FairHelm Market Index 2026 research report: a citeable reading frame for Baltic used-yacht liquidity. Live counts and asks stay on the hub; this page states findings, method limits, and what the numbers do not prove.
Download Markdown reportOpen Market Index methodologyOpen live Market Index
What this report is
The FairHelm Market Index 2026 annual research report explains how to read the index - and what it does not do for a Baltic buyer. It does not invent headline averages. Live figures live on the Market Index hub; the rules live in the methodology.
FairHelm judgment: use this report as a reading frame for liquidity and ask bands, then verify the boat in front of you.
Key findings (qualitative)
- Ask is not sold. The index shows public asking prices at snapshot time. Negotiated outcomes, refit state, and options stay invisible.
- Small samples are direction, not truth. With few listings, averages jump. Methodology treats N<5 as a directional signal only.
- Baltic focus stays SE / DK / DE. Regional splits appear on model pages when the sample allows. Private broker-only stock is out of scope.
- Weekly cadence beats daily noise. The Monday 03:00 UTC cron is enough for seasonal cruisers. Reload the hub before an offer; do not cite a stale table.
- Liquidity is model-dependent. Tier-1 families (for example Hallberg-Rassy, Najad) often show clearer public-portal coverage than rare one-offs - that is coverage bias, not a quality ranking.
Baltic reading notes for 2026
| Observation | What it means | What it does not mean |
|---|---|---|
| Open ask band on the hub | Typical public offers for tracked models | Sold price or appraisal |
| Regional splits SE / DK / DE | Where the sample yields public listings | A complete Baltic inventory |
| 12-month trend column when filled | Direction of ask snapshots | A forecast for your deal |
| Row showing "n/a" | No crawl match or a mapping gap | The boat is "worthless" |
Operational anchor: a boat on the hard in Sweden with an unclear standing-rigging date needs survey coordination and budget planning (survey cost by LOA, ownership cost) - not only an index average.
Methodology and limits
Short form of the open methodology:
| Rule | Practice |
|---|---|
| Sources | Public portals where permitted; normalisation to EUR |
| Metrics | Listing count, mean / median ask, trend when available |
| Refresh | Weekly cron; hub shows dateModified from the newest snapshot |
| Out of scope | Sold prices, private broker stock, live feed APIs |
Limits that must travel with any citation:
- Figures are indicative, not financial advice.
- Mapping drift and duplicate filters can under- or over-count.
- Season (spring / autumn) moves supply more than a single weekly snapshot.
How to cite FairHelm
- Name the hub table or model snapshot with a date.
- Include the methodology URL.
- State clearly: ask snapshot, not a transaction dataset.
Example context: HR 36 model guide. Buyer path: advisory.
Next steps
- Market Index hub - live table
- Methodology - sources and limits
- Survey coordination