Welcome to YBAA

The Yacht Brokers Association of America (YBAA) has prepared this brief introduction, which we hope you find to be informative and helpful.

WHO WE ARE
The Yacht Brokers Association of America (YBAA) was founded in1920 as the Yacht Architects and Brokers Association. Over the past eighty years, it has evolved into a nationwide organization dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of conduct for the yacht brokerage profession. YBAA member brokers abide by the association's strict Code of Ethics which addresses all aspects of the yacht brokerage business, thus ensuring integrity, honesty and professionalism.

MISSION STATEMENT
The Yacht Brokers Association of America – YBAA - (formerly Yacht Architects and Brokers Association, Inc. – YABA) was founded in 1920 and exists to unite yacht brokers throughout North America in order to: establish, promote and enforce high standards of professional competence and ethical conduct; foster public recognition of, and support for, YBAA and its member brokers; facilitate cooperation among member brokers; and, enhance each member's success.

ASSOCIATION GOAL

Promote the use of, and adherence to, YBAA's Code of Ethics by all member brokers.
Develop and deliver member benefits, training, education and information resources to assist members' in improving their professional competencies and enhancing their business success.
Build positive public awareness and support for the association and its member brokers.
Position the association for future financial health and growth through building a strong membership base, sound management of the association's fiscal affairs and the development of capable committee and board governance.
Grow YBAA in scope and size to be a national organization representing the interests and needs of members from throughout North America.

YBAA BENEFITS TO YACHT BUYERS AND SELLERS

The prime function of YBAA is to promote the use of and adherence to our Code of Ethics (it is reproduced in its entirety below).
The organization provides a variety of activities that continually upgrade the level of knowledge of our members and that bind those members together to form a more cohesive, ethical and professional network that strives to effectively serve individuals engaged in yacht purchase transactions.
YBAA has issued guidelines for the functions to be performed by the listing and selling brokers, offering guidance to assist brokers with difficult situations, such as handling multiple bids received simultaneously on a single vessel.
YBAA has developed standard contractual agreements for sale and purchase of yachts, evolved over tens of thousands of transactions and developed to be fair to all parties involved.
YBAA has developed methods for resolving disputes fairly, expeditiously, and economically.

A BIT OF HISTORY
Our organization was founded in 1920 as a yacht architects association and has evolved into becoming a national yacht brokerage association. This fact is illustrated by merely looking through the names of some of the past presidents such as Phil Rhodes, Jim Northrop, Walter and Alan McInnis, Drake Sparkman, Phil McCurdy, and John Alden; some of whom were, or have descendent organizations that have been, in business for over 40 years.

Back in the 1940s, only about 15 members would typically attend an annual association meeting in New York. Now, membership consists of over 270 corporate brokerage firms (which accounts for almost 700 individual brokers) and 25 affiliated business member firms. The organization has members all over North America, as well as member firms in Europe, Asia and South America, with the largest concentration of members on the U.S. east coast. Building upon the admirable qualities of its past, YBAA continues to grow (at an annual rate of 40-50% in 1997-2000) making it the largest professional yacht broker association in the world.

HOW YBAA CAN HELP YOU
YBAA members can make the transfer of ownership of a yacht as professional as it should be. We feel that you should never have to question the intentions, motives or qualifications of your broker. We know from our experience that the likelihood of difficulty in a yacht purchase goes up significantly when a broker who is not a member of a professional organization is involved. Working with a YBAA member broker is, then, simply a matter of putting the odds in your favor.