Costs that arrive with the purchase
Some costs arrive before the first cruise. The survey and haul-out, legal fees, registration and any change of flag, VAT if it is due, and the cost of defects accepted with a price adjustment all fall in the first weeks. So does the work an experienced new owner nearly always commissions: servicing machinery to a known baseline, replacing safety equipment near the end of its service life, and updating charts, software and navigation electronics.
If the survey identified items that are not defects in the contractual sense but will need attention soon, such as ageing hoses, coatings or upholstery, they belong in the first year's budget too.
Crew
On a crewed yacht, the crew is usually the largest annual cost. The budget covers salaries, which depend on the yacht's size, the role and the crew's qualifications, together with employment and social security costs, crew insurance, training and certification, uniforms, food, travel and leave. Commercial yachts must meet the standards of the Maritime Labour Convention, and many private yachts choose to. The captain usually proposes the crew budget, and the owner or the management company approves it.
Crew numbers follow the flag's manning rules and the way you intend to use the yacht. A yacht used for a few weeks a year can sometimes run with a smaller permanent crew and add seasonal crew for the summer.
Berth, insurance and management
Berthing costs vary more than almost any other line: by marina, by season, by the size of the berth, and by whether you want a permanent berth or move through the season. In the most popular harbours, summer berths for larger yachts are in short supply and are often arranged a season ahead. Winter berths and yard space for maintenance are a separate line.
Insurance is priced on the yacht's value, her age and condition, her cruising area, the experience of her crew and the owner's claims history. Hull cover is usually accompanied by protection and indemnity cover for liabilities to crew and third parties. Where you use a management company, its fees are a further fixed cost, agreed in advance.
Maintenance, class and fuel
Every yacht needs an annual maintenance programme: antifouling and hull work at haul-out, engine and generator servicing at the manufacturer's intervals, and the periodic surveys her flag and, where she is classed, her classification society require. The larger surveys fall on a cycle of several years, and the yacht's records will show when the next is due. A yacht bought just before a major survey or engine overhaul carries that cost in her first year.
Fuel depends on how far and how fast you go, and on a motor yacht it can be significant. Fuel prices differ by country, and in some places between private and commercial use. Shore power, water, provisions and communications complete the running costs.
Registration, certificates and compliance
Registration fees, the renewal of certificates, radio licences and, on commercial yachts, the audits and surveys required by the flag's code are modest lines compared with crew or berthing, but they recur and they have dates. A yacht whose certificates are about to expire needs them renewed in her first season, and the cost of that belongs in the budget.
How you use the yacht changes the budget as much as her size. A yacht that cruises widely burns more fuel, spends more on berths in busy harbours and needs more maintenance than one used from a single base. A yacht kept in commission all year needs her crew all year; one laid up for the winter can run with fewer crew in the months she is not used, but she still needs to be looked after.
Building the budget
For any yacht you are serious about, we prepare an annual budget with you from her own records where the seller provides them: crew costs, berth invoices, insurance premiums, maintenance and yard bills. Past spending is the best guide to future spending, with an allowance for the work the survey identifies and for the way you intend to use her.
If the yacht will charter, charter income can offset part of the cost, but it brings its own expenses and obligations. Our guide to buying a yacht that charters explains how that works, and our guide to delivery and crew covers the first weeks after handover.
Questions buyers ask
What is the largest running cost on a crewed yacht?
Usually the crew: salaries, employment costs, insurance, training, food and travel. Berthing, insurance, maintenance and fuel follow, in proportions that depend on the yacht and how she is used.
Is there a percentage of the purchase price I should assume each year?
Rules of thumb circulate, but costs vary too widely with size, age and use for one figure to be reliable. We build the budget line by line from the yacht's own records.
Can I see what the yacht costs the present owner to run?
We ask for it. Crew costs, berth invoices, insurance and maintenance records are the best evidence of what a yacht costs to run, and the owners of well-kept yachts are usually glad to show them.
Do costs fall in the second year?
Often a little, because the first year carries the survey, the legal fees and the work that brings a newly bought yacht to a known standard. The recurring lines of crew, berth, insurance and maintenance continue each year.
This guide is general guidance as at September 2026, not legal or tax advice. Your own adviser confirms the position for your purchase.
