Running the comparison, before defaulting to motor.

An honest read of the cruising calendar. Are the buyer’s seasons fixed-date and inflexible, or is there room for weather-window planning of 36 to 60 hours on transatlantics?

Fixed-schedule cruising tilts toward motor or hybrid. A flexible season opens the sailing yacht and hybrid options.

A position on the carbon question, set against the principal’s family office, foundation, or public profile.

Sailing yachts and hybrid programmes carry a lower carbon position than conventional motor yachts.

The seven-year arithmetic, run on paper, across capex, opex, depreciation, and residual.

Sailing yacht builders (Royal Huisman, Vitters, Baltic, Perini Navi) typically come in 25 to 40 percent below the equivalent motor programme on total seven-year cost.

Annual fuel projection, sailing yacht against motor. EUR 60 to 120 k for the sailing yacht, EUR 200 to 350 k for the motor at 400 cruising hours.

Crew complement and pay, sailing yacht against motor. 9 to 12 crew on a 50 m sailing yacht, 12 to 16 on a comparable motor.

Maintenance shape: rigging and sail wardrobe reserves on the sailing yacht set against engine wear and stabiliser systems on the motor. Net annual maintenance is broadly comparable; the cost shape differs.

Total annual operating cost. Sailing yacht typically 70 to 85 percent of the motor figure on equivalent length and use.

EU ETS Maritime exposure. Below 5,000 GT, the system does not apply. Most yachts (including 60 to 80 m motor) sit below the threshold.

Above 5,000 GT (110 m+ motor) the cost is EUR 200 to 400 k per year at current carbon prices.

HVO availability at the buyer’s home cruising port. HVO is a drop-in diesel replacement at 85 to 90 percent lifecycle CO2 reduction; bunker availability is strongest in the Mediterranean.

If new build, the 2026 IMO 2023 GHG Strategy trajectory and any methanol-ready specification. Available from the larger Northern European yards on request.

Whether hybrid drive (Heesen FDHF, Sanlorenzo SX, and equivalent programmes) has been priced into the comparison alongside motor and sailing yacht.

Hybrid drive sits between motor and sailing on cost and carbon profile.

Battery hotel-load capability on the relevant new build candidates. Royal Huisman’s 580 kWh installation on Aquarius II is the published reference; equivalent capacity is appearing across the larger builders.

A written summary of the comparison, signed off by the buyer and the independent adviser before any broker engagement on the chosen path.

Acceptance, on paper, of the residual case for whichever path is chosen.