category, where nine boats were sold, down from 11 a year earlier, the total price paid dropped from $42.1 million to $26.5 million.
Unit sales increases for brokers selling powerboats and sailboats were similar on a percentage basis, compared with the previous September. Sailboat sales were up 32 percent with 535 boats sold. Powerboat sales gained 28 percent with 2,014 boats sold. The total price paid for sailboats increased 49 percent to $37.8 million, but the total price for powerboats was flat at $194.5 million.
As of the end of the third quarter, U.S. brokerage sales totaled 25,532, a 5 percent increase from 2012. The aggregate price of the sold boats was up 21 percent, at $2.97 billion.
A more detailed report summarizing recent U.S. brokerage sales will appear in the November issue of Soundings Trade Only.
— John Burnham
YachtWorld.com editorial director
