Working With a Wooden Yacht Broker — Commission, Co-Brokerage and Escrow Explained

By Wooden Yacht For Sale Editorial Desk

For a wooden yacht broker, the reference point is YachtWorld's international norm of about 10 percent commission, paid by the seller at closing and sometimes shared with the buyer's broker. Indonesian commission norms have no public source yet. As a buyer, insist on a stakeholder-held deposit, a written survey scope and acceptance conditions before any money moves.

Wooden boats make brokerage harder. Condition varies more from hull to hull, records are often thin, and a good listing can hide a lot. So the question that matters is what the broker will put in writing, and for whom.

What does a broker do on each side of a wooden yacht sale?

Two roles get blurred. A listing broker acts for the seller. A buyer's representative acts for the buyer. One firm may play either, so ask which role applies to you and have it written down.

On a timber hull, the description carries more risk. "Recently refitted" or "fully maintained" can mean almost anything. Ask for the invoices behind the words.

How does broker commission work, and what is the gap for Indonesia?

YachtWorld's research pages describe the usual arrangement. When an owner lists a yacht through a broker, a commission of about 10 percent is commonly agreed, paid by the seller when the sale closes.

That figure comes from the international yacht market. We found no public source for what brokers charge on Indonesian wooden boats, and we will not guess. Rates can differ by boat, size and deal, so the only reliable number is the one in your signed agreement.

Three details change what that number means:

• What the percentage applies to. The contract price, or the price after a survey adjustment?
• What triggers payment. Commission should normally fall due at completion, and you should check the wording says so.
• Tax. We could not verify how Indonesian VAT treats brokerage commission. Ask for it to be stated on the agreement.

Also ask about extra charges: travel, advertising, photography, viewings, and any fee if the seller withdraws.

How do co-brokerage and listing exclusivity affect you?

Co-brokerage means the listing broker shares commission with a second broker who brought the buyer. YachtWorld notes that the commission can be split this way. For a seller it can widen the market. For a buyer it means two people may be involved, and only one of them is working on your side.

Exclusivity is a separate question, and it sits in the seller's agreement. If you own the boat, read these points closely before signing:

1. How long the exclusive period runs, and whether it renews automatically.
2. Whether you still owe commission if you find the buyer yourself.
3. Whether commission survives the end of the agreement for buyers introduced during it.
4. Whether the boat may appear with other agents, and who controls the price shown.

We have no verified Indonesian market standard for any of those terms. A local lawyer should read the wording, and our guide for owners selling a wooden yacht covers what to prepare.

Who should hold the money, a broker or an escrow agent?

Passion Asset Advisory describes a buyer planning a deposit of about 10 percent, held by a stakeholder or escrow agent, while saying the amount, holder, deadline and release terms are all set by the signed contract. The MYBA 2021 form leaves the deposit to commercial agreement, and it requires the stakeholder to receive that deposit before a sea trial or condition survey takes place.

A broker can sometimes act as stakeholder. If so, ask how client money is kept apart from the firm's own, and what happens to it if the firm has a dispute or fails. Boatmere lists pressure to pay a deposit without escrow as a warning sign.

Our page on how wooden yacht escrow works gives the conditions and refund language in detail.

When does a buyer's agent make more sense than a listing broker?

You may do well going straight to a listing broker if you know the type of boat, have local help and already have a surveyor in mind. A representative earns their place when several of these apply:

• You are buying from abroad and cannot attend every viewing.
• You are comparing boats across several Indonesian ports.
• You need help reading Indonesian documents, with translation.
• You are unsure which legal structure fits your plans.

Whoever you use, keep the survey instruction in your own name. The surveyor's duty should run to you, and the report should come to you first.

Where can you find specialist brokers?

For classic wooden yachts, Sandeman Yacht Company in Poole and Wooden Ships in Dartmouth publish listings with prices. We name them as public sources, not as partners.

For Indonesia, a sister Juara Holding Group brand covers national yacht brokerage. We disclose that link because it is part of the same group, so weigh it accordingly and compare it with others.

Wooden Yacht For Sale is a specialist maritime brand under Juara Holding Group and a guide and listing-request desk. Brokerage contracts handled through the desk sit with PT Komodo Bahari Nusantara, and construction, repair, refit and vessel-sale contracts with PT Komodo Galangan Nusantara. Where an introduction leads to a sale, any fee is stated before any agreement.

What questions should you ask any wooden yacht broker?

1. Are you acting for the seller, for me, or for both?
2. Which company signs the agreement, and where is it registered?
3. What is your commission, who pays it, and when is it due?
4. Who holds the deposit, and on what written conditions is it released?
5. Have you seen the original documents, or only copies?
6. Is there a mortgage or other claim on the boat?
7. When was the last haul-out, and can I see the yard invoice?
8. Will the seller accept a survey, haul-out and sea trial as conditions?

Ask surveyor questions as well. Bodies such as IIMS, SAMS and NAMS publish information about marine surveyors, but we could not verify which individuals working in Indonesia hold membership, so check directly with the body concerned.

A broker who answers these clearly in writing is giving you something useful. One who keeps moving you towards the deposit is telling you something too.

What do people ask about wooden boat brokers?

These answers cover money and duties. For Indonesia, several of them stop at what we could verify.

How much is yacht broker commission?

YachtWorld describes 10 percent as the commission commonly agreed when an owner lists through a broker, paid by the seller at closing. Treat that as an international norm. We found no public source for a typical rate in Indonesia, so read the figure in your own agreement.

Does the buyer pay the broker?

Under the arrangement YachtWorld describes, the seller pays and the commission may be shared with a broker working with the buyer. A buyer who hires a representative separately may owe a fee under that agreement, so check who pays whom before you sign.

Who should hold my deposit?

A stakeholder or escrow agent named in the contract, on written release conditions. Do not pay anyone the contract does not name. Our guide to wooden yacht escrow goes through the conditions and the refund wording to ask for.

Is tax charged on broker commission in Indonesia?

We could not verify how VAT applies to yacht brokerage commission in Indonesia. Ask your tax adviser and ask the broker to state on the agreement whether the commission includes or excludes any tax.

Can a wooden boat broker confirm a yacht is sound?

A broker can pass on what is known, but a sales agent is not your surveyor. Ask for a third-party survey with haul-out, paid for and instructed by you, and rely on that report rather than on a description in a listing.

Which sources support this page?

Checked by the desk in October and November 2026. A source being listed does not mean the source agrees with us or has reviewed this page, and limited-verification items deserve a second look before you rely on them.

• YachtWorld research, commissions and escrow
• Passion Asset Advisory, buying a yacht
• MYBA E-MOA 2021 form
• Boatmere, Surveying a wooden hull
• Sandeman Yacht Company, classic yachts
• Wooden Ships, sailing yachts for sale
• SAMS and NAMS as published surveyor bodies, IIMS home page

Written and checked by the Wooden Yacht For Sale Editorial Desk.

How do I send a buyer brief?

Follow the wooden yacht buying steps and send us your use, length range, region and timing. Reach the desk on WhatsApp 6281139414563 or at bd@juaraholding.com.