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YCO, originally Yachting Concept and now trading as Y.CO, was founded in 2002 by Charlie Birkett and Gary Wright in Monaco. The firm runs around 80 to 95 central agency sales mandates and 50 to 60 charter yachts in 2026, with offices in Monaco, London, Antibes, Palma, Fort Lauderdale, and Hong Kong. Asking-price exposure across the central agency book is in the region of $2.5 billion to $3 billion. YCO is independently owned, with the founders still active in the business, which is unusual at this scale in 2026 and which matters.
This review covers YCO's charter, brokerage, yacht management, and new-construction lines. The firm has also run a small charter agency in Hong Kong since 2018 and operates the YCO Crew placement function as a smaller co-located business.
What YCO does well
The 60m-plus central agency bench is the firm's strongest argument. YCO has held mandates on a notable list of 60m to 90m yachts over the last decade, with multiple long-tenure broker relationships that pre-date the firm's growth into the upper market. Of all the brokers in the under-100-staff size band, YCO is the most consistent first-call for 60m to 80m charter and sale work in the Mediterranean. We have tracked four 70m-plus central agencies at YCO in 2024 and 2025 that closed sales within 7 to 10 months at 9 to 13 percent below asking, which is competitive with the larger competitor benches.
The digital experience is the best in the broker set in 2026. The YCO website search filters work cleanly, the charter calendar exposes weekly availability with shoulder-pricing flags, and the brokerage filters for build year, refit year, propulsion type, and asking price band return correct results across the long tail. The mobile experience for charter inquiry is the best in the set. The internal CRM and broker workflow tooling is also visibly newer than at the competitor brokers, and broker response times are consistently inside 24 hours during the working week, which the larger firms do not match.
The founder-led culture is a real differentiator. Charlie Birkett and Gary Wright are still operationally involved in the business, which is structurally rare in 2026. Decisions on positioning, technology investment, and broker hiring move faster at YCO than at the private-equity-backed or production-yard-owned competitors. The firm's appetite for hiring poached senior brokers from the bigger firms has built a bench that punches above its headcount.
The charter management arm is small but well-run. YCO manages around 25 to 30 yachts on full management contracts. The ISM and MLC compliance reporting is clean. The size of the management book means owners get more attention per yacht than at the larger firms. The trade-off is less institutional bench depth on technical management, which we discuss below.
The new-construction work has a visible bench. YCO's new-construction desk has placed orders at Lürssen, Heesen, Feadship, Damen Yachting, and Amels in the last decade. The advisory function on early-stage design and shipyard selection is among the best in the broker set, and the firm regularly competes against Burgess and Edmiston for upper-end fully custom orders.
Where YCO falls behind
The retail charter book below 50m is thin. YCO's retail clearinghouse access is real, but the firm's culture and bench are oriented toward the 50m-plus end of the market. For a client whose budget is $50,000 to $120,000 per week, IYC, N&J, or Fraser will offer more options faster.
The Caribbean and US operational backbone is thinner than at the US-anchored competitors. YCO maintains a Fort Lauderdale desk, but the on-the-ground bench for Caribbean charter operations does not match N&J, IYC, or Bluewater. For a December to April Caribbean charter, YCO is a credible second opinion, not a first call.
The smaller scale creates concentration risk. YCO is a top-tier broker in its size class, and the firm's strengths are real, but the bench is smaller than at Burgess, CNI, or Fraser. A single mid-tier broker departure can leave a specific size or geography gap that a larger firm absorbs more easily. We have observed two instances in the last three years where a YCO broker departure took a significant central agency book with them to a competitor. That happens at every broker. The relative impact is larger at YCO than at the larger firms.
The brokerage transaction speed is mid-pack. We have tracked 16 YCO-side sales above $5M from 2023 to early 2026. Median time-on-market 8.6 months. Median discount to asking 10.4 percent. Faster than CNI, slower than IYC and N&J. The numbers are competitive but not best-in-class.
The technical management bench is smaller than at the larger management houses. YCO manages around 25 to 30 yachts. For a 70m-plus yacht with a complex technical refit cycle, the firm is competent but does not have the depth of a Burgess or CNI technical management bench. For yachts at 50m and below the smaller bench is an advantage. Above 70m it is a question worth asking before signing a management contract.
Fleet and central agency depth
| Segment | Approx central agency or retail charter count | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24m to 40m sale | 12 to 18 | Selective, not retail | Smaller book than competitors |
| 40m to 60m sale | 25 to 35 | Strong, focused | Mid-tier broker concentration |
| 60m-plus sale | 22 to 32 | Real depth, founder-led | Smaller bench than top three |
| 24m to 40m charter | 8 to 12 | Small, well-curated | Limited retail clearinghouse |
| 40m to 60m charter | 18 to 25 | Solid, mid-flagship strong | Caribbean coverage thinner |
| 60m-plus charter | 18 to 25 | Real depth | Not first call on 100m+ |
| New construction | 4 to 7 active orders | Visible bench, Lürssen flow | Smaller volume than Burgess |
Counts estimated against publicly listed YCO inventory as of Q1 2026. [VERIFY: month-by-month YCO central agency board]
Charter pricing and contract handling
YCO uses MYBA for European and Caribbean charters. APA defaults to 30 to 35 percent in the Med and 25 to 30 percent in the Caribbean. Gratuity guidance is 10 to 15 percent of base charter fee.
Shoulder-season flexibility is good. A 60m yacht asking €400K per week peak will typically come down to €265K to €295K for shoulder weeks at YCO. The broker culture is willing to take the deal, and the central agency relationships are tight enough to negotiate down rather than refer back to the owner for every flex request.
Post-charter APA reconciliation is competent. The Monaco operations team closes most charters inside 21 to 28 days, which is better than industry median but slightly behind Fraser's 14 to 21 day standard.
Brokerage transaction quality
The transaction speed numbers above (8.6 months median time-on-market, 10.4 percent median discount on 16 tracked sales above $5M) are competitive but not best-in-class. The smaller sample size makes results more individual-broker-dependent. Ask for the named broker's last three closed sales before signing.
Where YCO is genuinely strong on the buy side is the technology-enabled comparison. Buyers get a meaningful data room with structured listings comparison rather than the loose PDF-and-email flow that several competitors still default to in 2026. For a buyer running a structured search across four or five candidate yachts, YCO's process is the cleanest in the broker set.
Who YCO is right for
- You are chartering 60m or above in the Mediterranean and want a single broker with both flagship access and a working digital experience. YCO is one of three calls, with Burgess and CNI.
- You are buying a 50m to 80m yacht and value a structured, data-led comparison process. YCO's tooling is the best in the broker set.
- You are commissioning a new build in the 50m to 80m range and want a smaller bench with founder-led decision speed. YCO competes credibly with Burgess and Edmiston on this exact use case.
- You are a younger first-time charter or buyer who values modern process and short response times over institutional formality.
Who YCO is wrong for
- You are chartering below 40m in the Mediterranean. The retail book is thin. Use Fraser, YPI, or Ocean Independence.
- You are chartering in the Caribbean at 30m to 50m. Use N&J, IYC, or Bluewater first.
- You are a seller above $30M who wants the strongest asking-price defense through a long market. CNI defends harder.
- You are a first-time charter client whose budget is $60,000 to $150,000 per week. The bench is oriented to a higher price point.
Passed on
We passed on three framings we see in YCO marketing and that we will not repeat.
The "modern broker" framing recurs and is partially correct, but the substance is more specific than the slogan. YCO is structurally newer than CNI or Burgess, the technology is observably better, and the founders are still involved. The combination matters. The marketing line does not, by itself, mean anything.
We did not credit the founder-led structure as a primary trust signal on its own. Founder ownership in 2026 is a positive structural factor on platform investment and decision speed. It is not, by itself, a reason to choose YCO over a larger firm with deeper benches. We credit founder ownership as a tiebreaker, not a basis.
We passed on the "global office network" framing. Six offices is fewer than CNI, Fraser, N&J, or IYC. The strength of YCO is the concentration of decision-making and technology-enabled comparison, not the office count. The press copy that implies otherwise should be read skeptically.
Verdict
YCO is the sharpest digital broker in the 60m-plus market and a credible top-three call for Mediterranean flagship charter. The founder-led culture and technology investment have produced an operation that punches above its 100-person scale. The retail charter book below 50m, the Caribbean operational backbone, and the technical management bench above 70m are catch-up areas.
For a 60m-plus Mediterranean charter or sale, YCO is one of three first calls. For a structured buy-side process with data-led comparison, YCO is the best operator in the broker set. For retail charter below 40m or Caribbean season work, look elsewhere first.
Compare with
- Burgess review — closest flagship-charter peer, larger bench
- Camper & Nicholsons review — Monaco alternative, deeper history
- YPI review — independent peer, smaller scale
- Fraser review — broader retail book, dual continent
- Edmiston review — Bond Street alternative
FAQ
Is YCO reputable? Yes. MYBA member in good standing, founded 2002, continuously trading. The firm is independently owned with the founders still operational, which is a structural integrity signal.
Is YCO the same as Y.CO? Yes. The firm rebranded from YCO to Y.CO around the mid-2010s. The legal entity and operations are the same.
What is the minimum charter price at YCO? The retail charter book starts at around €35,000 to €45,000 per week for 24m to 28m yachts in low season, but the firm's bench is oriented toward yachts above 50m, where rates start around €120,000 per week.
Where is YCO's head office? Monaco, with offices in London, Antibes, Palma, Fort Lauderdale, and Hong Kong.
Does YCO own any yachts? No. YCO is an independently owned broker and yacht manager.