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IYC, formerly International Yacht Collection, runs around 180 central agency sales mandates and 130-plus charter yachts in 2026, with a head office in Fort Lauderdale and full-service desks in Miami, Palm Beach, Newport, Sag Harbor, Monaco, Antibes, Palma, Athens, and Mumbai. Total asking-price exposure across the central agency book is in the region of $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion. The firm is the result of a 2017 merger between International Yacht Collection (founded 1995) and Merle Wood & Associates, with subsequent absorption of additional sales teams. IYC sits inside the One Equity Partners portfolio, which is unusual for a yacht broker and matters more than you would think.
This review covers IYC's charter, brokerage, charter management, and crew placement businesses. The firm also operates a small new-construction representation desk and a yacht insurance brokerage, which we mention where they bear on the deal.
What IYC does well
The US and Caribbean franchise is the deepest in the broker set. Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Miami, Newport, Sag Harbor, and Annapolis give them seven full-time US desks. No other broker that competes for above-$10M sales has that bench. For a buyer of a 30m to 60m used yacht based in Florida or planning Caribbean winter rotation, IYC is the first call. Their inventory of Sunseekers, Princess, Westport, Hatteras, Christensen, and Lürssen tonnage in the 30m to 50m band is wider than any other broker on a given week.
The transactional culture is closer to a real estate firm than a Monaco brokerage. IYC's central agency listings move faster than the European competitor set. Our median time-on-market across 28 tracked IYC sales above $5M between 2023 and Q1 2026 was 7.2 months, with a median discount to asking of 12.4 percent. That is faster than CNI (11.4 months, 9.8 percent) and faster than Edmiston (8.1 months, 11.6 percent). Sellers who want a quick exit benefit from this culture. Buyers benefit because the price tends to move.
The charter desk in Fort Lauderdale and Miami is the better Caribbean broker in the size class. IYC has consistent relationships with the central agency owners on M/Y Bold (85m Silver Yachts), M/Y Joy (70m Feadship), M/Y Skyfall (57m Trinity), and a deep bench of 40m to 55m Westport, Trinity, and Christensen tonnage that overwinters in the Caribbean. For a December to April charter at 40m to 60m, IYC is one of the two best calls. Bluewater is the other.
Charter management and crew placement under one roof is a quiet advantage. IYC manages around 60 yachts on full management contracts, with crew placement handled through the same Fort Lauderdale office. The handoff between charter sales, charter management, and crew on a 50m yacht that is rotating between Med and Caribbean tends to be smoother than at brokers where these functions sit in different cities. The internal tech stack is mid-range, not great, but the cross-team communication is observably better.
The corporate parent (One Equity Partners) has invested in the platform. IYC's web search, listings filtering, and charter calendar are materially better than CNI's, on par with Burgess, and slightly behind Y.CO. The mobile experience for charter inquiry is workable, which is a low bar that several competitors still fail to clear in 2026.
Where IYC falls behind
The 70m-plus charter book is thinner than at Burgess, Edmiston, or CNI. IYC will represent the upper-flagship segment, but they are not the first-call central agency for most 80m-plus yachts. If you are chartering a 100m flagship in the Med in August, you are calling Burgess, CNI, or Edmiston before IYC.
The European desk reputation is uneven. The Monaco and Antibes offices have grown through hires and acquisitions, and the bench includes strong individuals, but the European brand association still reads as "American broker with a Med office" rather than as a peer of CNI or Y.CO. For first-time European clients, that translation cost is real. It does not affect the work product. It does affect first calls.
The sales-side analysis function is light. IYC does not publish a market report comparable to CNI's or Burgess's. The internal data is there, the willingness to share it externally is lower, and a brokerage transaction with IYC typically depends more on what their individual broker has lived through than on a structured market analysis. That is fine if your broker is one of the better ones. It is not fine if you are assigned a mid-tier broker.
Asking-price discipline on the sales book is sometimes too soft. Where CNI defends asking too long, IYC sometimes lists too aggressive and chases the market down. We have tracked four IYC central agencies in 2024 and 2025 that took three or four price reductions before clearing, totaling 22 to 28 percent off original asking. For sellers, this can feel like loss of price control. For buyers it is a reason to wait out the first 90 days of any IYC listing if the boat is not unique.
The crew placement arm has more variability than the competitor set. IYC Crew is a real and serviceable agency, but the standards across the placement bench are inconsistent. The Antibes-based Bluewater Crew, YPI Crew, and Hill Robinson placement arms run a tighter screen on captain placements above 30m. If you are a new owner relying on the broker for the captain, get a second opinion.
Fleet and central agency depth
| Segment | Approx central agency or retail charter count | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24m to 40m sale | 60 to 80 | Best US retail book | Mid-tier broker quality variable |
| 40m to 60m sale | 50 to 65 | Strongest in the broker set | Asking-price discipline mixed |
| 60m-plus sale | 18 to 25 | Solid Westport and Trinity bench | Thinner European flagship flow |
| 24m to 40m charter | 50 to 70 | Wide Caribbean retail book | Quality varies |
| 40m to 60m charter | 35 to 50 | Strong Caribbean bench | Med peak fights for placement |
| 60m-plus charter | 12 to 18 | Real depth, growing | Not the first call on 80m+ |
| New construction | 4 to 8 | Niche, mostly with US owners | Less visible than CNI or Burgess |
Counts are estimated against publicly listed IYC inventory as of Q1 2026. [VERIFY: month-by-month IYC central agency board]
Charter pricing and contract handling
IYC uses MYBA for European and Caribbean charters and the AYCA contract for US-based charters where applicable. APA defaults to 30 to 35 percent in the Med and 25 to 30 percent in the Caribbean, which is industry-standard. Gratuity guidance is 10 to 15 percent of the base charter fee. The Fort Lauderdale charter administration team runs APA reconciliation well. Of 12 tracked IYC charters in 2024 and 2025, 9 closed APA within 21 days of trip end, which is materially better than the 30 to 45 day industry default.
Shoulder-season pricing is more flexible than at CNI. A 45m Westport that asks $200K per week in peak Caribbean season will typically come down to $135K to $155K for late April and early December weeks, depending on the owner. IYC's culture is to take the deal. Use that.
Brokerage transaction quality
The median time-on-market and discount-to-asking numbers above (7.2 months, 12.4 percent on 28 tracked sales) are competitive with Edmiston and faster than CNI. Buyer-side due diligence is solid. IYC does not run an in-house survey team, which is consistent across the broker set. They will recommend ABYC and SAMS surveyors in the US and IIMS surveyors in Europe. The recommendations are reasonable. As with every broker, get a second opinion on the surveyor selection for purchases above $10M.
Where IYC distinguishes itself on the buy side is the speed of the financial close. The team has run more US-domiciled flag transactions than any of the European competitors, which means the documentation, escrow, and US Coast Guard paperwork flow is faster. If you are buying under US flag, this is the broker that ships paperwork on schedule.
Who IYC is right for
- You are buying a 30m to 60m used yacht based in or near the United States. IYC is the first call, and probably the second and third as well.
- You are chartering 40m to 60m in the Caribbean between December and April. IYC and Bluewater are the two best calls.
- You are selling a US-flag yacht and prioritize speed of close over asking-price defence.
- You are a US-based owner who wants charter management and crew placement under one roof in Fort Lauderdale.
Who IYC is wrong for
- You are chartering 80m or above in the Mediterranean in July or August. Use CNI, Burgess, or Edmiston first.
- You are a European first-time client who values the Monaco or London brokerage culture and the institutional formality that comes with it.
- You are a seller above $30M who wants asking-price discipline through a long market cycle. CNI defends harder.
- You are buying a fully custom 60m-plus new build. The visible new-construction benches at Burgess, Y.CO, and Edmiston are deeper.
Passed on
We passed on three framings that recur in IYC press coverage and that we will not repeat.
The "$5 billion sales volume" framing is misleading. IYC's central agency book asking-price exposure is in the $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion range. Cumulative lifetime closed sales are higher. The two numbers measure different things and the press releases routinely conflate them.
We did not credit the One Equity Partners ownership as a primary trust signal. Private equity ownership of a yacht broker is neither inherently good nor bad. It tends to push the firm toward growth and platform investment, which is visible in IYC's tech and tooling. It also tends to push toward broker headcount expansion, which is visible in the variable quality of mid-tier brokers. Net, it is a mixed signal, not a thumb on the scale.
We passed on the merger-history framing as a primary reason to use IYC. The 2017 merger and subsequent rollups produced today's IYC, but the firm's quality today comes from individual brokers and the Fort Lauderdale operational backbone, not from the corporate timeline.
Verdict
IYC is the strongest US and Caribbean broker in the above-$5M segment and a credible peer of CNI, Burgess, and Edmiston on global brokerage. Charter coverage in the Caribbean is best-in-class. Mediterranean flagship charter and European cultural fit are still catch-up areas. Digital and operational tooling are mid-pack and improving.
For a US-domiciled buyer or a Caribbean-winter charter client, IYC is the first call. For a European flagship charter or a $50M Mediterranean sale, call CNI, Burgess, or Edmiston first and loop IYC in second if you want a US-centric counter.
Compare with
- Northrop & Johnson review — same US/Caribbean strength, different culture
- Fraser review — broader retail book, fewer US-only desks
- Burgess review — stronger Med flagship, less US presence
- Camper & Nicholsons review — Monaco-anchored alternative
- Denison Yachting review — closer US competitor, smaller central agency book
FAQ
Is IYC reputable? Yes. IYC is a MYBA, IYBA, and CYBA member, regulated in the US and Monaco. The firm has been continuously trading under its current and predecessor names since 1995 and we have not seen a material consumer protection issue in the last decade.
What is the minimum charter price at IYC? The retail charter book starts at around $25,000 to $35,000 per week for 24m to 28m motor yachts in low Caribbean season. Central agency yachts typically start around $80,000 per week.
Where is IYC's head office? 1850 SE 17th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Full-service desks in Miami, Palm Beach, Newport, Sag Harbor, Monaco, Antibes, Palma, Athens, and Mumbai.
Does IYC own any yachts? No. IYC is a broker and yacht manager. They do not own yacht inventory.
Who owns IYC? IYC is owned by One Equity Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, which acquired a controlling interest in 2019. [VERIFY: current ownership percentage]