Yacht brands
Builders differ far more in build quality, dealer support and resale liquidity than their brochures suggest. These guides cover model ranges, known strengths and the things owners discover in year three.
Brand matters to a yacht buyer for three practical reasons: resale liquidity, parts and service availability in your cruising region, and how the builder handles warranty on a five-year-old vessel. Specification differences between comparable production yachts are usually smaller than any of those.
These guides are written from the buyer’s side and cover known model-range strengths as well as the compromises that show up in surveys. They do not rank builders, because the right builder depends on where you will run the yacht and who can service it there.
For a purchase decision between two specific builders, the comparison pages are usually more useful than reading two brand guides in isolation.
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Send a short brief and we will come back with the guides that apply and the specialists who can quote.
Italian builders
The largest production and semi-custom segment, from flybridge to full custom.
Azimut Yachts: Brand Guide, Model Range & Buyer Intelligence 2026
The Azimut range from entry production to Grande, what surveyors repeatedly find on used hulls, and how the boats behave on the resale market.
Benetti Yachts: Models, Build Standards and Resale
How the Benetti range splits between semi-custom and full custom, what the build standard means in practice, and how the boats resell.
Sanlorenzo: Semi-Custom Models and Their Resale Value
How Sanlorenzo semi-custom works in practice, what the asymmetric and SX ranges changed, and how the boats hold value against volume builders.
Riva: Classic and Modern Models, and What They Hold
Riva from the classic wooden runabouts to the current Ferretti-era range, what restoration really costs, and which models hold value best.
Northern European builders
Dutch and German custom and semi-custom, at the top of the market.
Feadship: What the Build Standard Actually Buys You
What separates a Feadship from a very good production superyacht, how the two yards differ, and what that build standard does to resale.
Heesen Yachts: Aluminium Builds, Models and Resale
Why Heesen builds in aluminium, what that means for speed, weight and survey, which models define the range, and how they hold value.
Amels Yachts: Models, Build Quality and Resale Value
What the Amels Limited Editions range actually offers, how the Damen build standard shows up on survey, and how the boats hold value on resale.
British builders
Production flybridge and sports yachts with strong European dealer networks.
Princess Yachts: Model Range, Known Issues, Resale
The Princess F, S and X classes explained, what surveyors find on used British-built hulls, and how the boats compare on resale value.
Sunseeker Yachts: Model Range, Known Issues, Resale
The Sunseeker range explained model by model, what surveyors find on used British hulls, and how the boats hold value against Princess and Azimut.
American and Pacific builders
Sportfish, trawler and cruising specialists with deep US service networks.
Ocean Alexander: Model Range, Known Issues, Resale
The Ocean Alexander range from Divergence to the explorer models, what used buyers should check, and how the boats behave on resale.
Riviera: Australian Models, Known Issues and Resale
The Riviera range built for Australian conditions, what a Southern Hemisphere hull means for a Northern buyer, and how the boats resell.
Multihull and sail
Catamaran and performance sail specialists.
Sunreef catamaran prices and buyer guide
What a Sunreef catamaran costs new and used, how the Eco electric range prices against the standard boats, and what berthing a wide beam adds.
Wally Yachts: Models, Ownership and Resale Reality
What Wally actually builds in sail and power, what owning a design-led yacht means in practice, and how a distinctive boat behaves on resale.
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Common questions
Builders with deep production runs and strong service networks generally hold value best in their segment, because buyers can find comparables and get parts. At the top of the market, Dutch and German custom builders retain value strongly because supply is genuinely limited. Depreciation is steepest in the first three to five years across all brands.
Yes, mainly through liquidity rather than headline price. A well-known production brand in a common size band sells in months; an obscure or one-off build in the same condition can take years and requires a buyer who specifically wants it. If you may sell within five years, liquidity is worth paying for.
Production yachts are built to a fixed platform with limited options and the lowest cost per foot. Semi-custom uses a proven hull and engineering with a customised interior and layout. Full custom designs the vessel around the owner from a blank sheet, at the highest cost, longest build time and weakest resale liquidity.
Comparing builders?
Tell us the two or three brands on your shortlist, your size band and where the yacht will be based. We will come back with service-network and resale notes for that combination.