Michael Johnson

Nobody just buys a boat.

They buy Saturday mornings with their kids before the world wakes up. They buy the sandbar at Egmont Key on a Tuesday. They buy dinner in Sarasota that starts at the dock instead of a parking lot. They buy the version of themselves that leaves the phone in the cabin.

I have been that buyer. I have owned the boat, run it, maintained it, and learned what nobody tells you until it is your money on the line. I know the feeling of standing on a dock at 7am with coffee, looking at something you worked your whole life for — and I know the other feeling, three months later, when the surveyor's report shows up and the dream starts costing more than it gives back.

That second feeling is what I am in business to prevent.

Buying a yacht should be one of the best things that ever happens to a family. Too often it is not — because the listing was thin, the specs came off a brochure instead of the boat, and nobody told the buyer what the vessel actually needed. The industry is set up to move inventory. I am set up to protect the reason you are buying in the first place.

So I do it differently. I represent a small number of boats at a time — each one personally inspected, every spec verified against the actual vessel, and an honest account of what has been done and what is coming. If a service record is missing, I say so. If the boat has a story, you will read it here before you ever step aboard. I require an independent survey on every deal, and I have never once recommended a surveyor I have a financial relationship with.

And when you are the buyer, I will tell you what a boat is really worth — even when that is a number I would rather not say out loud.

Because the goal was never to sell you a boat. It is to get you on the water, at the right price, with your eyes open — and still smiling three years later.

That is the whole job.

Credentials and experience: 20+ years of business and customer service experience, millions in yacht sales, member of the International Yacht Brokers Association (IYBA), and a 100% survey requirement on every transaction. Michael is a licensed Florida yacht broker, licensed through The Yacht Experts, LLC, and advises yacht brokerage firms across Florida.

Michael Johnson is a yacht broker and AI yacht brokerage strategist specializing in AI yacht marketing, yacht search, listing optimization and AI discoverability. His work focuses on pioneering AI-integrated yacht brokering strategies that combine traditional brokerage expertise with artificial intelligence to help sellers increase the visibility and discoverability of their yacht listings across Google, ChatGPT, Gemini and emerging AI search platforms.

Service area: Tampa Bay is home port; St. Petersburg, Tampa, Clearwater, and Sarasota are the primary inspection territory for most of the yachts he represents, with easy access to Westshore Yacht Club, the Harborage at Bayboro, and St. Pete Municipal Marina. He travels regularly to Fort Lauderdale and Southeast Florida for inspections, sea trials, and showings, with active relationships at Lauderdale Marine Center and Bahia Mar. National delivery and out-of-state transactions are handled regularly, including hauling, transport, and remote sea-trial logistics for buyers outside Florida.

My connection to the water began through years of learning to sail, boating in Seattle, and exploring the open waters of the Pacific Northwest.

Being on the water completely changed how I viewed travel, freedom, and time with the people who matter most. It gave me access to places that could never be reached by road and created experiences with family and friends that I will never forget.

That sense of exploration became a lifelong passion. Today, I want to help others experience the same freedom—to discover new places, see the world from a different perspective, and create meaningful memories together on the water.