To do that, we’ve taken it in two directions. First, the brand-new market - these are the sort of boats you’d find at a show like boot Düsseldorf, where everything is fresh and top of the line highly specced to grab your attention.
Then we’ve flipped it and looked at the same budget on the second-hand side, down at Essex Marina with Boats.co.uk, to see what how far the money goes when you step into the used yachts market.
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New Yachts & Boats for Sale Under £500,000
New boats for sale give you a clean slate - you can choose the spec, pick the options, make it your own. But those base prices don’t tell the full story, and it doesn’t take much before you’re well into that £500,000 territory (and often way over).
Beneteau Swift Trawler 37 Fly
Base Price £330,000 inc VAT | Price as shown £550,000 inc VAT
1 x 440hp Yanmar 6LY400 shaft drive
This Beneteau is about as much boat as you can realistically get brand new at this sort of budget.
The 37 Fly is at the entry point to the Swift Trawler range, but it doesn’t feel like a small boat. At 11.3m (37ft), it carries its volume well, and once you step on board it quickly becomes clear why this is often the go-to option if you want maximum space for the money.
That spend does translate into space. The cockpit is simple but quite clever, with that sliding bench so you can free up room for a tender, and then everything leads into a main deck where most of the living happens. All of that space is up here, so it feels light and open, helped by the big windows. The galley is a decent size too, with a proper cooktop, oven and fridge, and the dinette drops down into an extra double if you need it, so you can sleep up to six on a boat that’s 11.29m (37ft).
At the helm, it’s all pretty straightforward. You’ve got a single 440hp Yanmar on a shaft drive, so the engineering is simple and it’s the sort of setup that’s easier to live with long term. It’s not a fast boat (that semi-displacement hull is really about steady cruising) but it does mean it’s predictable. The side door next to the helm makes a difference when you’re moving around the boat, and with bow and stern thrusters as well as Zipwake trim control, slow-speed manoeuvring should be fairly easy to get to grips with. It’s CE Category B as well, so it’s aimed at coastal cruising rather than anything more extreme. Top speed is around 18 knots, while cruising sits closer to 8 knots, with a range of roughly 350nm.
Below, the layout is honest and does the job. There’s a bunk cabin to port, a proper bathroom with a separate shower, and then a forward owner’s cabin with good headroom and useful storage under the bed and around the sides. It’s not trying to be anything clever, it’s just set up so you can spend time on board without it becoming a hassle.
The flybridge gives you another seating area as well as a second helm, so you’ve effectively got two places to run the boat and two places to sit. That’s a big part of why it feels like more boat than the numbers suggest. The design comes from Dixon Yacht Design, and it’s quite clear the focus is on usability rather than chasing performance.
Best for:
- flybridge
- longer stays
- space
Watch for:
- slow pace
- spec-dependent value
Sea Ray Sundancer 320
Base Price £316,000 inc VAT | Price as shown £460,000 inc VAT
Standard 2 x 350hp Mercury MerCruiser 4.5L 250HP
At around 10m (33ft), the Sea Ray Sundancer 320 is smaller than the Beneteau, and at first glance it doesn’t look like as much boat. But the spend shows up in the finish and hardware and it feels like a more expensive product in the areas you'd really use. Sea Ray also tends to include a great standard spec, so you’re closer to a usable boat from the beginning, though engine and handling options still play a big part in how the boat is configured day to day.
As the Sundancer range are all dayboats, the layout here is heavily deck-focused as well. There’s a big, flexible cockpit, a drop-down bathing platform for swimming and toys, and a small galley on deck with a cooktop and fridge so you can stay up here. Up on the bow, the full beam is used for seating rather than side decks, so you get another proper lounging area, but you’re moving through the boat rather than around it.
Performance is the big shift. Twin 350hp Mercury Mercruiser V8 petrol engines on sterndrives push it to around 40 knots, so roughly twice what the Swift Trawler will do, helped by a relatively deep 21° deadrise at the stern. It’s a much more direct driving experience, and options like joystick control and Skyhook make a difference when you’re manoeuvring or holding position.
Below is where the compromise will be, as all of the accommodation is under the deck, it feels more enclosed, and there’s nowhere near the same volume as the Beneteau. The main berth comes from the dinette, with another bed tucked underneath, and while you do have a bathroom, it’s compact. It works for the odd night, but it’s not the sort of boat you’re going to spend weeks on.
Best for:
- build quality
- deck space
- performance
Watch for:
- compact interior
- short stays
Saxdor 400 GTC
Base Price £310,000 inc VAT | Price as shown £471,000 inc VAT
2 x Mercury Verado V10 5.7L 400hp outboards
The Saxdor 400 GTC is where the pricing side of new boats really becomes clear. On paper, the base price looks strong, but that’s not the boat most people are going to end up with. A more typical spec lands closer to the mid-£400,000s, and the boat on show at Dusseldorf was around £470,000 on the water. Start adding bigger engines, stabilisation, air-conditioning, and the price climbs very quickly.
It’s not just a Saxdor thing either. This is how most dayboats in this part of the market work. The base price gets you in, but the options are what turn it into something more practical and more luxurious. The upside is you can spec it exactly how you like. The downside is you’re likely to take the hit on that spend through depreciation.
In terms of layout, this sits somewhere between the other two. You’ve still got plenty of space outside, both aft and forward, but you also get a fully enclosed wheelhouse, so it’s not just a summer boat - it's an all year round boat.
The aft deck is mainly storage as standard, though you can spec it with a barbecue and sink, and there’s good depth in the lockers for things like paddleboards. With outboards on the back and a draft of 0.64m (2ft 1in), you can get it in close to the shore, so you don’t necessarily need a tender in the same way as the Beneteau.
Inside, the door and window arrangement opens everything up, so the cockpit and saloon feel properly connected, and the seating can flip depending on how you’re using the space. It’s more sociable than the Beneteau, but the galley is closer to the Sea Ray (induction hob, sink, cooling).
Twin Mercury V10 outboards, typically 400hp as standard or 425hp if you upgrade, give you around 45 knots flat out and about 35 knots cruising. It’s a planing V-hull, so it’s set up to go quickly, and the Mercury system (joystick, digital throttles, integrated screens, etc) makes it feel pretty unintimidating if you’re new to this. It’s CE Category B as well, so it sits firmly in that coastal cruising bracket.
Below, it’s similar to the Sea Ray in terms of space. There’s a fixed berth, a separate bathroom, and some extra storage, plus an optional aft cabin tucked under the cockpit. It’s tight, and realistically for short stays, but it does give you the option of getting four people on board for a weekend.
Best for:
- enclosable helm
- speedy
- year-round use
Watch for:
- options really add up
- tight cabins
Used Yachts & Boats for Sale Under £500,000
For any used yachts for sale, you’re often looking at a lot more boat for the money with often more size, more power, and more presence. However, you’re also stepping into something that’s already been used, with all the costs and compromises that come with that.
Princess V62 (2010)
Asking Price £600,000 inc VAT | Base Price in 2010 £965,600
2 x MTU 8V 2000 M93 1,200hp shaft drives
At this size, this is where the used market really starts to mess with your head. The Princess V62 is a 19.35m (63ft) sportsboat from 2010, and right away it feels like a huge step up from what we’ve just seen new. You go from a 40ft boat to something over 60ft with a pair of 1,200hp diesels, and your first reaction is, why wouldn’t you just buy this?
It’s about £600,000 including VAT, so a bit over budget, but not by a massive amount once you get into a deal. And when you consider a modern equivalent would be somewhere around £2.5 million plus tax, it starts to look like very serious value.
On board it’s exactly what you expect: a lot more boat. The cockpit is huge, the saloon opens up through that big sliding door, and everything sits on one level, which works really well, especially if you’ve got a family on board. You can section it off, keep an eye on things, and it just feels easy to live with in that sense.
The build quality is a big part of it too. You notice things like the weight of the door, the stainless, the hardware - this is stuff that would have cost a fortune to build, and even at 15 years old it still feels solid. That’s one of the key differences with a boat like this. You’re buying something that was built to a much higher price point when new.
There’s a lot of kit on board as well. Hi-lo platform, tender garage with a Williams TurboJet 325, passerelle, generator, air-conditioning, even a crew cabin if you want it. None of the new boats we’ve looked at get anywhere near this level of equipment or space.
Down below, you’ve got three cabins and two bathrooms, and a full-beam owner’s cabin that's still right up there even now. The layout hasn’t really changed much over the years, which tells you it was very well-conceived back then.
But this is where you have to be careful, because it’s not just about buying it. Running it is the real story. Those twin MTU 1,200hp engines will push it to around 30 knots, but they’re burning about 400 l/h combined. At current prices, that’s roughly £660 per hour, or about £33,000 a year if you’re using it all the time.
Then everything else scales up. Berthing for something this size can be around £22,000 a year on the south coast, servicing around £8,500, plus maintenance, insurance and the usual bits. By the time you factor everything in, you’re looking at something in the region of £120,000 a year to run.
Best for:
- scale
- three cabins
- tender garage
Watch for:
- high running costs
Princess R35 (2020)
Asking Price £399,950 inc VAT | Base Price in 2020 £600k-700k
2x Volvo Penta V8-430-CE/OX 430hp sterndrives
If nothing else, the Princess R35 shows the variety you get on the used market for similar money. It’s a very different flavour of Princess. It’s a 2020 boat, so much newer than that V62, but also a lot smaller at 10.89m (35ft 7in). And where the V62 is all about space, this goes completely the other way.
Princess are usually quite a safe company in terms of design, but this was a moment where they went a bit mad. Carbon fibre hull, active foils underneath, twin 430hp petrol V8s - they really threw everything at it. It didn’t sell in big numbers, which makes it very niche.
At just under £400,000, it’s well within budget, and when you consider these were £600,000 to £700,000 new, it starts to look like quite an interesting proposition.
Twin Volvo Penta V8 petrol engines on sterndrives will push it to around 50 knots, and with the foils underneath, it goes round corners incredibly well. It’s quick, it feels sharp, and it does something a bit different to most boats this size.
But it is quite a focused thing. The cockpit is where you spend your time with a big sunpad, low profile, it all looks fantastic, and it really leans into that sort of muscle boat feel. There’s a lot of work in the finish as well. Everything is painted, the detailing is very high-end, and that’s a big part of why these were so expensive when new.
The trade-off is space, because there just isn’t much of it. Compared to the V62, or even the new boats, this is a much smaller boat in terms of what you actually get on board. Down below, you’ve got a small dinette that converts into a bed, a compact bathroom, and that’s about your lot. It’s fine for the odd night, but that’s really as far as it goes.
There’s also the question of complexity. Carbon fibre, foils, sterndrives, etc., are all a lot of engineering for a boat this size, and you do wonder whether you need all of it. It works, and it works well, but it does add another layer to ownership.
If you want something that looks great, goes very fast, and feels a bit special, it makes sense. But you are giving up space and simplicity to get that, and it’s very much a weekend toy rather than an all-rounder.
Best for:
- speed
- rarity
- carbon-fibre build
Watch for:
- limited space
- complex engineering
Fairline Squadron 42 (2010)
Asking Price £295,000 inc VAT | Base Price in 2020 £369,185
2 x Volvo Penta D6 370hp shaft drives
At £295,000, the Fairline Squadron 42 is well under budget, and that opens up another way of doing this. Rather than stretching for the biggest boat you can buy, you start with something solid and spend money bringing it up to a really good standard, and still stay within that £500,000 mark.
It’s a 2010 Fairline yacht for sale at 12.98m (42ft 6in), so similar in size to the new boats we looked at, but with a very different layout and feel. Twin diesel shaft drives, flybridge, British built - it’s not trying to be clever, it’s just a well-sorted, well-built boat.
On board, it’s a layout that still works really well. You’ve got the cockpit, the saloon, and then that second space up on the flybridge, so you’re getting two separate areas to use. The galley is down a level, but it’s a very good galley, and it still feels connected to everything going on around it.
The big thing here is the build. It’s a solid yacht, and it’s held up very well. Twin Volvo Penta D6 370hp engines on shafts keep things simple too, so from a maintenance point of view it’s straightforward.
For accommodation there are two cabins, two bathrooms, so you’ve got good separation. The owner's cabin works well, the twin is a bit tighter, but still usable. For the UK, it’s a really sensible setup, and with the inside helm you’ve always got somewhere to run the boat from if the weather turns.
Where this gets interesting is what you do with the money you’ve got left. You could use the leftover budget to upgrade upholstery and then maybe a new tender, carpets, a proper polish, going through the systems. You could easily spend £100,000 to £150,000 if you wanted to push it.
Typical Refit Costs on a 13m (42ft) Boat
- Upholstery - £15,000
- Tender Upgrade - £25,000
- Carpet - £2,500
- Hull Polish - £2,500
- Electronics Upgrade - £20,000
- Engine/Generator Service - £4,500
- Total - £69,500
If you go down the route of buying something cheaper and spending money bringing it up to a really good standard, you need to be realistic about what your spend. You don’t get that money back. It’s still a 2010 Fairline Squadron 42 or a 2010 Princess V62, just in better condition. To make the refit worthwhile, you need to keep the boat and use it for a few years. Enjoy your boat, that’s where the value comes from, not in the resale.
Best for:
- value
- flybridge layout
- room in budget for upgrades
Watch for:
- age-related spend
- older finish
So, What’s the Right Move? New or Used?
On the face of it, the used boats are very hard to ignore. You look at something like that Princess V62 and think, why would you not just buy that? You’re getting so much more boat for the money.
But when you start to break it down, it’s quite illuminating. Buying it is one thing, running it is another. Bigger engines, bigger berthing, bigger fuel bills - everything gets bigger, and that’s the bit that can catch people out. Plus, a used boat has been specced by someone else. You can change things, of course, but you’re always working around those original decisions. With a new boat, you turn up and spec exactly what you want. It’s brand new, it’s fresh, and you’ve got warranties behind you.
So whether you’re looking at new or used, this is what £500,000 really buys you in today’s yacht market.
Looking for a new or used yacht in this budget? Explore the selection of new boats & yachts for sale under €500,000 and used yachts & boats for sale under £500,000, all tracked globally with YachtBuyer Market Watch.
What matters most for you? Space, performance, or running costs? Whatever your priorities, you can compare models, read full reviews, and browse all motor yachts for sale on YachtBuyer.
