The rich rely on luxury, which is entertainment: they prefer the motorboat to the holiday villa

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Anyone who boards the Greenline 48 Fly feels as if they are in a luxurious suite of an elegant grand hotel: a multitude of warm woods and leathers characterize the comfortable interior and instantly give a sublime sense of well-being. This impression is reinforced by all the amenities for physical fitness, including a stylish lounge, a kitchen with bar and barbecue grill, as well as a wine cooler. The master cabin, which stretches across the entire width of the ship, impresses with its extra wide bed, fine lighting concept, high cabinets and private bathroom. With an overall length of 15.44 meters, the hybrid motor yacht appeals not only to couples but also to large families, thanks to spacious guest cabins – separate bathrooms – and plenty of space for your personal belongings. Another highlight: the large, light-filled lounge with 360-degree all-round views offers a unique view of the lake’s vast expanse.

Idyll and luxury have a price. 900,000 francs are paid very quickly for a Greenline yacht – or much more. Compared to a holiday villa in Switzerland with lake access, the value feels almost modest. More and more people in this country seem to be discovering the advantages of a floating home. And they don’t want to moor off Monaco or Saint-Tropez, instead they want to moor in nearby local waters.

The reason for this is simple: “These clients are often business people with a limited budget,” explains Yves Bosshart, Managing Director of Romanshorn-based boat service provider Pro Nautik. Yacht owners want to use their yachts regularly and spend weekends on the lake with their families and are therefore satisfied with a short journey time. “In many cases, the kids spend the afternoon on the ship and then sail out to the lake together, before the last family member joins them in the evening,” says Bosshart. Buyers are mostly wealthy water sports enthusiasts or private individuals who want a pleasant and quiet time on the water. The prestige often associated with owning a yacht is much less important than the regular use of the boat. “Anyone seeking recognition alone is more likely to choose a ship at sea,” he says.

Searching for motorboats

In fact, the number of motorboats in local waters has increased significantly in recent years. One reason was the corona pandemic, which led to a real boom in the industry that still continues today. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 61,573 boats were still registered in Swiss lakes in 2014 – after the most recent harmonization of figures for all cantons – since then the number has risen to 64,845, an increase of more than 5 percent. Growth is mainly limited by the lack of boat places in ports or buoys. These are not only rare since Corona, and waiting times of several years for one of the sought-after anchorages are not unusual either. Without this limit, the increase would have been significantly higher, experts believe. Therefore, the marked increase in motorboats has been at the expense of sailing vessels, whose number has decreased by more than 3000 boats.

But the test of patience begins before that: depending on the boat’s manufacturer and size, several years may elapse between the purchase of the vessel and its delivery. While this was due to the explosion triggered by the pandemic, global supply bottlenecks further extended the deadlines. If you don’t want to wait, you can turn to the second-hand market. As a result, prices have skyrocketed here, sometimes leading to overpriced offers in the market. “Not every yacht currently deserves the asking price,” explains Bosshart.

Luxury as a selling point

Long waiting times of up to three years for a new yacht are also a problem for Renato Hammer, head of the Hammer shipyard near Locarno. He noticed an increased interest in purchasing, especially in the high-priced segment. “Luxury is an important selling point. “People are looking for comfort,” he said. His clients include many mature German-speaking Swiss, some of whom already own homes at Sonnenstube. In Ticino, they want to spend their weekends – especially when the weather is nice – by Lake Maggiore. The desired luxury is offered by the nearly 16-metre-long Absolute Navetta 52, which Hammer offers for €1.45 million. “In Ticino you can find such yachts only in Lake Maggiore, other waters are too small for them,” he says. There will probably be more in the future. By 2025, San Nazzaro will have 280 new berths in demand. A boon for Hammer, which can only hope for five to ten new boat locations in the face of strong demand.

Almost two years ago, Cornelius Kistler launched a yacht even larger than the Navetta 52 into local waters. With a length of 20 meters and a width of about 5 meters and a good price of 2 million francs, the Sunseeker Manhattan 60 rises above many other sea boats in Switzerland. A heavy transport with a special route was required for the transfer to central Switzerland. Now the yacht is docked in Lake Lucerne due to the large boat docks and modern shipyards on site. “Ultimately, when buying a yacht for the local lakes, a lot depends on the dock – and of course your own needs and assets,” says yacht broker and founder of Breezeyachting.swiss. Specimens such as the Sunseeker Manhattan 60 are correspondingly rare in Switzerland. The length of the majority of yachts will be about 40 feet, or about 15 meters. “There are enough shipyards on almost every lake in Germany to take care of these boats,” says Kistler. But the prerequisite here is the availability of a bed. That’s why he and many other boat service providers try to arrange a berth with the sale of boats.

flexibility and freedom

A yacht like the Sunseeker is a floating vacation home – with one very important difference: you’re not tied to a fixed location, at least temporarily. “You can actually anchor wherever you want and at the same time always have the best view of the lake,” says Kistler. Although permanent residence on a ship is not allowed in this country, longer stays on board are possible without any problems. The boat broker believes that prestige plays a role for individual clients. But more importantly is the pleasure of the water, the passion for the boat and the freedom that comes with it.

Therefore, anyone who wants to be as flexible as possible should take this into account when purchasing a yacht. “The bigger the ships, the fewer guest berths available,” says Pro Nautik’s Bosshart. Therefore, someone who wants to use their yacht primarily as a floating holiday home or buy it for a swimming island or water sports can plan bigger. Otherwise you have to limit yourself a bit, otherwise it is impossible to login to many smaller ports. This applies, among other things, to Lake Constance, known to yacht owners as the true camping lake. Thanks to the large number of guesthouses, it is possible to go to a wide variety of destinations, bringing the desired variety to the round trip from the pier to the pier. However, stricter emission standards also apply to this body of water. Additional investments in yachts may be required for the so-called Lake Constance approval. This is why circular tours are easier on Lake Lucerne or Lake Maggiore, while the piers on Lake Geneva are designed for smaller vessels.

Each lake has its own culture

«Port-to-port trips are also very popular on Lake Zurich. “In any case, every lake has its own boating culture,” says Björn Hensler, owner and managing director of the Hensa shipyard in Altendorf am Obersee. For example, on Lake Lucerne, some yachts operate in winter, from where you can access the ski slopes in the region. Elsewhere, they are mostly used as a family resting place on weekends or as a floating boat office since Corona. And of course, lavish parties on the lake with friends are also very popular – with one important restriction: at least the captain of the ship should not indulge in alcohol, because the boat must always be controllable. It’s an emergency. “However the boats are ultimately used, the decisive factor is that they were actually used,” Hensler was convinced.

Rightfully so, because the additional costs of a yacht should not be underestimated. For the maintenance of the boat alone, regular maintenance work, spending the winter ashore at the shipyard, or renting a dock can quickly add up to 5 to 8 percent of the purchase price. Depending on how it’s used, there are also fuel costs.

However, these expenses are quickly forgotten when you go out to the lake with a nice breeze and enjoy the sunset from the front row above the flybridge.

Source :Blick