Short answer: probably not where you are — but it depends on your state and the size of the boat. This trips up almost everyone, so let's clear it up. Only two states in the country license yacht brokers at all: Florida and California. Everywhere else, there's no state license to sell boats — the "credentials" you'll see (like CPYB) are voluntary industry certifications, not government requirements. If you're in Florida, here's what's actually true: - The license only kicks in for used boats over 32 feet. Selling a new boat, or anything 32 feet and under? No license required. Selling your own boat? Also exempt. A big part of the recreational market falls outside it entirely. - When you do need it, you start as a salesperson, and your license has to be held by an employing broker. That's the key thing — you can't go get licensed on your own first and then shop yourself around. A brokerage brings you on, then you file under them. Job first, license second. - What it takes: the state application, a $10,000 surety bond, fingerprints/background check, and the fees. No exam. (This is where FL is easier than CA — California makes you pass a written salesperson exam.) - After your first 2-year license cycle as a salesperson — and once you've closed at least 4 deals or earned 20 approved education credits — you can upgrade to a full broker license and run your own shop. So don't let "do I need a license?" be the thing that stops you from starting. In most of the country the answer is no, and even in Florida it follows the job — it doesn't gate it. In Florida and unsure if you need it? Drop the boat size you'd be selling below. Anywhere else — tell me your state and I'll point you the right way.

Everyone wants to ask this and nobody does, so here it is. Yacht sales is a commission business. Most brokers work straight commission — you eat what you kill. A few shops might offer a draw (an advance against commissions you'll earn later) to get you through the slow early months, but plenty don't. Ask before you sign anything. Here's how the money actually works, because the headline number fools people. Say a boat sells for $300,000 at a 10% commission — that's $30,000. But: - The seller pays it, and you only get a dime when the deal closes. - If another broker brought the buyer (which is how many deals go), that $30K splits between the two sides — usually 50/50. Now you're at $15,000. This is called co-brokerage. - Then your side splits again with your brokerage. As a new salesperson that's often around half. Now you're at ~$7,500. So the "$30,000 commission" is really ~$7,500 in your pocket on that boat. That's not to scare you off — good brokers do very well — it's to set the expectation correctly: this is a pipeline game. You stack deals and relationships over time, and the dry spells are part of the model, not a sign you're failing. Questions on any of this? Drop them below.

This is the question I get more than any other, so let's start here. Good news: you don't need a maritime degree or a rich uncle. Yacht sales is one of the last businesses where showing up, knowing your stuff, and being useful still gets you in the door. Bad news: nobody's handing you a desk. You have to make yourself impossible to ignore. What actually works: - Show up in person. Walk into brokerages, walk the boat shows, hang around the marinas where the boats you want to sell are sitting. This is a relationship business — email doesn't cut it. - Know the inventory before you ask for a job. If you can talk intelligently about what's on a broker's docks or on a dealer's lot — the boats, the pricing, why one's moving and one isn't — you've already beaten 90% of the people who walk in cold. - Don't wait on a license to start — you can't get one yet anyway. In Florida the salesperson license has to be filed under an employing broker, so you can't go get licensed on your own and then shop yourself around. Land the affiliation first; the license comes once a broker's willing to bring you on. (Full breakdown in a separate post.) I started off in the marketing world. Having a knack for photography and videography put me in a position to learn, meet people, and be around the whole scene. From there I began my journey as a Yacht Broker. Ask me anything below — where you're at, what's blocking you. That's what this is for.