A buoyant American yachting market
Having recently attended Palm Beach International Boat Show, Charter and Sales Broker Alastair Callender is optimistic about the state of this geographical market.
While Palm Beach International Boat Show may seem quieter and more laid back than other yacht shows, its winning formula combines pre-summer demand with a prestigious zip code. As a result, the show never fails to attract an interesting fleet of yachts and highly qualified and motivated clients. And this year’s edition was no different.
The show was particularly positive for our team, with sales listing UNREEL generating plenty of interest. “Following a recent price reduction, and as the best value Pershing 7X on the market, UNREEL had a significant number of inspections and serious purchase enquiries during the show,” says Charter and Sales Broker Alastair Callender, who helped launched our brand into the Americas region.
Available for purchase by US residents at an asking price of $4,300,000 (US Duty Paid), UNREEL is presented in pristine, as-new condition with only 300 hours on the engines. A new owner can benefit from a fabulous 2023 yacht, and not need to wait for a new yacht delivery from the shipyard.
The show also presented the perfect opportunity for Alastair to show charter clients an array of charter yacht options. This included the 131’3” (40m) ABOUT TIME, available for charter in the Bahamas and managed by Hill Robinson, our parent. Several exclusive client events held on board generated significant interest and enquiries for this summer and fall.
“American charter clients are showing that they are confident with travelling and are booking well in advance.”
“American charter clients are showing they are confident with travelling and are booking well in advance,” adds Alastair. “The strength of the dollar makes chartering in Europe a particularly attractive proposition at the moment.”
The success of Palm Beach International Boat Show is a reminder of how important the US region is to the yachting market overall. “23.8 per cent of owners of yachts over 40m are based here in the USA and, as of February 2024, 29 per cent of new builds over 40m underway are for US clients,” advises Alastair, who has been involved in the US superyacht market since 2011. “America has always been pivotal to the buoyancy of the yachting industry.”
As a nation with an entrenched yachting culture and a sizeable amount of wealth, the United States has always been a thriving market. Recent activity, including repeat charter bookings for this summer and serious interest in brokerage opportunities and new-build projects, has left Alastair cautiously optimistic for the year ahead.
For any charter, purchase or sales related enquiries, please get in touch with Alastair here.