DF Capital’s Ryan Manning featured in MarineTalk
How can we make boating more attainable?
The UK’s leisure, superyacht and small commercial marine industry faces an affordability barrier, especially for entry-level buyers who often find themselves priced out of a purchase.
Rising ownership costs and inflation, fluctuating interest rates, and above all, shaky consumer confidence, create the perfect storm for the industry.
Overcoming this challenge will rely on cross-sector collaboration to tackle the affordability problem head on. And this means looking at the alternative access routes into boat ownership – and how we can pivot these to lower the barriers to entry.
We caught up with our Head of Field Development for Marine, Ryan Manning, who offers his take on how to make boating more affordable.
Is there a widening gap between demand and affordability?
We are seeing a widening gap between aspiration and affordability, rather than a drop in overall demand, and this is something backed by the findings of British Marine’s UK Marina & Mooring Market Report 2025.
Almost half of respondents to the survey expect their local market to weaken over the next 12 months and affordability challenges among an ageing customer base were one of the main concerns.
It’s important to also remember that costs don’t stop at the purchase price. Mooring, insurance, storage and maintenance all sit on top of the loan itself, and for many first-time buyers, that can feel like too much.
Many younger boaters are increasingly drawn to the idea of boat ownership, utilising schemes such as shared ownership, with boat club memberships gaining ground in the UK.[i]
A consequence of this is that dealerships then hold stock for longer, tying up capital that would otherwise turn over into new orders. Newer manufacturers see deals lost at the final stage as buyers weigh up timing and value before committing.
How can you close the deposit gap?
We’ve brought a new hire purchase proposition to market to address the financing gap that exists.
We’re offering finance with a minimum customer deposit of 10%, against a market norm of 20 to 30%. That smaller deposit can make a huge difference, giving would-be owners a realistic route in without needing to find a large sum upfront.
For motorboats and sailing boats, we can also lend over a maximum term of 15 years to help spread the cost and make the commitment feel less impactful in customers’ wallets.
Why does it matter beyond the buyer?
Opening finance to wider demographics, particularly younger buyers, builds a more resilient buying model to support a thriving industry.
For example, younger buyers tend to arrive already comfortable with the concept of finance from experiences such as purchasing a car on PCP. So, making it more accessible for them will benefit manufacturers and dealers.
Easier access to finance helps boats sell faster, so stock spends less time sitting unsold in the yard. That means dealers free up capital sooner and can reinvest it into new stock.
Over the years we’ve grown our network of introducers, the brokers, dealers and finance professionals who already work closely with buyers, so that we can further support them in opening up this access and get stock moving.
Is this part of a wider shift?
This launch is the latest piece of a broader shift already under way at DF Capital, where we fund manufacturers’ production ahead of demand and give dealers floorplan facilities to stock without tying up their own cash.
We work with more than 70 marine businesses across the UK, providing £147.6 million in new funding in 2025 and growing our principal loan book to £96.1 million. A manufacturer able to build ahead of demand, a dealer able to stock with confidence, and a buyer able to put down a fraction of the deposit they’d need elsewhere are all being served by the same idea: closing the affordability gap is a job for the whole industry, not one part of it.
[i] https://marineindustrynews.co.uk/entry-level-boating-market-under-pressure-as-ownership-costs-rise/