Berthon International

Is Sweden the best place to find a proper cruising yacht right now? In this special crossover episode, Berthon Scandinavia join BoatsinSweden to share a practical, buyer-focused guide to the Swedish used boat market, and how to navigate it safely if you are shopping from abroad.

Host Ingus Purgalis from BoatsinSweden is joined by Magnus Kullberg from Berthon Scandinavia, a broker with nearly 15 years in the trade and roughly 400 boats sold. Together they strip away the romantic brochure talk and get into what actually matters when you are wiring serious money for a serious boat.

First, they unpack why Scandinavian yachts earn the “Swedish Gold” reputation. It is not a fairytale. It is often down to storage and environment. Boats spend months ashore each year, many inside heated storage halls, and in large parts of Sweden they live in brackish or even fresh water. That can mean less corrosion, less wear in the places you do not immediately see, and a better chance of finding an older boat that still presents well. As Magnus puts it, “The fact that it is less salt makes a difference. And also the fact that the boats are up on the land for six months makes a difference.”

They also cut through a common assumption about the weak Swedish Krona. Yes, it can help, but Magnus explains that many premium listings are benchmarked against the wider European market anyway. In other words, the buyer does not always get a miraculous discount just because of currency headlines. The real advantage is often condition, provenance, and a sensible seller. When owners push prices beyond reality, the market responds fast. “If we put the price too high… we don’t get any enquiries.”

If you are buying internationally, the most valuable section is the step-by-step process: broker versus private sale, what legal protections apply when buying from a company, and why a proper survey is still the best investment you can make. Magnus is blunt about doing the work early: “If you do the work good from the beginning… we don’t have this type of problems.” In his experience, issues after completion are rare, and the goal is simple: no surprises, no drama, no long-distance arguments.

They also tackle paperwork that can quietly wreck resale value later, especially VAT evidence and registration. If you plan to cruise across borders, you want clean proof from day one. “If you don’t have the paper, but you know that it is paid, then you cannot prove it. And then you have a problem.” It is not glamorous, but it can save you from years of friction when you move countries, change flag, or try to sell.

Finally, they talk about how deals actually get done in the real world: deposits, time limits, exclusivity, escrow handling, and how brokers can hold funds back until launch and sea trial if a boat is sold while in winter storage. It is the unsexy machinery that keeps buyers and sellers safe when the numbers get big.

And for anyone dreaming of bluewater cruising, there is a reminder that cuts through years of over-planning and refit procrastination: “Just buy a boat… and go.”

Audio pulled from the original BoatsinSweden video published Jan 9, 2026.
Send us a message
Ingus Purgalis
Host of BoatsinSweden, focused on real-world boat buying and life afloat in Sweden.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Our first Inside the Market episode of 2026 sees Sue joined by Tim Carbury, newly appointed Head of Sales at Berthon Spain, for a wide ranging and timely discussion on yacht sales, buyer behaviour and the realities of trading at the start of a challenging but active year.

Tim joined Berthon on 1 January after more than a decade working at the sharp end of the Mediterranean superyacht sector. His background spans offshore sailing, yacht deliveries, yacht management and brokerage, with extensive experience based in Palma. In this episode, Tim shares his journey into the industry, what drew him ashore, and why Berthon’s collaborative, team led approach stood out in a brokerage world that can often feel competitive and siloed.

We discuss the wider market, informed by normal trading activity across Berthon’s UK, Spain, USA and Sweden offices, and by time spent together at boot Düsseldorf. While the Show was positive overall and clearly more active on power than sail, one of the strongest takeaways was its increasingly regional feel. International attendance was noticeably down, with fewer UK and US visitors than expected, suggesting buyers are prioritising local and regional shows rather than long distance travel.

In Spain, Berthon’s service, refit and repair operation continues to be busy, driven largely by smaller assignments rather than large scale upgrades. Budgets are clearly under pressure, and this extends well beyond the sub 24 metre market into the superyacht sector. Owners are focusing on repairs rather than enhancements, with price sensitivity increasing as local authority and operational costs continue to rise.

On the brokerage side, high quality new listings are joining the Berthon fleet across multiple territories. Sweden, in particular, is seeing strong early season activity, with yacht sales performing well despite heavy winter conditions and the fact that the traditional selling cycle has barely begun.

American buyers remain active in brokerage, but a clear shift is emerging. Increasingly, they are purchasing yachts for use in Europe, for bluewater cruising or for global programmes, rather than for domestic US use. This is mirrored by increased transatlantic travel and growing American presence in Mediterranean cruising grounds.

In a harder market, some suppliers of brokerage marketing platforms continue to raise prices, adding pressure at a time when careful cost control matters more than ever.

Within the US domestic market, pricing remains challenging. Some buying brokers are advising offers around 20 percent below asking, irrespective of underlying value. This contrasts sharply with European norms and reinforces the importance of accurate, realistic pricing from the outset.

What remains consistent is that recent, well known brands continue to sell when yachts are well maintained, correctly marketed and survey well. Buyers are cautious, but they are still decisive when quality, transparency and value align.
Send us a message

What does it take to build a yacht capable of crossing the Pacific, riding out 100 knots at anchor, refuelling from 45-gallon drums on remote islands, and cruising among drifting ice and orca in Antarctica? In this episode of the Berthon Podcast, Sue Grant sits aboard FPB 78-2 Grey Wolf II with owner Peter Watson to talk through one of the most extraordinary private cruising programs of the last decade.
Peter’s FPB story began with Little Grey Wolf, an FPB 64 he bought in New Zealand. Instead of shipping her home, he made the bold decision to drive her across the Pacific. “I looked at shipping the boat back,” he says, “and then thought, no, let’s drive it back.”
The resulting three-month journey carried a crew of five, including a retired MOD naval architect and two apprentices, through Tahiti, the equatorial countercurrents, Panama, the Azores and on to the Channel Islands. It was on this voyage that Peter learned the practical truths that would shape his next FPB: carry the spares you may need, because help is thousands of miles away, and make sure everything on board is accessible.
While the 64 was crossing oceans, Grey Wolf II was under construction in New Zealand. The design was a collaborative process between Peter, fellow FPB owner Pete Rossin, and Steve Dashew himself. “It was very much a group effort,” Peter explains. “Steve designed the hull, but we all worked together to refine how she should be equipped and laid out.” He even spent nine months in the yard during the build, ensuring the systems, access and fit-out met the standard needed for high-latitude cruising.
Safety was at the core of the project. Peter insisted the yacht be built to MCA Category Zero. “I wanted the boat to be as safe as it possibly could be. The MCA standard is one of the best internationally,” he says. Grey Wolf II is the only FPB 78 coded to that level.
Once completed, she took the long route home. New Zealand to Tahiti, then the Gambier Islands, where fuel was hand-pumped aboard from 45-gallon drums. Past Pitcairn and Christmas Island, then into Chile. From there she and FPB 78-3 Iron Lady II travelled south together and spent three unforgettable weeks in Antarctica. “The wildlife was extraordinary,” Peter says. “Orca, penguins, seals. By the end I was almost penguined out.”
The conditions, of course, were real. Charts were unreliable, ice drifted unpredictably and anchoring required constant vigilance. “You might put the anchor down and be fine, then the wind shifts and suddenly the ice is coming at you. You have to decide whether you can push it off or lift the anchor and move.”
Between Little Grey Wolf and Grey Wolf II, Peter estimates he has logged close to 100,000 FPB miles. The capability, he says, is what keeps drawing him back. “You do not go looking for bad weather,” he explains, “but you know the boat can handle it. We had 100 knots on the nose in Chile and everything held without a problem.”
If you are interested in real world ocean crossing capability, practical design lessons, or what it means to run a family expedition yacht to some of the most remote places on earth, this conversation is not to be missed. Grey Wolf II is a remarkable platform, and Peter’s miles prove the point.
Listen now and step aboard one of the most capable private cruising yachts afloat
Send us a message
Steve Dashew - Dashew Offshore
Iconic yacht designer and one of the true legends of modern ocean cruising.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

In this final Inside the Market of 2025, Sue Grant is joined by Berthon motorboat broker and lifelong yachtsman, Hugh Rayner, to unpack what is really happening across sail and power as we head into 2026.
They start with a striking datapoint from the USA. For brokerage yachts over 500,000 dollars, 1,893 motorboats have sold in 2025, against just 149 sailboats including multihulls. As Sue says, it is a sobering statistic. Hugh sees it every day as experienced sailors quietly move to semi displacement and long range motor yachts. As he puts it, many are discovering that “straight line sailing is quite nice because you can sit inside, put the heating on and avoid a face full of salt water every fifteen minutes”.
Multihulls are another clear growth story on both sides of the Atlantic, sail and power. Deck space, comfort and performance are drawing in new owners. At the same time, more mature and heavier designs must now be priced very keenly to compete with rapidly evolving new models and materials.
New yacht sales remain challenging overall. Confidence, not capital, is the limiting factor. Yet truly new designs in the quality segment still cut through. From serious blue water sailing yachts to long range motorboats, the best of the new launches are selling off the drawing board in both Europe and the USA.
Across the group, buyers are asking Berthon to act for them in growing numbers. They want accurate, unvarnished advice on values, VAT, build quality and where a yacht really sits in the market. As Hugh says, “you are not just buying a boat, you are buying what that owner has done with that boat”.
Correctly priced, well marketed recent yachts with good pedigree, strong service history and sensible specification are still finding buyers readily. Berthon goes into the holiday period with more yachts under contract for early 2026 than we would normally expect.
None of this hides the fact that 2025 has been a bruising, turbulent year and that 2026 is likely to be similar. Reading the market accurately and telling owners the truth about price and presentation is critical. Overpriced, badly marketed yachts will not sell, however cheap the commission deal.
The episode closes with a look at the Berthon Fleet itself. The marketing team in all territories is busy, with an unusually high volume of new listings joining the fleet for the time of year. If you want a clear, honest view of where the market really sits at the end of 2025, this is the place to start.
Send us a message

Inside the Market returns for November 2025 with a straight talking look at what is really happening in the yacht world right now. In this episode, Berthon International’s Sue Grant is joined by Alan Baines, Managing Director of Berthon USA, to unpack refit trends, pricing reality, and why some yachts are quietly selling while others sit and gather dust.

They begin in Palma, where Berthon’s refit and service operation is busier than ever, but the profile of work has shifted. The focus now is on seaworthiness, safety and essential maintenance, not teak decks and shiny cosmetics. Owners are spending to keep boats safe and moving, not to win beauty contests.

Across the Atlantic, the US brokerage market is surprisingly active, helped by one key factor: realistic sellers. Alan explains that where owners accept genuine market value, yachts are changing hands. Where they cling to 2022 pricing, they simply do not. Overpriced yachts remain a major drag on the market, often the result of brokers over promising to secure the listing in the first place.

That leads to one of the central themes of this episode. The market is more diverse and specialised than ever, and no broker can credibly be an expert in every segment. Choosing someone who truly understands your type of yacht may not support an over optimistic asking price, but it dramatically improves the chances of a sale within a sensible time frame.

Price remains the main driver of deals. Extra equipment and long option lists rarely raise the headline number. They make a yacht easier to sell, not inherently worth more. In a cautious, cost conscious environment, buyers reward value, not gadget count.

Presentation also matters. With a good choice of yachts on the market, buyers are deeply project averse. Cluttered interiors, obvious deferred maintenance and “fixer upper” listings are sticking. Clean, de personalised, well prepared yachts are the ones that get serious viewings and offers.

Location is the final, often overlooked, factor. As winter bites and charter flights shut down, anything parked in a hard to reach corner of the Med or Caribbean becomes difficult to show. If a visit involves multiple connections and an overnight stay, most buyers will simply not go. Until flight schedules resume in spring, badly located yachts are at a real disadvantage.

Across the conversation, Sue and Alan keep circling back to seven simple truths that define this market right now:

1.Refit demand is strong, but focused on safety and seaworthiness.
2.In the USA, deals are happening where sellers accept true market pricing.
3.There are still too many overpriced yachts, often the result of over promising to win listings.
4.Specialist brokers who know a segment deeply give owners the best chance of a timely sale.
5.Yachts are selling on price. Extra kit helps them sell, but does not add real value.
6.Poorly presented yachts are being left behind. Buyers do not want projects.
7.With winter here, remote locations make yachts hard to show and harder to sell.

If you want an honest view of where the market really sits at the end of 2025, this one is worth a listen.
Send us a message