When buying a boat, quality is increasingly more important to most sailors in this country than a favourable price. And: whether new or used, owners are investing more money than ever before in ever larger boats. These are just two of the exciting findings of the major YACHT reader survey from last autumn, the detailed analysis of which is now available.
The sailing boat industry continues to grow and demand remains high, as it has been in the past two years. 20 per cent of sailors are currently considering a specific purchase, and many have already ordered a new boat.
This was also revealed by the YACHT survey, in which around 7,000 readers took part. Most of them dream of a cruising boat. Hallberg-Rassy leads the top ten dream yachts; this has already been the case in previous years. However, the Swedes have managed to significantly increase their lead over other yacht brands: from 16.4 per cent in 2018 to 20.3 per cent now. Surprisingly, Sirius follows in second place in the ranking with 5.3 per cent - albeit already a long way behind the leader; the northern German shipyard was still in sixth place three years ago.
In contrast to the dream yachts, the list of boats actually sailed by readers reflects reality. The leading brands here are the major series manufacturers, such as Bavaria, Dehler, HR, Hanse, Beneteau and Jeanneau.
The majority - 80 per cent! - are owners of a second-hand boat. They have been sailing it for an average of 7.1 years; the boat itself is on average 30.8 years old (built in 1990).
Things look a little different for the yachts that were once newly purchased. Here the models from Hanseyachts are at the top of the list, followed by the competitor from Giebelstadt: Bavaria. But boats from French manufacturers are also popular.
20 per cent of YACHT readers sail a newly purchased boat. On average, they have owned it for 11.3 years, i.e. the keel was laid in 2010.
Contrary to expectations, those who are currently considering a specific purchase are not looking first at the price, but at the quality and sailing characteristics of a yacht. Both criteria have become even more important in the decision-making process than in the last survey in 2018. Bavaria is at the top of the shopping list, followed by Beneteau.
More than one in two buyers spent over 100,000 euros on their new boat, and the average price of a new yacht is now around 350,000 euros. An average of 86,000 euros was spent on used yachts.
No less exciting than the look at the favourite yachts are the findings on how well or less well the shipyards perform in terms of criteria such as build quality, value for money, modern design, service orientation and the like. We surveyed a total of 14 such shipyard-related aspects. The three best boat builders are listed below.
The reader survey was carried out on behalf of Delius Klasing Verlag by the market research institute Market Research. The lists and rankings shown reflect the most important survey results for sailors. Many more results and detailed analyses are available for companies in the industry as well as for interested private individuals. They can be ordered collectively or divided into several partial analyses for a fee atdk-mediasales.de/watersports-market-study (click here!).
Downloads:
- Hallberg-Rassy Monsoon 31 (pdf)
- Hallberg-Rassy 50 (pdf)
- Hallberg-Rassy 400 (pdf)
- Hallberg-Rassy 342 (pdf)
- 10 m comparison: Najad 355, Sunbeam 34, Hallberg-Rassy 342 (pdf)
- 11-metre comparison test (Bavaria 36, Delphia 37, Hanse 385, Oceanis 37, Sun Odyssey 379) (pdf)
- Bavaria C38 in a 38-foot comparison, part 1 (pdf)
- 38-foot comparison, part 1: Hanse 388, Dufour 390, Bavaria C38 (pdf)
- 38-foot comparison, part 2: Hanse 388, Dufour 390, Bavaria C38 (pdf)
- Bavaria C38 in a 38-foot comparison, part 2 (pdf)
- Bavaria 30 Plus (pdf)
- Hanse 508 (pdf)
- Rubberduck: Age-appropriate Hanse 455 (pdf)
- Hanse 315 (pdf)
- Hanse 460 (pdf)
The big YACHT used boat special:
- New, used or chartered - here's what to consider
- Which type of boat is the right one? Decision-making aids
- Overview: Used boats under 6 metres
- Overview: Used boats under 7 metres
- Overview: Used boats under 8 metres
- Overview: Used boats around 9 metres
- Overview: Used boats over 9 metres
- Dream yachts: These are the favourite ships of YACHT readers
- Buying a used boat: Your guide through the online jungle
- Own inspection or surveyor? What you need to look out for
- How to avoid traps in the purchase agreement
- The boat is bought - what's next? The first steps
- What insurance do I need for my boat?
