The British Motor Yacht Show has closed another highly successful edition at Premier’s Swanwick Marina, welcoming a record number of visitors and reinforcing its position as the UK’s most prestigious motor yacht show for serious buyers.
Held from 14 – 17 May, the 2026 event brought together serious buyers, returning owners and many of the industry’s leading premium marine brands for four commercially productive days of appointments, launches and high-quality conversations on the water and ashore.
Now in its 13th year, the appointment-led show – founded by Premier Marinas, Fairline, Princess and Sunseeker – continues to demonstrate the enduring value of a more considered approach to yacht buying, creating an environment where meaningful appointments and focused conversations can thrive.
Multi-million-pound sales underline serious buyer intent
Confirmed sales exceeding £10 million for Princess Motor Yacht Sales and Argo Yachting (representing Princess Yachts, Galeon Yachts and Pardo Yachts) underlined the strong buyer engagement at this year’s event.
Roger Lipman, Group Sales Director, Princess Motor Yacht Sales said: “This marks a first for the group at the show and highlights its growing importance within the British marine industry. Despite the indifferent weather conditions, attendance remained strong, and feedback from visitors and exhibitors alike was extremely positive.”
Proudly sponsored by CGI Finance and Pelican Insured, this year’s event showcased more than 70 luxury motor yachts, alongside the show’s largest-ever ashore exhibitor line-up – a carefully curated mix of marine specialists spanning finance, insurance, technical expertise, marina services and aftercare, reflecting the full ownership journey.
The founding partners made a particularly strong statement in 2026. Princess Motor Yacht Sales delivered its largest-ever British Motor Yacht Show showcase, Fairline presented the all-new Targa 47 GT and 2026 Targa 50 Edition, while Sunseeker London Group brought its largest-ever UK boat show line-up, including the 90 Ocean and Ocean 82.
Several major UK debuts added further momentum to the 2026 event, including the Axopar 38 XC Cross Cabin, Marex 380, Beneteau Swift Trawler 37 and Gran Turismo 35, while Vortec Marine marked its 20th anniversary by exhibiting the Hylas 57 – the first sailing yacht ever showcased at the British Motor Yacht Show.
James Barke, Owner of Boats.co.uk, representing founding partner Fairline, said: “It was fantastic to meet so many prospective new Fairline customers during this year’s British Motor Yacht Show and to showcase two exciting new models in such a focused and highly engaged environment. We leave with some genuinely exciting conversations underway and look forward to progressing those relationships in the weeks ahead.”
James Lumley, Sales Manager, Sunseeker London Group said: “The British Motor Yacht Show once again provided an outstanding platform for Sunseeker to present our largest-ever UK boat show line-up. The quality of visitors and strong level of genuine buyer interest throughout the event made this another highly successful show for the team.”
Digital research meets real-world buying confidence
As digital research continues to shape the modern buyer journey, the British Motor Yacht Show’s new media partnership with YachtBuyer helped bridge online research with real-world exploration, with independent reviews integrated into online listings and QR-enabled review cards onboard selected yachts.
Mark Rowlands, COO at YachtBuyer, said: “YachtBuyer supports buyers at every stage – with independent reviews, model comparisons and a global marketplace of new and pre-owned yachts for sale. The British Motor Yacht Show is the perfect bridge between online research and real-world experience, giving buyers the chance to step aboard the shortlists they’ve built with us, or further research the yachts they’ve viewed at the British Motor Yacht Show.”
Graham Bristowe, Marina Manager, Premier’s Swanwick Marina, said: “The strength of the British Motor Yacht Show lies in its clarity of purpose. This is a show designed to create meaningful opportunities for exhibitors to spend quality time with serious prospects in an environment that supports informed conversations and relationship-building. To see that approach validated once again – with record attendance and strong commercial outcomes despite the weather – is hugely encouraging. I would like to thank the team here at Premier’s Swanwick Marina for once again pulling out all the stops to deliver such a successful event.”
The British Motor Yacht Show will return to Premier’s Swanwick Marina from Thursday 20 – Sunday 23 May 2027, with early-bird bookings now officially open for 2026 exhibitors.
