Walczak Yacht Brokerage

What Walczak Yacht Brokerage does

Walczak Yacht Brokerage Service, LLC is a privately-held, family-owned yacht brokerage firm founded in 1991 and headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland. The company brokers the sale and purchase of powerboats and sailing yachts for high-net-worth individual buyers and sellers, with active listings spanning vessels from approximately $15,000 to $1,495,000. Its core differentiator is broker expertise in vessel systems, engines, drivetrains, and construction quality, which the firm positions as saving clients time and money during transactions. The firm maintains a co-brokerage policy that makes all listings available to other brokers to maximize market exposure and accelerate closings.

The firm's product surface consists of traditional yacht brokerage services, a searchable online inventory database, a donated yacht purchase program serving nonprofit and institutional sellers, and a featured listings roster that includes racing sailboats (e.g., 2007 Akilaria Class 40 "Graybeard"), downeast powerboats (e.g., 2016 MJM 50Z "JMADRA"), bluewater cruisers (e.g., 1996 Gozzard 44 "Anam Cara"), and express cruisers (e.g., 2023 Back Cove 340 "Black Sheep"). It uses no proprietary technology, relying instead on standard industry listing platforms and brokerage management tools. Distribution runs through direct broker-to-client engagement at its Annapolis office, cross-broker co-brokerage arrangements, and participation in the YachtBroker.org MLS and IYBA professional network.

Revenue is generated entirely through transaction commissions on individual yacht sales; no recurring fees, subscription, or membership revenue exists. Pricing is negotiated per transaction and not publicly disclosed. The team is small — three named personnel (Bill Walczak, Rob Simkins, Dan Mullervy) — with Rob Simkins holding Florida licensing and serving East Coast clients. Marketing relies on the firm's website, Facebook, YouTube, and professional referral channels rather than paid acquisition. The firm operates without institutional investment, parent company, or M&A activity, representing a stable founder-owned model common in regional maritime brokerage.

Name

Walczak Yacht Brokerage

Legal name

Walczak Yacht Brokerage Service, LLC

Website

https://walczakyacht.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Walczak Yacht Brokerage Service is a family-owned yacht brokerage founded in 1991 in Annapolis, Maryland, brokering powerboat and sailing yacht transactions for high-net-worth buyers and sellers using a co-brokerage network and MLS distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Annapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Brokerage Commission: Walczak Yacht Brokerage earns commissions on yacht sales transactions. They facilitate both buying and selling of yachts, with a co-brokerage policy that allows listings to be shared with other brokers to maximize exposure and complete sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Walczak Yacht Brokerage is a yacht brokerage firm that represents buyers and sellers of pre-owned yachts. The firm leverages the founder's expertise in vessel systems, engines, and build quality to advise clients on purchase and sale transactions, and it accepts co-brokerage engagements from other yacht brokerages.

Product overview

Walczak Yacht Brokerage Service operates as a traditional yacht brokerage firm offering boat sales, co-brokerage arrangements, and market expertise. The company facilitates transactions for both powerboats and sailing vessels across multiple price points. Featured listings include specific vessels such as the 2007 Akilaria 1 Class 40 sailboat, 2016 MJM 50Z powerboat, 1996 Gozzard 44 sailing cruiser, 2023 Back Cove 340 express cruiser, and 2016 Palm Beach Motor Yachts PB50. The company also maintains a searchable database of boats for sale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• IYBA (International Yacht Brokers Association)minorOthersMember of the International Yacht Brokers Association, providing professional credentials and industry networking opportunities. The IYBA logo appears on the company website footer indicating active membership.
• YachtBroker.orgminorOthersMLS (Multiple Listing Service) member through YachtBroker.org, enabling listing distribution across the yacht brokerage network.
• Bert Jabins Yacht YardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated within Bert Jabins Yacht Yard complex in Annapolis Maritime Commerce Center. The company is embedded within this maritime commerce center, providing便利 access to yacht services and the marine industry ecosystem.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Denison Yacht Sales: Denison is a multi-office yacht brokerage firm representing both power and sailing yachts across the U.S. Like Walczak, it lists used and new brokerage yachts across a wide price range and operates primarily on commission from buyer/seller representation.
• Atlantic Yacht & Ship: Atlantic Yacht & Ship is a regional yacht brokerage with a strong East Coast/Florida footprint. It directly competes for buyers and sellers of used power and sailing yachts in similar price ranges to Walczak.
• David Walters Yachts: David Walters Yachts is a smaller East Coast brokerage focused on power and sailing yachts. It is comparable in scale and customer segment to Walczak and serves the Mid-Atlantic recreational boating market.
• HMY Yacht Sales: HMY is a long-established, multi-office yacht brokerage with strong presence on the U.S. East Coast and Florida. It serves a similar buyer profile of affluent recreational boaters and uses a co-brokerage/MLS-driven model comparable to Walczak's.
• United Yacht Sales: United Yacht Sales is a cooperative brokerage network with offices across the U.S. East Coast and Southeast. It shares the co-brokerage ethos and broad powerboat/sailboat representation that characterizes Walczak's model.
• Worth Avenue Yachts: Worth Avenue Yachts is a yacht brokerage firm serving both power and sailing yacht markets in the U.S., with offices in Florida and the Northeast. It competes for the same HNW recreational buyer segment that Walczak serves.

Broad incumbents

• Fraser Yachts: Fraser is a global superyacht brokerage with a long history. It addresses an overlapping customer base (HNW yacht owners/buyers) but operates at materially higher price points and scale than Walczak.
• Northrop & Johnson: Northrop & Johnson is a large, internationally active yacht brokerage and charter firm handling premium and superyacht transactions. While it operates at a higher price tier than Walczak, it competes for the same affluent recreational boat buyer pool.

Others

• YachtBroker.org: YachtBroker.org operates the cooperative MLS that Walczak uses. It is an ecosystem/infrastructure provider to brokerages like Walczak rather than a competitor, but is materially comparable because its distribution platform directly shapes how Walczak's listings reach buyers.

Regional players

• Scott Harrington Yacht & Ship Brokers: Scott Harrington is a yacht brokerage firm serving the Mid-Atlantic/Chesapeake region, overlapping directly with Walczak's Annapolis-area market. It offers similar power and sail listings and competes for the same local buyer/seller pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/walczakyacht
• Facebookfacebook.com/WalczakYacht
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/walczak-yacht-brokerage-svc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Walczak Yacht Brokerage