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One outdated number has quietly shaped the entire superyacht landscape in the United States: 300 gross tons. Once yachts started exceeding that limit, the law effectively pushed them toward a commercial-style regulatory world that does not match how most private owners actually operate. So why does the US still lack a clear, modern large yacht code and why do so many American-owned yachts end up under Cayman, Marshall Islands, or other offshore registries instead of the US flag?

We unpack the real-world consequences of treating a mobile industry like it is fixed in place. When governments add yacht taxes, duties, or tariffs, yachts do what yachts have always done: they move. That movement does not just affect billionaires, it hits marinas, boatyards, fuel docks, restaurants, shops, and the seasonal “mom and pop” businesses that depend on visiting vessels. We also connect the dots between US flag rules, the Jones Act, and the national-interest logic that drives maritime policy, even when the outcome is messy for modern superyachts.

Then we get into the surprise 2018 turning point, when Congress attached large-yacht language to the National Defense Authorization Act and tasked the Coast Guard with creating a pathway for certain large yachts to fly the US flag while staying non-commercial. We talk about why implementation has lagged, why so few owners choose the option, and how costs like 1.5% duty and potential double-digit tariffs can wipe out the perceived benefits instantly. Along the way, we explore legal workarounds such as bareboat charter structures and why the only message every legislator consistently hears is economic impact backed by real numbers.

If you found this helpful, subscribe, share the episode with someone in yachting or maritime law, and leave a review. What policy change would actually convince more owners to choose the US flag?

Have a yacht law question? Email it to info@megayachtnews.com or michael@moore-and-co.com for your chance to have it answered on our podcast. All requests for confidentiality and/or anonymity are respected.

Hiring a lawyer is a big decision. Visit Moore & Company for the legal team's qualifications and experience. And, to learn the latest about superyacht launches, shipyards, designs, and destinations, visit Megayacht News.

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Sanctions enforcement in yachting spreads far beyond Russia-Ukraine headlines. In this episode, we talk through why the U.S. is casting a wider net across superyachts and the people who service them. We dig into how AI-driven pattern spotting turns routine yacht behavior into red flags, and what that means for owners, captains, managers, brokers, and insurers:
• the surge in sanctioned vessels globally and how designations link back to individuals
• why U.S. Treasury attention is expanding beyond yachts to service providers
• how KYC expectations collide with reputational triggers around superyachts
• what “irregular yacht movements” can look like in practice and why previously innocuous measures are becoming a tripwire
• AIS as a compliance signal, when switching it off is justified, and how satellites fill the gaps
• how investigations can build from a yacht’s visibility to allegations like money laundering
• the real-world damage of frozen yachts, from maintenance decay to environmental risk.

Have a yacht law question? Email it to info@megayachtnews.com or michael@moore-and-co.com for your chance to have it answered on our podcast. All requests for confidentiality and/or anonymity are respected.

Hiring a lawyer is a big decision. Visit Moore & Company for the legal team's qualifications and experience. And, to learn the latest about superyacht launches, shipyards, designs, and destinations, visit Megayacht News.

Text us your ideas and feedback!

A lot of yacht disputes don’t start with bad intent. They start with a rushed boatyard job, a handshake promise at a boat show, a wire sent to the wrong vendor, or an owner who accepts a benefit and later decides the bill “wasn’t in the scope.” That’s where unjust enrichment comes in, and it’s one of the most useful concepts in maritime law when the facts feel unfair and the contract language doesn’t neatly solve it.

We unpack how admiralty courts and maritime judges think about equity and restitution, and why unjust enrichment is often treated like a quasi-contract remedy. Using real yachting scenarios, we walk through parts supplied but not paid for, repairs performed without time for a work order, broker introductions that lead to a sale and then a commission fight, and the headaches that follow mistaken payments and missing funds. We also dig into change orders and scope creep, including why unsigned amendments are “playing with fire” for yards and managers when speed targets, delivery dates, or cost caps shift mid-project.

Then we get into the defenses, especially unclean hands. If the claimant’s own misconduct helped create the problem, courts may bar recovery, but the standard is high and the conduct has to relate to the dispute. We close with a vivid story about emergency help at sea in hurricane-force winds, the question of what a fair award looks like, and the practical reminder that collectability and time can matter as much as being right.

If you found this useful, subscribe so you don’t miss the next yacht law conversation, share the episode with someone headed into refit season, and leave a review to help other owners, brokers, and yards find it.

Have a yacht law question? Email it to info@megayachtnews.com or michael@moore-and-co.com for your chance to have it answered on our podcast. All requests for confidentiality and/or anonymity are respected.

Hiring a lawyer is a big decision. Visit Moore & Company for the legal team's qualifications and experience. And, to learn the latest about superyacht launches, shipyards, designs, and destinations, visit Megayacht News.