By John Burnham, Editorial Director

The number of brokerage boats sold in the United States normally begins to tail off in September as cooler weather settles on much of the country, but in the month just ended, sales also dropped compared to September 2009. According to reporting member brokerages of YachtWorld.com, unit sales were down 7 percent, from 2420 to 2246, and total sales valuation fell 6 percent, from $222 million to $208 million. This was the third consecutive month that sales were either even with or lower than 2009.

Due to stronger sales in the first six months of 2010, year-to-date sales figures remain well ahead of 2009. Close to 24,000 boats have changed hands, up 11 percent from 21,425, and total valuation of sales is up 17 percent, from $2.03 billion to $2.38 billion.

The average time to sell a boat continued to fall in September and is now about nine months (277 days), compared to 292 days in September 2009. Year to date, the average time to sell is 285 days, still a couple weeks higher than the 271-day average in the first nine months of 2009.

Unit sales in all size categories were lower in September 2010 by 3 to 10 percent compared to September 2009; the lone exception was boats over 55 feet long, which were up 27 percent, from 55 to 70 boats sold. Total valuation was down 8 percent among large boats, however, which was the second biggest decline among different size categories. The biggest valuation decline was among boats 36 to 45 feet long, down 12% , with 501 boats selling for $61 million in September 2010, compared to 554 boats selling for $70 million a year earlier.

Sailboat sales fell the farthest in September, dropping 19 percent from 521 boats to 423 boats sold, while powerboats were off only 76 boats (4 percent) to 1823. Likewise, in total valuation, sail was down 26 percent from $38 to $28 million, while power came in 2 percent lower, down from $184 to $180 million. It would be hard to identify this a trend, however, as the numbers were reversed in August, when sailboat valuations increased 15 percent and powerboat valuations decreased 7 percent. 

A more detailed report on September 2010 brokerage sales, including a spotlight on long-range cruisers, both trawlers and cruising sailboats, will appear in the upcoming issue of Soundings Trade Only.