Monaco Yacht Show: The good, the bad, the…ugly?

There are worse offices...

The scene

MYS is by far the biggest event in the superyacht calendar. Anyone remotely associated with the industry flies into Nice late September, and spends the next few days trekking around the Principality meeting clients, viewing yachts and trying to forge relationships that will make the next 12 months fruitful.

But there are people who believe the show is more gloss than substance. Whether MYS will actually be useful for a potential yacht purchaser is largely dependent on the individual, their strategy and who they have on their team.

Come to the show unprepared and it’s likely you’ll walk aimlessly around the docks all day, have a very expensive lunch and - if you’re lucky - see one or two irrelevant boats that happen to have an empty viewing time-slot.

The show is without a doubt a barometer of the market. It is a place to see the newest launches, the newest technology and the pinnacle of engineering and design in global luxury: this year was due to have the 118m Feadship BREAKTHROUGH on show, built for Bill Gates, and the first hydrogen powered yacht.

But with that being said, is the show worth your time? Let’s discuss.

Why Monaco matters for buyers

Viewing a singular yacht is hard work. Aligning schedules with the yachts’ travel plans, flying in, flying out – that’s a big time commitment for something you could realise isn’t right for you within a minute. A yacht show gives you more time efficiency in that you can step on and off as many yachts as you can bear over the course of a few days.

Most importantly, it’s not just the yachts that arrive in Monaco — it’s the minds behind them.

The show is one of the few places where you can talk through a multi-million-euro project with the designer who shaped the lines, the creative who crafted the atmosphere inside, and the shipyard owner who brought the project together.

Another plus for clients is the proximity to brokers. Potential buyers rarely speak with just one broker, and even if they do, it is usually over WhatsApp and without meeting them.

Monaco Yacht Show gives the potential buyer (or seller) the chance to meet and have constructive conversations with a plethora of potential brokers, partners and facilitators. Put faces to names and see who is passionate about the industry instead of just their potential commission.  

What is also crucial for a client is the ability to gauge demand. Have you been eyeing up a yacht that is now near impossible to view because she is so busy with tours? Are you walking around the show and seeing no other would-be buyers, just industry contacts? Are you seeing brands with no new products on offer? This is all useful meta in the quest to understand the macro-dynamics of the market whereby millions can be saved, or wasted, by timing your purchase.

The real insider value however will come from the ‘off-market’ discussions you have with brokers and contacts. The ones where you are informed over a beer about an owner ordering a new-build (so needs to offload his old boat), a shipyards financial difficulties or a sellers’ divorce. This can be essential when figuring out where to spend your cash – and you’re not going to receive that, en masse, over WhatsApp.

So what happened this year?

The biggest news from the show this year was the launch, confirmation, sale and then pull-out of 118m Feadship, BREAKTHROUGH. Originally built for Bill Gates and listed immediately on the sales market pre-launch, she was sold the week before the show to a Canadian billionaire and removed from taking part. But was eerily eye-balling the marina from an anchorage outside Port Hercules for the duration.

The yacht is probably the most significant launch of the last ten years, being the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell superyacht – converting hydrogen into energy with water being the only byproduct. In many running modes she is completely emission-free, at 118m length – bonkers! Not only that, but she also has a sexy exterior design that is simple, sleek and completely timeless.

But regardless, she wasn’t there, so she doesn’t count.

Outside of BREAKTHROUGH I noticed a big trend towards exploration: VALOR, ENERGY, AFTER YOU, EMOTIONAL all with real exploring capabilities. Exploration has been an industry buzzword along with 'off-the-beaten-track' since I have been working in yachting, but we are really seeing tangible evidence of a more exploratory and adventure seeking clientele with shipyard activity and the successes of explorer focused yards like CdM and Damen.

What did this year’s show reveal about the market?

2025 saw more premieres than ever before.

From the 120 yachts confirmed at the show, nearly half were world premieres, which is a record for the event.

Pair this with the fact that the share of spec builds (yachts built without a specific owner) was almost double 2024 numbers and both facts show a big psychological shift in yard strategy; shipyards want to sell iconic products as much as functional yachts.

The emphasis of the show is on brand, design, tech and sustainability – not just having something to sell.

I want to buy a yacht in 2026; how do I do Monaco Yacht Show?

If you’re serious about stepping into yacht ownership then you need a plan before attending the show, or else be prepared for some serious overstimulation.

The primary tip, and perhaps a biased one here, but - for the love of God - use a broker. If attending without, be prepared to die a death of a thousand sales pitches. Each listing agent or shipyard will be selling you their yacht with vigour – it’s invaluable to have a balanced mind helping you draw conclusions from facts, rather than feelings, from data rather than design.

Know your requirements exactly, but with an open mind for the right product. Your broker should shortlist the shipyards you should focus on, the models within the yard that are applicable, the designers worth chatting to and what times you’re seeing them.

Your broker will then make the required appointments (it isn’t a casual walk-on, walk-off vibe here!). They’ll then show you the key advantages (and a good broker will list the  disadvantages) of each product.

Meet the crew, speak with the captains, and try to differentiate the brands and models as you’re walking around. Each brand has key USPs or goals for their launches, so get a feel for that before buying into a philosophy.

This should be a hectic couple of days, but a MYS done right will give you clarity on your situation. Monaco done wrong will completely waste your time.

I spoke with a yacht purchase client this week who has a EUR 30m budget, they were shown three boats in Monaco last month with an inexperienced broker, all had prices North of EUR 45m. Pointless.

People make decisions with their head and their heart; let your broker take care of the ‘head’ aspect by providing you with limitations of the yacht, true market values, resale ability, realistic operational budgets, realistic charter potential, short-to-long-term maintenance projections and also by assembling the right team around the asset.

You can then focus on taking care of the ‘heart’ part of the decision.

This brings me onto my next point: focus on the questions that matter.

The shipyard or sales representative will no doubt be told to focus the clients’ attention on the glass staircase or the new saloon bar which was recently refitted – but what about the range? Does the yacht have an ASEA converter for use in the USA? What about a selective catalytic reduction system? Does it need one?

If you’re trying to come away from the show with a new toy, don’t get too bogged down in surface aesthetics and ensure you look at fundamentals too.

Meet people…!

Real value in yacht ownership comes from the team you build.

Client referrals are big in our industry, and on a daily basis I am referring lawyers, surveyors, project managers, management and a whole host of other contacts to my clients. I even referred a friend within property to a billionaire client last week.

Monaco Yacht Show will have all these associated parties attending so make the most of it and start to think about who you want to have involved in this project long-term, because smooth yachting takes smart people.

Take heed of the advice above, learn to live with the intense crowds, difficult access, tens of thousands of steps and the general noise and overstimulation, then you can make a successful trip of the MYS and hopefully find your next boat.

Final word of advice for 2026

The Monaco Yacht Show can be a complete waste of time, or an invaluable, clarity inducing (and fun) few days - depending on your use of time and pre-planning.

Don’t try to do it solo. The role of the broker is to translate the infinite noise into sensible, digestible insight, and give you the data necessary to act.

If you’d like a tailored breakdown of the yachts on show this year, and overall macro-market status for your yachting requirements, just email josh@twwyachts.com