Ownership

Running costs.

The annual budget by size. The 10%-of-build-cost rule of thumb — and where it breaks.

The 10% rule

A long-standing rule of thumb in the industry: annual running cost is ~10% of the new-build replacement value. A €30M yacht costs ~€3M/year to run; a €100M yacht costs ~€10M/year. This holds reasonably well across motor yachts 40–80m; it understates costs on older boats (more refit reserve required) and overstates on very efficient sail.

The line items

Crew (35–45% of total): Salaries, social charges, training, uniforms, transit. A 50m yacht with crew of 11 runs €1.0–€1.4M/year.
Dockage and berthing (10–15%): Annual berth in Monaco or Antibes, plus transit berths. €200–€400k/year typical.
Fuel (8–12%): Heavily dependent on use. 1,500 hours of run-time at 50m is €400–€600k.
Insurance (5–8%): Hull and P&I — €150–€300k/year for a 50m.
Maintenance and refit reserve (20–30%): Annual antifoul, paint touch-ups, mechanical, plus a sinking fund for the 5-year refit.
Misc (5%): Comms, registry, audits, spares.

Offsetting via charter

A successful charter program offsets 30–70% of running cost depending on weeks chartered, base rate, and management commission. See charter-offset costs for the mechanics.