With a global order book exceeding 900 yachts under construction and more than 300 new yachts delivered per year, the yacht market represents a continous strong growth driven by a growing demand as a result of both a growing number of High Net Worth Individuals and a democratization of yachting.

The number of large megayachts is especially growing, with 15 yachts in the Top100 delivered since summer 07 and the 100th yacht now exceeding 72m.

The number of yachts has almost double since 2000, with more than a fourth delivered in the past 3 years.

This market trend is even more important in terms of value, considering the increasing size of yachts and yachts being more and more sophisticated with increasing cost of materials and labour.

While the market growth is driven by new entrants, it is also sustained by the renewal to newer and larger yachts by current Owners, their existing yachts growing the second hand market.

As a matter of luxury, technology and sophistication, Yachts building keeps essentially a European Industry with over 70% of the yachts built in Europe. Italy is far beyond the first country in terms of number of units, producing from the smallest to the largest units, while Germany and The Netherlands are mostly producing large units. France which has long been specialized on small and sail yachts, as well as in ships building, is continously increasing its market shares.

Outside Europe, the USA and Turkey are important yacht building countries, Turkey benefiting of lower labour costs and USA of both comptencies in technology and dollar exchange rates in the past few year.

Other building are spread over the World, including industrial countries such as Australia and New Zealand, and emerging countries such as China.

With a bit more than 300 of sales per year, the second hand market is roughly as large as the new market.

On large yachts, due to a shortage of overall yards production capacities and delivery delays required for a new build, the second hand market is highly active.

While large yachts can remain attractive after many years, smaller yachts, GRP built can face more difficulties to find a buyer on the second hand market.

The second hand market is feed by Owners wishing to acquire a larger yacht, more recent or a new build.

As buyers it includes as well new entrants and existing yacht Owners acquiring larger or more recent yachts once their yachts sold.

In 2007, the second hand market has represented a value over 3,5 billion dollars. More than half the value was on yachts over 40m.

The average number of weeks yachts are chartered is in between 3 to 4 weeks per year, but actually the most recent and the largest yachts are frequently chartered more than 15 weeks a year, enabling Owners to get revenues exceeding yacht operation costs.

With a growing demand, the high summer (Med) and winter (Carribean) season are frequently facing shortage of yachts available, an even more critical situation for yachts over 60m, where only a few yachts are offered for charter.