Berthon Scandinavia Review | 2026

BY MAGNUS KULLBERG

OPEN YARD / ÖPPET VARV │PHOTO CREDIT JAMES TOMLINSON

I have always enjoyed reading the Berthon Market Report. For many years, long before I became involved in the company myself, I looked forward to this publication and followed it with great interest (today it is mainly read digitally – if you would like a hard copy, please feel free to contact us!).

For anyone with a general interest in boats or who works within the boating industry, it is both interesting and valuable to follow and reflect on how the year has developed from the perspective of an international yacht broker with sales offices in Europe and the USA.

Berthon Scandinavia’s sales office and display berths are located at Henån’s harbour on the island of Orust, about one hour north of Gothenburg. During 2026, we are happy to announce that we will also have two additional display locations in cooperation with our partners at Vindö Marin, only 10 minutes north of Henån.

Our main focus is on brokerage of boats built in Sweden and Scandinavia, as well as newer boats from well-known European manufacturers. Most of the yachts we represent are in Sweden, but we also work with yachts based elsewhere in Scandinavia, Europe and the USA. Over the years, we have developed a strong network of both clients and companies within the yachting industry in our local area but also across many parts of the world. Being part of the Berthon Group with around 20 yacht broker colleagues means we are able to help our clients (almost) wherever they are located.

CAN YOU BUY A YACHT DURING THE SCANDINAVIAN WINTER?

We are often asked how the process works when buying a pre-owned yacht in Scandinavia, especially during the winter season.

In most countries, yachts remain in the water all year round. This means that after a contract is signed (subject to survey) and deposit is paid, the normal survey process usually begins with a sea trial, followed by lifting the yacht for an out-of-water inspection. Once both inspections are satisfactorily completed, the final payment is made and ownership is transferred. Depending on the availability of yards and surveyors, this process typically takes around 3 to 8 weeks from contract signing to completion.

In Scandinavia, however, most yachts are ashore for roughly half of the year. When a sale takes place during the winter, the process differs. Once buyer and seller have reached an agreement, the contract has been signed and the deposit has been paid, a so-called “full” out-of-water survey is carried out.

The surveyor (and/or the buyer) inspects the yacht ashore, including areas below the waterline, the topsides, deck, moisture levels and deck equipment. The inside of the yacht is then inspected for any structural issues, through-hull fittings are checked and functional tests are carried out on systems that can be operated whilst the yacht is winterised. The mast and rigging are also inspected, which is straightforward as during the winter these are stored in a mast shed.

After a successful out-of-water survey, it is common for the final payment to be made and ownership to be transferred, even though the sea trial has not yet taken place. The ownership transfer gives the buyer full access to the yacht, so that upgrades, servicing, and preparation for launching in the spring may be undertaken.

The sea trial, which is part of the contract, is carried out once the ice is gone and the yacht is launched. Both buyer and seller are aware that if any machinery or systems do not function correctly during the sea trial, it is the seller’s responsibility to rectify these issues. To ensure that any such matters can be addressed, a retention payment is held in our client account until the sea trial has been successfully completed. With the agreement of buyer and seller, these funds can be used to cover any seller-responsible defects identified during the sea trial, although in the vast majority of cases, no such issues arise.

BOAT SHOWS

Naturally, Berthon Scandinavia participates in the in-water boat show Öppet Varv every year, which in our view is the best boat show in Scandinavia. It is organized by Hallberg-Rassy at their yard in Ellös at the end of August each year (21–23 August 2026). We usually display five of our brokerage yachts at the show itself and have a further 10–15 yachts available for viewing in nearby harbours and service yards. At Öppet Varv, visitors can also see a wide range of models from both small and large well-known European boat builders, as well as the complete Hallberg-Rassy range.

For many visitors, the highlight of Öppet Varv is that the Hallberg-Rassy yard is open to the public, giving the opportunity to see firsthand how a Hallberg-Rassy yacht is built. We highly recommend a visit.

Last year, the long-established ‘Båtmässan’ in Gothenburg, which had been held each February for around 50 years, was discontinued. In addition to Öppet Varv, we now participate in two new boat shows in Gothenburg: Sail Expo in February and an outdoor show in Eriksberg in May. We also exhibit at the Stockholm boat show in February and at the floating boat show in Gustavsberg (Stockholm) in September. We warmly welcome both new and returning clients.

SOLARIS

Speaking of boat shows, we once again attended boot Düsseldorf, where we presented Solaris’ excellent sailing yachts to Scandinavian clients. We experienced a decline in enquiries for new yachts during 2025, but interest has increased somewhat this year. The popular Solaris 50 and 64 RS models were on display at the 2026 boot.

The Solaris range consists of modern, high-performance cruising yachts. The flush-deck models include the 40, 40ST, 44 (which will be presented in an updated version at Düsseldorf 2027), the highly successful 50 with over 50 units sold since her launch in 2022, the new 55, the 60, and the 74. Solaris also offers raised-saloon models: the 64 RS, 74 RS, 80 RS, and 111 RS. If you are interested in any Solaris model, do reach out to us, as we represent the Scandinavian market.

THE SCANDINAVIAN YACHT BROKERAGE MARKET

2025 was a strong year for us. Once again we increased our sales in terms of number of yachts sold, completing a total of 50 closings during the year, an increase of nearly 10% compared with 2024.

It was encouraging that the proportion of Swedish and Scandinavian buyers increased noticeably during 2025, compared with the previous two or three years when most buyers came from the rest of Europe and the USA.

Over the past two or three years, we have seen rising market values for pre-owned yachts. During 2025, this increase slowed and values began to level out.

We are now looking ahead to 2026, which has started well, with six yachts sold and three under contract already during January. We have some great new listings coming to the market and we look forward to seeing you in Orust this year.

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