There are several factors that will affect the cost of a boat. Firstly you will need to determine what type of boat you are buying after which it will be a choice between buying used or new. Each will have its own benefits and drawbacks, both short and long term.
The boat price range will also depend on the time of year during which you buy. The same boat, priced at off-season and during full-swing boating season, may have a price that differs by 5%-15%. This can mean a difference of thousands, depending on what type of boat is being shopped.
Other factors that influence the pricing for boats will be the age, the features, the condition, and whether it is being bought from a dealer or a private party. All other things being equal, a boat will generally be cheaper when bought from a private party than from any sort of dealer or marina.
Many first-time boat buyers find themselves wondering if they should buy a new boat or a used boat. There are several benefits as well as drawbacks for both. Depending on your time and resources, there may be a clear-cut best choice for you, or you may still have to do some thinking.
While the used boat market will definitely save you money initially, which can be incredibly powerful when shopping, you may ultimately find that the boat maintenance cost that you experience is more than initially expected.
This will fluctuate in accordance with the level of care that the previous owner or owners maintained. If you are more budget-conscious, however, a used boat may be best since you can save later by doing your own repairs.
If you have more money than time or patience, the new boat cost may not be that offputting, since it may ultimately mean less repair cost and shop time during the term of ownership. Bear in mind, however, that buying a new boat will not relieve you of routine maintenance like oil changes.
Just like with other vehicles, boats come in different sizes and styles , which affects the boat price. If you are looking for a fishing boat, expect to spend more than a canoe. If you really like the 24’ model over the 22’ model, understand that your sticker price will likely be higher for a base model.
Before you make any final decisions about the size and style of boat you are going to start shopping for, make sure you think hard about how it will be used in the future.
If you plan to take a lot of guests out, make sure you have the capacity for that. If you will only ever take out a maximum of 3 or 4 people, there’s no need to spend a robust sum on something that has 8 seats, when a medium-sized boat will suffice.
Always remember not to buy beyond your experience level. If you are a new boat owner, ideal boats are most likely going to be 15’ to 18’ in length and have a modest engine.
If you get a boat that you aren’t ready to operate in the hopes that you’ll “grow into it” you can be putting yourself in a dangerous situation. Bigger boats also mean increased boat mooring costs.
One of the things that will have the biggest impact on the price of a boat is the feature set that it is equipped with. Boats can have a surprising amount of features, upgrades, and tech gadgets that can add significantly to the cost.
Some of the features that affect the average boat price include cutting-edge chartplotters, built-in media systems, specialty (often LED) lighting, battery chargers and maintainers, swim or diving platforms, hydraulic steering , autopilot functionality, and GPS position holding.
Higher-end boats may even feature additional comfort or even luxury features that greatly increase the boat cost.
This can include things like joystick steering controls, vacuum head systems, custom flooring, countertops, or finishes, satellite weather systems, and even climate-controlled cockpits and cabins.
In many areas, particularly those that incorporate leisure watersports or sport fishing, rental boats may be available. This can be very convenient for those who do not own a boat and can allow you to get out on the water with only the most minimal investment in boat costs.
Some of the upsides to renting a boat include never having to worry about the costs of owning a boat or the time investment of maintenance that the boat will require. This is the perfect option for those who may only get out on the water a couple of times per year, and it removes the burden of off-season storage.
There are some downsides to renting, however. With rentals, don’t have to pay for the cost of boat ownership, but you may not be guaranteed to get the boat that you want, even with reservations. You also generally rent very basic boats that are limited in range and ability. Some rental locations also do not allow nighttime navigation, which can be restrictive.
Boating costs $1,000 to $6,000 in expenses yearly, on average. The costs of owning a boat don’t end with the price of the boat and the first tank of gas. There are significant costs associated with owning a boat, some are costs like taxes and registration that you would have on any vehicle, and some are going to be unique to boating.
If you don’t plan ahead for a lot of the boat ownership costs it can end up costing you more in the long run. Some of the additional things that many beginners don’t think about include:
Boater education is incredibly important for the safety and enjoyment of your boating experience. Taking a formal boater education course ensures that you have the foundational knowledge needed to safely and effectively operate your boat. It can also save you a bit on your boat insurance.
Too many first-time boat owners assume that if they buy the boat and are exempt or not required to have a license, that they can just go out and boat.
Many states do not require boater education, but there are also many that do, and if you test and get certified by a NASBLA body, you can use the certificate anywhere.
Requirement : Essential for safe operation Frequency : One time Cost : <$100-$500
Just like your other vehicles, you’ll need to register or license your boat . The fees and process will vary greatly by state, but the fees range from around $20 up to over $200. They will often be determined by the type of vessel and its length, as well as the length of time that the boat is registered for.
Once registered, you will receive some type of registration proof to keep with your vessel. You will also be assigned a registration number that you will need to affix to the bow of your boat with reflective stickers.
Requirement : Required for all powered boats Frequency : Varies by location, from yearly up to lifetime Cost : $20 to $200
Just like everything else in life you will need to pay taxes on your boat. The severity of this tax obligation will depend heavily on where you live. The feds won’t take a cut, but you will need to pay the state as well as any local taxes owed.
The sales tax will only be paid once, and that will happen at the point of sale. The other types of tax that may apply are a use tax, if you somehow avoided paying sales tax, this will be paid to the jurisdiction where the boat is most often used. The personal property tax is the one that will hit you every year, just like any other vehicle.
Requirement : Mandatory for all boats Frequency : Yearly Cost : Varies by location
All boats will need maintenance , which should be expected as part of the cost of owning a boat, regardless of the size or type. However, maintenance costs are one of the costs that can be largely avoided by renting.
If you own your own boat, you will need to plan for maintenance items to be taken care of before and after each outing, some maintenance that will only need to be done a few times per year if you are really active boaters, and some maintenance that is only going to be needed on a seasonal basis.
You will need fresh water flushes, oil changes, steering system inspections and maintenance, deck and seat cleaning and maintenance, hull inspections, propeller inspection and replacement, potential anchor replacement, and more.
Good operation and preventative measures can minimize abnormal maintenance costs.
Requirement : Required on all boats Frequency : Routine and seasonal Cost : $1,000-$6,000
Fuel cost is something that can creep up on you if you don’t stay aware of your boat’s fuel situation. Operating a boat uses fuel, just like any other vehicle. The fuel cost for your boat will be measured in a similar fashion to your car or truck.
Some small, single-person boats can keep an angler on the water all day on just 1-2 gallons of gas or less. Small rental fishing boats may have a 5-gallon tank which is more than enough for them, while the same amount of gas in a boat meant for towing waterskiers or tubes will burn that gas much faster.
Estimate your fuel cost ahead of time by making sure that you are familiar with the consumption rate of your boat. You can also save gas by keeping the revs lower and learning how to properly adjust your trim. Fuel costs may be included in your monthly marina cost as well if you lease space with one.
Requirement : Required in all powered boats Frequency : As needed Cost : Current gasoline market value, plus oil depending on the engine
When you own a boat, unless it’s a relatively large boat that cannot be transported personally, you will need a vehicle to tow it and a trailer to put it on. These are essential for nearly all boat owners, though many will not buy a boat if they have to way to move it.
Your trailer must be capable of carrying the weight of the boat and any other cargo on the boat at the time of loading. Trailers must also be frequently inspected to ensure safety and functionality, and in most states, your trailer must be registered just as any vehicle, which can be its own annual expense.
Requirement : Required for all powered boats Frequency : Once Cost : Varies, some boats include, otherwise avg. $3,000
Requirement : Requirement Frequency : Once Cost : N/A
When you own a boat you need to protect it, and that means taking out an insurance policy on it. This ensures that if something were to happen to the craft that it would be covered. It is generally illegal to operate a boat without current insurance on it.
Getting insurance on a boat can be a relatively cheap task, particularly if you’ve taken the time to finish a boater safety course and obtain your safety certificate. Most insurance policies for boats will only cost between $20 and $50 per month for average vessels.
Insurance is also vital protection in the event that someone else is injured on your boat. Without insurance, you could face personal liability in the event that something were to happen while passengers were aboard.
Requirement : Required Frequency : Monthly/Quarterly/Yearly Cost : $20-$50 per month
In most areas, the boating season is only so long and when the weather starts to get cooler it’s often seen as the time to get the boat ready for storage. In many cases with smaller boats, they can be easily over-wintered in the owner’s garage if proper precautions are taken.
Boat owners can also rent an off-season storage space in a facility that will keep them secure and tended. Boats have batteries that must be maintained with charging, and unattended boats are the perfect place for pests and vermin to start to gather.
Having someone manage that for you can take a lot of stress and clutter out of your garage or storage unit. Indoor storage is often more than $50 per square foot of space needed, while outdoor storage can run about half of that.
Requirement : Required in all but equatorial regions Frequency : Yearly Cost : $525-$200 per square foot
This is essential for those who live in areas where you will be boating often and will not want to trailer your boat from storage to the launch each time. If there is a marina nearby, you can often rent or lease a boat slip to park your boat in during the season.
They frequently charge by the size of the boat and the amenities requested, like charging or freshwater supply. Not only do they allow you to keep your boat ready to go out at a moment’s notice, but they often are well-secured and safer than other storage locations.
Requirement : Optional Frequency : Monthly/Yearly Cost : $50-$1,000 per month
When planning to buy a boat, safety gear should always be considered part of the overall purchase cost.
Paddles, life jackets, signal flares, a horn, and many other things are important to have onboard before you hit the water in your boat for the first time.
In fact, there are some items that are required for you to have at all times.
Required safety equipment:
Additional accessories, like lighting, watersports equipment, and stereos are a fun addition to your boating experience, although they aren’t required. If your equipment budget is limited for now, you can always purchase the necessities and add exciting upgrades as you are able to.
Requirement : Some safety equipment is required Frequency : As needed Cost : $500
As you can see, there is a lot more to boat ownership than just buying a boat. The first-time boat buyer, buying a new boat with a trailer for a modest $15,000, and towing it with their existing vehicle, can still expect to spend more than an additional $5,400 the first year alone, expecting minimal maintenance on a new boat.
Buying a used boat may save you on the initial purchase price, but depending on how the last owner treated her you may be in for a lot of shop time.
If you are not a first-time boat owner and you’re looking to try and estimate your yearly ownership costs on a bigger, more expensive boat, there are a few ways you can ballpark that estimate. The most popular is a yearly cost of ten percent of the purchase price, before adding in seasonal storage, which can easily double that number.
Boat price: $15,000 Education: $100 Licenses: $100 Taxes: $30 Maintenance: $1,500 Fuel: $200 Trailer: $0 Towing vehicle: $0 Insurance: $300 Winter storage: $2,500 Mooring: $240 Equipment: $500
If your annual boat maintenance costs you $2,400, for example, that would make your monthly burden about $500.
You can frequently rent a simple fishing boat for around $400 per 8 hour day, while a pontoon boat may run twice as much, plus fuel.
If you rent a boat slip from a marina, you can expect to pay between $100 and $1,000 per month, depending on your boat.
Your maintenance costs will vary depending on boat use, but it will be a significant portion of the yearly cost of ownership.
The average cost of boat ownership for most fishing or pleasure crafts will be between $1,000 and $6,000 per year.
Plan on a yearly cost of around 10% of the value of the boat, so a $10 million dollar yacht will cost about one million per year.
Some used boats can be on your trailer heading home with you for a couple of hundred bucks, some others a couple of thousand.
Some of the biggest private boats, like large yachts, can cost more than $1,000,000 for every foot of total boat length.
Small boats, like jon boats or small bass boats, may only cost a few hundred if bought used on the private market.
This will depend greatly on what type of boat you want and what it’s going to be for, the basic boats start around $1,000.
Depending on what you’re looking for in your riverboat you may be able to pay as little as $12,000, though they do go for $40,000 or more in some cases.
A speedboat can frequently be found used for around $30,000 without a cabin. Larger or more powerful boats may have a cockpit.
A run-of-the-mill motorboat will cost you, on average, between $10,000 and $20,000 with more extravagant models going for much more.
The average mid-range cabin cruisers will cost about $250,000 and budget models at about half that amount.
Fishing boats can commonly be found for around $10,000, increasing significantly with features and options.
The average ski boat will set you back about $150,000, for a common and relatively basic model with average features.
Sailboats range quite a bit in their price, being found on the used market for $20,000 while new ones can cost $80,000 or more.
Some basic yachts can be found for $250,000, though most new luxury yachts will cost up to $1 million per foot in length.
Bass boats can range in cost greatly, from budget models starting around $10,000 to high-end tournament fishing boats for $70,000.
If you are looking for a bay boat, you can reasonably expect to pay at least $10,000 for a relatively capable craft.
Some of the more basic bowrider boats will cost $15,000 new, with longer boats or more feature-dense crafts reaching $50,000 or more.
Used center console boats are available on the private market for around $10,000, while premium models and features can cost tens of thousands more.
New convertible boats can be obtained for as little as $14,000-$15,000, while some models and options packages will push the price well over $50,000.
The market for power cruisers isn’t cheapest by any means, and a new power cruiser will often be around $100,000 for a relatively basic vessel.
Even the most basic cuddy cabin bought new will cost around $50,000, with options and features boosting the price from there.
Buying a new deck boat will cost you at least $20,000 for basic models, with more powerful or extravagant models pushing $60,000 and more.
Most flats boats can be found for around $25,000-$30,000 from major names, with some being under $10,000.
New performance powerboats have an average price of around $80,000, however, the average used boat prices are far lower and hover around $30,000.
The average cost of a houseboat is usually around $50,000, but you should double-check the marina policies to ensure houseboats don’t incur larger docking costs.
For more robust inflatable boats, the average cost is going to be about $1,000, with a range of a few hundred dollars to either side, usually.
If you like cheap boats, a jon boat is perfect and you can usually buy one used for around $500, with brand new boats going for around $1,000 or more.
If you are looking for brand new boats, the average boat cost for a pontoon boat will be between $18,000 and $50,000 in most cases.
If you’re looking for a catamaran the average cost of a boat that has been used is around $35,000, and upwards of a million for more serious crafts bought new.
Runabout boats are incredibly popular and they can start at around $12,000 for a basic starter and up to $80,000 for more opulent crafts.
Lots of people considering buying a new boat are looking into trawler-type boats and even used they can cost around $13,000.
If you are in the market for a walkaround boat, you can plan to spend about $8,000 for a used one on the open market.
Robert Owens is the Chief of Content of Quicknav. Robert has been boating for over ten years and loves to share his experience on the water. His first boat was a dirt-cheap moderately beat up 2003 Bayliner 175, where he learned a tremendous amount about trailering, launching, docking, operating, and maintaining. He currently owns a Cruiser Yacht and is eyeing a sailboat.
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There was one thing missing when a wealthy Missouri couple purchased their oceanfront home overlooking Camden Harbor in Maine: The million-dollar view was blocked by a neighbor's trees
CAMDEN, Maine -- Suspicious deaths in an idyllic seaside community and detective work that points to poison sound like themes from a classic murder mystery. But the victims in this Maine whodunnit were trees that stood in the way of a wealthy family’s oceanfront view, allegedly felled by well-heeled killers who, while ostracized and publicly shamed, remain free.
Wealth and hubris fuel the tale of a politically connected Missouri couple who allegedly poisoned their neighbor’s trees to secure their million-dollar view of Camden Harbor. The incident that was unearthed by the victim herself — the philanthropic wife of L.L. Bean’s late president — has united local residents in outrage.
To make matters worse, the herbicide used to poison the trees leached into a neighboring park and the town’s only public seaside beach. The state attorney general is now investigating.
“Anybody dumb enough to poison trees right next to the ocean should be prosecuted, as far as I’m concerned,” said Paul Hodgson, echoing the view of many exasperated residents in Camden, a community of 5,000 nestled at the foot of mountains that sweep upward from the Atlantic Ocean and overlook a harbor filled with lobster boats, yachts and schooners.
If this were a made-for-TV drama, the story set against the backdrop of this quaint village would have it all: Wealthy out-of-state villains, a sleuthing member of the venerable L.L. Bean family, and the same powerful chemical used to avenge Alabama’s loss on the football field to archrival Auburn.
Amelia Bond, former CEO of the St. Louis Foundation, which oversees charitable funds with more than $500 million in assets, brought the herbicide from Missouri in 2021 and applied it near oak trees on the waterfront property of Lisa Gorman, wife of the late Leon Gorman, L.L. Bean’s president and grandson of L.L. himself, according to a pair of consent agreements with the town and the state pesticide board.
Bond’s husband, Arthur Bond III, is an architect and the nephew of former U.S. Sen. Kit Bond. Their summer home, owned by a trust, is situated directly behind Gorman's home, farther up the hill.
When the trees and other vegetation began dying, Amelia Bond told Gorman in June 2022 that the tree didn’t look good and offered to share the cost of removing them, Gorman's lawyer wrote in a document.
Instead, Gorman had the trees tested. Soon, lawyers were involved.
More than $1.7 million in fines and settlements later, the trees are now gone and the harbor view from the Bond’s home is improved. But the chemical has leached into a neighboring park and beach, leaving the Bonds potentially on the hook for further monitoring and remediation, and Maine's attorney general has agreed to further investigate the incident.
The herbicide — Tebuthiuron — was the same one used in 2010 by an angry Alabama football fan to kill the Toomer’s Corner oak trees at Auburn University, following a Crimson Tide loss to their archrival. The incident earned jail time for Harvey Updyke, who acknowledged poisoning the trees.
Tebuthiuron contaminates soil and doesn’t break down, so it continues to kill plants. At Auburn University, it took the removal of about 1,780 tons (1,615 metric tons) of contaminated material to achieve negligible levels of the chemical in the soil.
Short of removing the soil, the only other solution is dilution — waiting for nature to thin out the concentration of the herbicide to safe levels for plants. It could take six months to two years for it to be diluted enough to no longer endanger to plants, said Scott McElroy, an Auburn professor specializing in weed science and herbicide chemistry.
Back in Maine, Tom Hedstrom, chair of the Select Board, said his job typically requires finding consensus on how to proceed with delicate political matters. But this time there is no need because residents are united in their anger.
Hedstrom said he, too, is appalled by the behavior.
“Wealth and power don’t always go hand in hand with intelligence, education and morals,” he said. “This was atrocious and gross and any other word you want to use to describe abhorrent behavior.”
The Bonds have paid a price for their actions, which they acknowledged in the consent agreements.
They paid $4,500 to resolve Maine Board of Pesticides Control Board violations for unauthorized use of an herbicide that was applied inappropriately and not allowed for residential use, $180,000 to resolve violations with the town and another $30,000 for additional environmental testing, according to documents. They also paid more than $1.5 million to Gorman in a legal settlement, according to a memo from Jeremy Martin, the town's planning and development director.
A lawyer for the Bonds said they have no comment, but they “continue to take the allegations against them seriously. They continue to cooperate with the town of Camden, state of Maine and the Gormans, as they have done over the last two years.”
A lawyer for Gorman declined comment.
Rep. Vicki Doudera, D-Camden, said she intends to address the $4,500 maximum fine that the Maine Board of Pesticide Control Board was allowed to assess. One of her ideas is a sliding scale that accounts for scope of damage and intent.
“It makes me so livid," Doudera said. "This situation, the minute I heard about it, I thought, ’Wow! These people are going to get a slap on the wrist. That’s just not right."
On a recent afternoon, no one was home at the Bond's residence while people walked their dogs less than 500 feet (150 meters) away on Laite Memorial Beach, where the herbicide that's lethal to aquatic plants has been detected.
Camden resident Dwight Johnson described as “underhanded” the way Amelia Bond feigned being a good neighbor by offering to share the costs of removing trees that she'd poisoned. Lynn Harrington, another town resident, questioned whether the Bonds could show their faces around town, where they used to be members of the Camden Yacht Club.
Some residents say the episode fits with the well-worn stereotype of wealthy summer residents “from away” — the Maine term for outsiders — running roughshod over full-time residents.
But some residents pushed back against casting summer residents as trouble makers.
Hodgson said Camden is not without its own rule-bending characters in a community where there are plenty of year-round residents who are both wealthy and entitled. He said some residents in the community where the median income is just under $93,000 — high for Maine, the poorest state in New England -- have been known to cut down trees, knowing it’s illegal.
“They just pay the fine because they have plenty of money,” Hodgson said. “That’s the town we live in.”
This story has been corrected to show the Bonds are no longer members of the Camden Yacht Club.
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His story about hypothetically being electrocuted is another glimpse into a mind that is unwell.
It is irresponsible to obsess over President Biden’s tendency to mangle a couple of words in a speech while Donald Trump is out there sounding detached from reality. Biden, who is old , at least makes sense. Trump, who also is old , rants like someone you’d cross the street to avoid.
We in the media have failed by becoming inured to Trump’s verbal incontinence — not just the rapid-fire lies and revenge-seeking threats, but also the frightening glimpses into a mind that is, evidently, unwell. In 2016, Trump said outrageous things at his campaign rallies to be entertaining. In 2024, his tangents raise serious questions about his mental fitness.
His rally on Sunday in Las Vegas offered a grim smorgasbord of examples, but the obvious standout (and not in a good way) is the story he told about being aboard a hypothetical electric-powered boat . He posits that the battery would be so heavy that it would cause the craft to sink, and he relates his purported conversation with a knowledgeable mariner about this scenario. Bear with me, but it’s worth reading the passage in full:
“I say, ‘What would happen if the boat sank from its weight, and you’re in the boat, and you have this tremendously powerful battery, and the battery’s now underwater, and there’s a shark that’s approximately 10 yards over there?’ “By the way, a lot of shark attacks lately, do you notice that? Lot of sharks. I watched some guys justifying it today: ‘Well they weren’t really that angry, they bit off the young lady’s leg because of the fact that they were not hungry but they misunderstood who she was.’ These people are crazy. He said, ‘There’s no problem with sharks, they just didn’t really understand a young woman swimming.’ No, really got decimated, and other people, too, a lot of shark attacks. “So I said, ‘There’s a shark 10 yards away from the boat, 10 yards, or here. Do I get electrocuted if the boat is sinking, water goes over the battery, the boat is sinking? Do I stay on top of the boat and get electrocuted, or do I jump over by the shark and not get electrocuted?’ Because I will tell you, he didn’t know the answer. “He said, ‘You know, nobody’s ever asked me that question.’ I said, ‘I think it’s a good question. I think there’s a lot of electric current coming through that water.’ But you know what I’d do if there was a shark or you get electrocuted? I’ll take electrocution every single time. I’m not getting near the shark. So we’re going to end that, we’re going to end it for boats, we’re going to end it for trucks.”
Trucks? He’s actually talking about the transition to electric vehicles , which he has vowed to halt. That entire hallucination is part of Trump’s rationale for one of his major policy positions.
Trump has told the electrocution-or-shark story at least once before , at a rally in Iowa last October. Stormy Daniels , the adult-film actress who received $130,000 in hush money to keep quiet about her sexual encounter with Trump — a payment that led to the former president’s conviction on 34 felony charges — has said that Trump is “obsessed with sharks, terrified of sharks.” Way back in 2013, he declared on Twitter: “Sharks are last on my list — other than perhaps the losers and haters of the World!”
The White House press corps would be in wolf pack mode if Biden were in the middle of a speech and suddenly veered into gibberish about boats and sharks. There would be front-page stories questioning whether the president, at 81, was suffering from dementia; and the op-ed pages would be filled with thumb-suckers about whether Vice President Harris and the Cabinet should invoke the 25th Amendment . House Republicans would already have scheduled hearings on Biden’s mental condition and demanded he take a cognitive test.
The tendency with Trump, at 77, is to say he’s “just being Trump.” But he’s like this all the time.
Also during the Las Vegas speech, Trump tried to deny the allegation by one of his White House chiefs of staff, retired Marine Gen. John F. Kelly, that he refused in 2018 to visit an American military cemetery in France, saying it was filled with “suckers” and “losers.” Trump told the crowd on Sunday that “only a psycho or a crazy person or a very stupid person” would say such a thing while “I’m standing there with generals and military people in a cemetery.”
But he wasn’t “standing there” with anybody. He never went to the cemetery .
Except in his mind, perhaps, which is a much bigger problem than Biden fumbling a name or garbling a sentence.
Superyachts are the ultimate status symbol for royal families, oligarchs and billionaires from Jeff Bezos to Bernard Arnault. The floating palaces are a source of fascination and secrecy — and greenhouse gas emissions.
The planet-warming pollution caused by luxury vessels that benefit the very few has led lifestyle social scientist Gregory Salle to dub them a form of “ecocide” and “conspicuous seclusion” in his new book, Superyachts: Luxury, Tranquility and Ecocide.
There are almost 6,000 superyachts — that is, vessels over 30 meters (100 feet) — at sea, according to a report earlier this year by media and market intelligence company SuperYacht Times. The total has quadrupled in the past three decades.
“It’s hard to think about a sign of wealth that is more convincing than that if you possess a superyacht,” said Salle, who is a professor at France’s University of Lille.
The concentration of wealth hasn’t just led to the superyacht explosion. It’s also led to a split in per-capita emissions, with the most well-off living the highest carbon lifestyles.
The world’s wealthiest 10% already account for half of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, according to Oxfam research. The nonprofit found that it would take 1,500 years for someone in the bottom 99% to emit as much carbon as one of the world’s top billionaires. The ultra rich’s emissions come from a variety of sources, including large homes and frequent jet travel. But superyachts are their single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, according to a 2021 study.
The annual CO2 emissions of the top 300 superyachts is almost 285,000 tons, according to Salle’s book, an amount more than the entire nation of Tonga.
Superyachts are also more than climate polluters. Wastewater, noise and light pollution, particulate matter in exhaust, and even where the vessels dock can have an adverse effect on the local environment. Those outsize impacts add up to why Salle has dubbed the vessels a form of ecocide.
The term — which was coined in the 1970s — refers to the willful destruction of nature and has often been used to describe the actions of the wealthy given their outsize carbon footprint. In 2021, lawyers proposed codifying ecocide into international criminal law, putting it on par with genocide. European Union lawmakers voted to criminalize environmental damage “comparable to ecocide” earlier this year. Whether the new law will be used to prosecute the use of superyachts remains to be seen.
Some owners are cognizant of the dangers their vessels pose to the environment. Jeff Bezos’s $500 million superyacht Koru set sail in April 2023 with sails to help power its voyage. It still sports diesel-powered motors, though. Oxfam estimates that the 127-meter (416-foot) vessel has emitted 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide over the past year, an amount equal to the annual emissions of 445 average Americans.
That estimate is also almost certainly on the low end as the calculations account for the yacht being on standby rather than in transit. The number also doesn’t include Koru’s companion yacht, Abeona, a 75-meter support motor yacht that functions like a garage with a helicopter pad and jet skis.
The sails on Bezos’s ship are an exception: The vast majority of superyachts are solely engine-powered. Only eight new sailing builds were completed in 2023, compared to the 195 new motor yachts.
Understanding a superyacht’s true carbon emissions is incredibly difficult because of a lack of data collected and the inherently secretive nature of yachting, according to Malcolm Jacotine, founder of the superyacht consultancy firm Three Sixty Marine. Using the International Maritime Organization’s data, Jacotine estimates yachting emissions will hit 10 million tons by 2030 if the industry takes a “business as usual” approach.
To help owners understand their boats’ impact, he’s developed two carbon emissions calculators. They have limitations, though, because they rely on voluntarily reported data and estimated tons of diesel fuel.
Yachts spend 10% to 20% of the year sailing and relying on engine power. The boats reach top speed only 0.1% of the year, according to Robert van Tol, executive director of the Water Revolution Foundation. The rest of the year, the vessel is a floating hotel, relying on generators that are required for a longer period of time and emit more CO2, according to Jacotine’s calculations.
Still, emissions data is done on a boat-by-boat basis, and one yacht may travel more than another in a year, making the traveling emissions higher, according to Oxfam researchers. Yachts are exempt from International Marine Organization emission rules, so true emissions of any boat are difficult to discern. That reflects how superyachts are both ostentatious and somewhat unknowable.
“Superyachts are made to be noticed,” Salle said. “But [they] are also vehicles that are really secretive in the sense that you can’t access the inside if you are not invited.”
New builds are focusing less on engines reaching top speeds and more on saving energy in hotel mode. But sustainability may not be at the forefront of purchasing decisions.
“It’s not a totally rational decision to buy a yacht,” said Ralph Dazert, head of intelligence at the media and market insight company SuperYacht Times. “It’s quite an emotional thing because it costs you an absolute fortune.”
In 2023, the total value of yachts sold totaled €4.6 billion ($4.9 billion), according to Dazert. He said the movement towards sustainability will be largely driven by shipyards and engineers adding features to new builds, including using recycled materials. New types of fuel could also cut emissions.
This year, Italian shipbuilder Sanlorenzo will test the first 50-meter steel yacht powered by hydrogen fuel cells, and another 114-meter yacht from German shipmaker Lürssen with the same technology is in production for 2025 for Apple Inc.’s former watch developer Marc Newson.
But the larger the build, the longer the wait time. That means some of these features will take years to appear on the high seas, according to Jacotine.
In a bid to clean up superyachts’ image, some owners are making theirs available for research and exploration. That includes a new 195-meter yacht owned by a Norwegian billionaire Kjell Inge Rokke, which is set to launch in 2026 with over 50 scientists to study the ocean. (It’s also available for custom cruises.)
While public scrutiny is mounting, superyachting is a client-driven industry. And for most buyers, luxury still trumps climate concerns. Salle noted that like many upscale items, superyachts aren’t just products. They’re representative of a “lifestyle,” one that right now is intimately tied to carbon-intensive activities.
“Ecocide is something that causes deep harm, harm that is lasting over time,” Salle said. “You could apply this to what [superyachts] are doing, not just individual … but global.”
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At a minimum, you'll need a 40-foot ocean going yacht for your journey, which can start around $100,000, which may or may not include any upgrades or safety features that you'll require. This cost can increase exponentially into the tens of millions of dollars, if you are looking at crewed superyachts.
An ocean going yacht is one built and equipped to cross oceans and could refer to both sailing or motor yachts. (In some respects, the term offshore yacht could be used interchangeably.) If you're planning an ocean voyage, ideally the boat could have a thicker hull and ample storage for water, fuel, and provisions.
The world of ocean-going luxury yachts is a realm of unparalleled exclusivity and freedom, offering a unique blend of adventure and opulence. These vessels are not just modes of transportation; they are floating sanctuaries of luxury and comfort. ... Costs of Owning a Luxury Yacht. High-end, custom-built yachts command premium prices ...
View every Ocean Going yacht for sale here. Every boat has beautiful hi-res images, deck-plans, detailed descriptions & videos.
How much do Ocean Yachts cost? Ocean Yachts for sale on YachtWorld are available for an assortment of prices from $79,413 on the more modest side, with costs up to $1,826,714 for the more sophisticated, luxurious yachts.
How much do Ocean boats cost? Ocean boats for sale on YachtWorld are listed for a swath of prices from $799 on the relatively lower-priced models, with costs up to $17,517,616 for the highly-specialized, bespoke models.
LEGEND is a quality Dutch build delivered in 2015, designed for low maintenance costs. The vessels is proven to be extremely quiet and comfortable at sea and at anchor. The large heli-deck was designed for entertaining. ... Because they're built as sturdy ocean-going vessels, expedition yachts are built with a strong focus on safety, self ...
The Selene 78 Ocean Explorer is the result of an international collaboration of designers and architects under the leadership of the Selene Design Studio (SDS). Working closely with renowned Dutch architect Guido De Groot and a group of international consultants, SDS has developed a contemporary version of our long range yacht while ...
To design and build literally the finest possible ocean going pilothouse motor yacht, in every respect. With true ocean crossing range the Fleming 85 will take you anywhere you want to be in the world, in total comfort, grace and peace of mind. Read More Standard Specifications. LOA:
Larger yachts, such as the best ocean-going trawlers, offer more space and amenities, ideal for long-distance cruising and accommodating more guests. It's important to assess the trade-offs between size, cost, and intended use to find the right balance. When examining yacht layouts, consider the number and arrangement of cabins.
However, the boats are extremely practical with little exterior teak, a very versatile aluminum toe rail, and a compact, ocean-going aft cockpit. The design concept grew out of the hugely popular, Bob Perry-designed Valiant 40, and the forward cabin comes in multiple arrangements.
That said, some still prefer an ocean-going yacht for coastal cruising 'just in case', and there's nothing wrong with that, provided you can afford the extra maintenance and running costs. Some experienced sailors swear by lightweight, high-performance yachts for coastal and offshore sailing.
Here's a quick overview of the average cost to rent a yacht (not including extra expenses) for the most common types available: Average Weekly Sailing Charter Rates. Sailing Yacht. $10,000-$20,000. Sailing Boats Under 80ft. $20,000-$50,000. Sailing Boats Between 80ft - 120ft. $50,000-$100,000.
Yes, our yacht operating cost calculator can output a budget suitable for this situation. Adjust the owner use to 2 (minimum value), owner slider to 0, crew slider to 10%, Administration to 10%, Fuel and Dockage to 0, Maintenance to 10% and then Capital Repairs to 0. This will remove all of the large charges associated with owner use and vessel ...
A 40-foot yacht can be found used for around $200,000 and new models can cost as much as a million dollars. There are always lots of used yachts for sale around 40 feet in length, which makes them more attractive to first-time buyers. Technically, a yacht begins at 23 feet. However, yachts that size will more often be referred to as boats.
Note: Costs can vary based on yacht size, usage, location, and other factors. By examining the tables above, it is apparent that the initial acquisition of a yacht is merely the entry fee into the world of yachting. The ongoing expenses can often amount to a significant percentage of the yacht's original price each year.
Often times small yachts are referred to as "day boats" or "weekenders" and typically have a starting cost of anywhere from $500,000 to $2,500,000. These boats boast a simple design, highlight open layouts, can have 1-2 staterooms, and are ideal for short trips, inshore fishing, or day cruises. Here are a few remarkable small yachts for ...
How much do Ocean boats cost? Ocean boats for sale on Boat Trader are available for a swath of prices, valued from $774 on the more affordable end all the way up to $15,204,863 for the most luxury model vessels. Higher performance models now listed come rigged with motors up to 6,600 horsepower, while shorter, more affordable more functional ...
Sailboats Over 40': $193,000. Sailing Catamarans - All Sizes: $361,000. Power Catamarans - All Sizes: $304,247. Downeast Yachts - Over 35': $532,240. Sport Fishing Yachts - Over 40' and in Southeast: $815,500. With so many factors to determine how much it costs to buy a yacht and maintain it, it is in the best interest of boat buyers of this ...
ALL SELENE YACHTS. From our Selene 38 Voyager Aft-cabin luxury pocket-yacht to our Selene 128 super Expedition Yacht, Selene Yachts has the boat which will be perfect for your sailing plans…. Sailing in the fast lane with our Artemis line, enjoying family coastal cruising on a Selene Voyager or contemplating a circumnavigation with one of our ...
An average 20' boat used can often be found for between $10,000 and $20,000. The same boat bought new would likely be $40,000 to $60,000. One of the biggest factors that will impact the price is the style of the boat, with the length of the boat figuring heavily as well. Buying used boats will always save you money getting the boat into your ...
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Paul Hodgson talks about the anger in the community over one homeowner's poisoning of a neighbor's trees to gain a waterfront view, Tuesday, June 4, 2024, in Camden, Maine.
Saltwater Fishing boats pricing. Saltwater Fishing boats for sale on YachtWorld are available in a range of prices from $15,000 on the relatively more affordable end up to $2,145,129 for the rare custom yachts. Remember the cost of ownership when considering your budget and the listing price of a yacht for sale.
"He said, 'You know, nobody's ever asked me that question.' I said, 'I think it's a good question. I think there's a lot of electric current coming through that water.'
TecPro Technologies. PARIS — Artūrs Savickis, technical advisor to Switzerland's TecPro Technologies, by the second to last day of the Eurosatory defense trade show, was used to hearing the question: "Why is a company from landlocked Switzerland developing a robotic boat with a range of 2,000 nautical miles?" "Quite a few people over the last few days have pointed out this irony ...
That includes a new 195-meter yacht owned by a Norwegian billionaire Kjell Inge Rokke, which is set to launch in 2026 with over 50 scientists to study the ocean. (It's also available for custom ...
Choosing the right yacht length is vital because the layout and features can be adapted and changed. If you want to go on a transoceanic journey, you will need a minimum 45-50m yacht. Yachts over 30m are categorized as a superyacht. Any yacht beyond 80m is referred to as a megayacht- otherwise referred to as a gigayacht. The Yacht Sweet Spot
The ship sunk stern first, due to its heavy engine, and is now standing upright 390 meters (1,280 feet) below the ocean surface, Mearns said at the news conference.
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