Superyacht Market Watch: Why New-Builts Are Leading 2025 Demand

Superyacht Market Watch: Why New-Builts Are Leading 2025 Demand

The superyacht market has just delivered its most persuasive signal in years: 195 brand‑new yachts of 30 metres and above changed hands in 2024, placing last season firmly inside the Top‑10 sales years of the past two decades and confirming that the long‑forecast “soft landing” has already happened . The dip from 2023 was a mere 3‑5 %, so volumes have stabilised at historically strong levels and the industry is clearly turning the corner.

Two length brackets are powering the resurgence.

• Figure 1 spotlights 40–50 m yachts: sales climbed almost 32 % year‑on‑year to 58 yachts, extending a two‑year growth streak. With 58 confirmed new‑build sales, it logged the second‑highest volume of 2024—proof that “mid‑size” now means maximum demand. For buyers, this sweet‑spot segment mixes generous interior volume with marina‑friendly dimensions—perfect for Mediterranean summers or hard‑charging transatlantic passages.

• 80 metres‑plus: the trophy tier roared back, doubling to 13 new‑build deals. Even better, seven of those contracts exceeded the 100‑metre threshold, signalling renewed appetite for true gigayachts among ultra‑high‑net‑worth clients—most of them American.

Momentum, not a mirage.

Figure 2 shows where the wind is blowing:

• +32 % jump in 40–50 m contracts year‑on‑year.

• A striking +86 % rebound above 80 m, confirming builder order‑books are filling from both ends of the size spectrum.
  These gains landed even as overall volumes slipped a modest 3–5 %, making growth pockets all the more meaningful for early movers.

Your asset is appreciating already.

Why does that matter to you? Momentum begets scarcity. Builders’ order books are tightening just as confidence returns. SuperYacht Times now projects 160‑180 new‑build sales for 2025, which would push annual volumes back above the 200‑yacht watermark as early as 2026. 

At the same time, used‑yacht owners who bought two or three years ago are sitting on appreciating assets: enjoyed a 14 % lift to €33,865 per GT.  The fourth straight annual rise. Rising resale values shrink the cost‑of‑ownership gap and underpin the case for commissioning now: today’s build slot is tomorrow’s appreciating asset. Translation: premium delivery slots are being claimed right now.

Five reasons to act before Monaco Yacht Show gates open:

1. Availability now, not later. Spec builds dominate current yard pipelines, meaning you could be cruising in 18‑24 months instead of waiting until 2028.

2. Design freedom. The market upswing lets you lock in naval‑architecture talent before their boards fill for the next cycle.

3. Power shift to buyers. Shipyards still remember the 2022‑23 slowdown and remain flexible on custom options and staged‑payment terms.

4. Technological leap. Hydrogen‑ready generators, methanol fuel cells and next‑gen battery packs are coming online this build cycle—secure them while early‑adopter pricing still applies.

5. Lifestyle dividend. Charter demand above 50 metres is already “nearly fully booked for summer,” brokers report; owning now means prime calendar weeks for your family and a healthy revenue offset when you’re not aboard.

Bottom line: 2024 proved that superyacht buyers are back at the helm, especially in the 40‑50 m and 100 m‑plus arenas. With prices firming, prestige projects moving fast, and innovative propulsion tech reaching the slipways, 2025 is the year to sketch your lines, sign your contract and set the countdown to launch. The tide has turned—let it carry you to the bridge of your own new build.

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*All figures cited here originate from *“The State of Yachting" 2025 annual report generously supplied to EKKA Yachts by Superyacht Times. Reproduction or further circulation of these numbers without attribution is frowned upon in the better salons of maritime journalism.