Meanwhile in the UK recreational boating sector
When you strip away anecdotes and gut feeling from 2025, the data points from brokers, builders, production figures and transaction reports all tell the same story: the market didn’t fall off a cliff, but it split sharply by size and buyer profile. According to Clarke & Carter’s Summer 2025 Market Update, overall enquiry levels and website traffic were up, but actual buyer behaviour became significantly more selective compared to the post- COVID years, with certain segments slowing far more than others.
Starting at the lower end of the market, UK brokers were unusually direct about small boats and dayboats. Clarke & Carter explicitly stated that “the market for day boats is particularly slow at the moment”, attributing this to reduced disposable income, higher interest rates, and increasing ownership costs such as storage and maintenance. Even within sailing, which they described as generally active, they noted that the sub-£10k bracket is “slightly slower” due to a combination of higher storage costs and an oversupply of boats on the market.
That softness didn’t disappear as the year went on. In their December 2025 update, Clarke & Carter doubled down, stating plainly that “day boats are having a tough time” and warning that, going into 2026, “prices may fall further unless something changes” in buyer confidence and affordability. This is one of the clearest public broker statements linking small-boat performance directly to macroeconomic pressure rather than lack of interest.
By contrast, mid-size and larger cruising boats performed noticeably better throughout the year. In the same Summer 2025 report, Clarke & Carter stated that “the bigger and more expensive motor cruisers are faring much better”, with the key caveat that boats must be in good condition and priced realistically. By December, their conclusion was even more blunt: “The bigger the motorboat, the better the market,” with sports cruisers and flybridge motor yachts specifically highlighted as categories that continued to sell in reasonable timeframes despite tougher negotiations.
This size-based divergence is reinforced by UK builder data. Marine Industry News quoted Cockwells, a premium British boatbuilder, stating that “for our smaller boats, it’s a bit quieter than normal,” while adding that “Duchy 35s and up… they’re selling, no problem”.
Boat show transaction data adds hard numbers to this picture. British Marine reported that Ancasta achieved over €20 million (£17m+) in new boat sales from the Cannes Yachting Festival and Southampton International Boat Show combined, representing a 300% increase compared to the same period the previous year (British Marine industry news release). Marine Industry News corroborated this figure, confirming combined show sales exceeding €20m, demonstrating that committed buyers were still transacting at scale in 2025 despite broader market caution.
Production data provides further context. UK Boat Production Estimates published by British Marine and analysed by Marine Industry News show that production of small sailboats under 7.49m fell to less than two-thirds of post-COVID peak levels by 2024, while mid-size motor yacht production (12.5–23.99m) remained broadly stable at around 300 units per year. Notably, production of motor yachts over 24m increased from around 40 units in 2021 to just over 60 units by 2024, with major UK builders signalling plans to re-enter or expand in the 30m+ segment from late 2026 (Marine Industry News, UK Boat Production Estimates 2021–2024).
At the very top end, the superyacht market mirrors the same pattern. The Monaco Yacht Show Market Report 2025 (by SuperYacht Times) reported 200 used yachts over 30m sold by the end of July 2025, almost identical to the prior year, but with total gross tonnage traded up 8% to 93,500 GT, indicating that the average yacht
sold was larger. The same report noted that while new-build sales under 50m were down year-on-year, larger size segments remained stable, reinforcing the trend that size and buyer resilience are closely linked.
Taken together, these sources point to a consistent conclusion. 2025 was not a weak year for UK boat sales, but it was a highly selective one. Entry-level and dayboat segments were the most exposed to economic pressure and discretionary spend constraints. Mid-size cruising boats, particularly those that were turnkey and realistically priced, remained liquid. Larger and premium boats outperformed smaller craft, supported by more financially resilient buyers and long-term lifestyle demand.
26 | ISSUE 115 | MAR 2026 | THE REPORT 9
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