Used motor yachts Cranchi, Monaco

The yacht is a high-end recreational boat. The term yacht originates from the Dutch word "Jacht" meaning "hunt" and referred to the Dutch Republic's Navy vessels which they used to hunt pirates. Later, the word yacht was popularised by Charles II of England when it started to be used as a recreational boat. The classification of a yacht depends less on its length, but rather on the use of the boat, or recreational purposes. Several recreational boats can be considered a yacht, whether they are sailing or motor boats, and not just luxury ones.

The length of a yacht is usually at least 10 metres: if they are smaller than this they are considered to be cruisers. The maximum length of a yacht can reach many tens of metres, such as the superyacht with an Azzam motor, which measures 180 metres, or Sailing Yacht A, the largest sailing boat in the world with a length of 142 metres. The number of motor yachts is increasing considerably, with more than 200 new motorised yacht models being launched on the market each year. There are five main categories of motor yachts: Daycruiser, Weekender, Cruise, Sport Fishing and Luxury.