Why You Should Make the Trip to Annapolis This Month
Why You Should Make the Trip to Annapolis This Month For sailors along the Gulf Coast, one event each year justifies the plane ticket and the few days away from home. It is the United States Sailboat Show, held every October at Annapolis City Dock in Maryland. This year’s show runs October 15 through 18.…
The Art of the Fall Raft-Up
The Art of the Fall Raft-Up: How to Host a Boat Gathering Everyone Talks About All Winter There’s a particular kind of evening you only get in fall. The air cools off just enough for a light jacket. The water settles down. The summer traffic thins out. And, because sunset arrives earlier, golden hour lines…
A Working Broker’s Take on the YouTube Expert Economy
A working broker’s take on the YouTube expert economy Until recently there was a real YouTube video with a real title: “These 15 Catamarans Are Now WORTHLESS in 2026, Here’s Why!” The platform has since removed it, but if you search the title you’ll find plenty more like it. I have sold yachts on the…
Little Yacht Sales New Boat Showcase This Saturday
This Saturday, Little Yacht Sales is throwing open the docks at Waterford Harbor Marina for a New Boat Showcase. From 10am to 2pm, three brand-new 2027 models will be in the water and ready to explore. That includes two Jeanneau sailboats built for effortless family cruising, plus a Wellcraft center console that redefines what a…
Why Fall Is the Best Time to Buy a Yacht in Texas
Why Fall Is the Best Time to Buy a Yacht in Texas (Prices Drop, Sellers Motivate) There’s something really nice about boating in Texas as summer starts to ease off. The crowds thin out, the afternoons feel more comfortable, and Galveston Bay seems to open up a little. And if you’ve been watching yachts for…
How to Make an Offer on a Yacht
How to Make an Offer on a Yacht Little Yacht Sales — Kemah, League City & Key West Home » Blog » How to Make an Offer on a Yacht How do you make an offer on a yacht? To make an offer on a yacht, you put it in writing as a purchase and…
Best Boats for Galveston Bay
Best Boats for Galveston Bay & Gulf Coast Cruising Little Yacht Sales — Kemah, League City & Key West Home » Blog » Best Boats for Galveston Bay What are the best boats for Galveston Bay? The best boats for Galveston Bay are shallower-draft, well-built cruisers that shrug off a short chop and open up…
Liveaboard Life in Kemah & Clear Lake
Liveaboard Life in Kemah & Clear Lake: What It’s Really Like Little Yacht Sales — Kemah, League City & Key West Home » Blog » Liveaboard Life in Kemah & Clear Lake What is liveaboard life really like? Liveaboard life in Kemah trades a yard and a mortgage for a slip, a sunset, and a…
First-Time Boat Buyer Checklist
First-Time Boat Buyer Checklist Little Yacht Sales — Kemah, League City & Key West Home » Blog » First-Time Boat Buyer Checklist Your first-time boat buyer checklist This first-time boat buyer checklist keeps the process simple: define how you’ll use the boat, set a real budget, and get pre-approved. Then pick a size you can…
Upcoming Boating Events in Clear Lake & Galveston Bay
Your Season on the Water: Upcoming Boating Events in Clear Lake & Galveston Bay If you’re looking for Galveston Bay boating events, the Clear Lake area has a terrific season ahead. From our Sailboat Showcase on August 15 to fall regattas, cruising weekends, dock parties, and holiday traditions, there’s always something happening around Kemah, Seabrook,…
How a Boat Sea Trial Works
How a Boat Sea Trial Works Little Yacht Sales — Kemah, League City & Key West Home » Blog » How a Boat Sea Trial Works What happens during a boat sea trial? A boat sea trial is a test run on the water, under power and sail, where you and your surveyor check the…
Little Yacht Sales Sailboat Showcase
Rediscover Sailing: Join Us for the Little Yacht Sales Sailboat Showcase There is something genuinely magical about cutting through the water with nothing but the wind in your sails. If you have been feeling that familiar tug toward the coastline (or perhaps dreaming of casting off for something bigger), we have an incredible Saturday planned…
The Real Cost of Owning a Yacht
The Real Cost of Owning a Yacht Little Yacht Sales — Kemah, League City & Key West Home » Blog » The Real Cost of Owning a Yacht How much does it cost to own a yacht? The real cost of owning a yacht goes well beyond the purchase price. Each year, budget for a…
Why Everyone is Looking at Boats in Kemah Right Now
Why Everyone is Looking at Boats in Kemah Right Now If you have spent any time around the docks in Clear Lake recently, you already know what’s going on. Everywhere you look, people are talking about the boating market in Texas right now. So, why is everyone suddenly shopping for boats for sale in Kemah…
Sailboat vs Powerboat: How to Choose
Sailboat vs Powerboat: How to Choose Should I buy a sailboat or a powerboat? Choose based on how you will actually use the boat. Sail rewards hands-on cruising, quiet passages, and lower running costs. Power gives you speed, deck space, and simpler operation. Neither one wins outright. Both carry real trade-offs in fuel, upkeep,…
The Texas Boater’s Guide to Dolphin Spotting, Bird Watching, and Sea Life
The Texas Boater’s Guide to Dolphin Spotting, Bird Watching, and Sea Life There is something special about waking up on the boat, coffee in hand, and watching the mist roll off the water in Galveston Bay. Most people think of our local waters as a hub for shipping or a place to catch some trout,…
How to Sell Your Boat: Private Sale vs. Using a Broker
How to Sell Your Boat: Private Sale vs. Using a Broker Home » Blog » How to Sell Your Boat: Private Sale vs. Using a Broker You have two ways to sell your boat: handle it privately, or list with a broker. A private sale saves you the commission but puts every task on you.…
5 Texas Boating Adventures You Didn’t Know Existed
5 Texas Boating Adventures You Didn’t Know Existed (From Allen’s Landing to the Harvest Moon) If you’ve spent any time around Kemah or Clear Lake, you know we have one of the best boating communities in the country. But let’s be honest, sometimes we all get into the habit of just doing the “Kemah Loop.”…
Buying a Boat Out of State: Texas Title, Tax & Registration
Buying a Boat Out of State: Texas Title, Tax & Registration Out-of-state buyers can buy a Texas-located boat remotely. You’ll title and register the vessel through Texas Parks & Wildlife (TPWD), or document it with the U.S. Coast Guard if it’s large enough. Either way, you’ll owe Texas sales or use tax. Line up your…
How Does Yacht Financing Work?
Marine loans work differently from auto loans. They come with longer terms, larger down payments, and a required survey and valuation. So the process runs a few extra steps. The smartest move is simple: get pre-approved before you make an offer. That way you shop with a real budget and negotiate from strength. Below, we’ll…
Trawler & Powerboat Showcase
LITTLE YACHT SALES Trawler & Powerboat Showcase Saturday, July 11, 2026 • 10 AM – 4 PM • Both Locations Lately we’ve been fielding more and more questions about cruising under power — and about trawlers in particular. Some of the folks reaching out are making the transition from sail to power; others have been…
What Does a Yacht Broker Actually Do?
What Does a Yacht Broker Actually Do? If you ask most people what does a yacht broker do, you’ll likely hear a classic answer: “They sell boats to rich people.” While that isn’t technically wrong, it’s a bit like saying a real estate agent “just sells houses.” It’s true on the surface, but it misses…
Why Families That Boat Together Stay Together
Why Families That Boat Together Stay Together We all know the feeling. After all, life in Texas gets fast. The heat starts to climb. Work emails never seem to stop. Between soccer practice and screen time, families can feel like passing ships. But there is a place where time slows down. It happens the moment…
Improve Your Work-Life Balance
The Simple Trick to Improve Your Work-Life Balance: Get Out on the Water Life in the Houston area moves fast. We all know the drill. The traffic on I-45 is brutal. Your phone pings with emails at 9:00 PM. The humidity is rising. Sometimes, it feels like the “work” part of work-life balance is winning…
Do You Need a Marine Survey When Buying a Boat?
Do You Need a Marine Survey When Buying a Boat? So, you’ve finally found her, the boat that’s been haunting your dreams and taking up all your browser tabs. Whether it’s one of those beautiful sailboats for sale in texas you’ve been eyeing or a sleek powerboat ready for the Gulf, the excitement is real.…
How to Buy a Yacht Privately: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to Buy a Yacht Privately: A Step-by-Step Guide To buy a yacht privately, find the right boat, make a written offer subject to survey and sea trial, and place a deposit in a broker’s escrow account. After a satisfactory marine survey, you confirm clear title, complete the bill of sale and Coast Guard or…
Understanding the Intracoastal Waterway: A Practical Primer for Texas Boaters
Understanding the Intracoastal Waterway: A Practical Primer for Texas Boaters For boaters based on the upper Texas coast, particularly those looking for yachts for sale in houston texas, the Intracoastal Waterway is one of the most consequential pieces of marine infrastructure within reach. It connects Galveston Bay to the rest of the Gulf coast, makes…
VHF Radio Basics: What Every Boater Should Actually Know
VHF Radio Basics: What Every Boater Should Actually Know Among the equipment installed on most recreational vessels, the VHF radio is one of the most consistently underused. It sits in its bracket above the helm, occasionally murmuring with chatter from the channel sixteen monitor, and many owners — particularly newer owners — give it roughly…
Buying a Boat in 2026: Part 3
The Boat Buying Process, Part 3: Financing, Insurance, Closing, and Documentation With the survey complete and any post-survey negotiations resolved, the transaction enters its final phase: financing, insurance, closing, and the federal or state documentation that establishes you as the legal owner. Compared with the survey period, this stretch tends to feel less technically dense…
Buying A Boat in 2026 – Part 2
The Boat Buying Process, Part 2: Survey, Sea Trial, and Post-Survey Negotiation Once your offer has been accepted and the contract is binding, the transaction enters its most technically substantive phase: the survey and sea trial. For most buyers — particularly first-time buyers — this stretch of the process feels the most intimidating. It involves…
Buying a Boat in 2026 – a Three Part Series
The Boat Buying Process, Part 1: Working with a Broker and Making an Offer For most buyers, purchasing a boat is among the largest discretionary transactions they will ever undertake. It involves marine law, federal documentation, specialized financing, dedicated marine insurance, and an inspection process unlike any other in consumer purchasing. The good news is…
New Inventory Arriving Next Month!
Coming Soon: The 2026 Wellcraft 28 T-Top and Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 415 Join the Fleet! Two new 2026 models are scheduled to arrive next month at Little Yacht Sales: the 2026 Wellcraft 28 T-Top and the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 415. Together, they highlight two very different approaches to getting on the water—one centered on…
Dogs Ahoy!
Paws on Deck: A Guide to Boating with Your Dog on the Texas Gulf Coast For a lot of us here along the Texas Gulf Coast, our boats aren’t just a weekend hobby: they’re basically an extension of our living rooms that just happens to float. And if you’re anything like the team here at…
Summer-Proofing the Cabin
Summer-Proofing the Cabin: How to Beat the Texas Heat Aboard For boat owners along the Texas Gulf Coast, the difference between a vessel that gets used all summer and one that sits idle from June through September is rarely a matter of motivation. More often, it comes down to whether the boat has been properly…
Memorial Day Weekend from Kemah
Memorial Day Weekend from Kemah: Three Cruises You Can Actually Pull in 2026 Memorial Day weekend is five Fridays away. Let that land for a second. Here at LYS, we’ve been watching the calendar creep up on us, the marina is getting a little busier every Saturday, and the “what are we doing over Memorial…
Finding Your Perfect Fit Across Power and Sail
The Little Yacht Sales Difference: Finding Your Perfect Fit Across Power and Sail If you have spent any time walking the docks at the Boardwalk or driving through Kemah, you’ve probably seen our signs. But here is the thing, we like to think we do things a little differently than your average brokerage. When you’re…
What’s a “Boat Crawl”?
The Ultimate ‘Boat Crawl’, It’s Like an Open House. FOR BOATS! You know that feeling when the Texas spring finally hits its stride? The humidity hasn’t quite reached “tropical rainforest” levels yet, the sun is actually doing its job without being too aggressive, and every time you cross the bridge over Clear Lake, you find…
Yacht Brokers and Why You Need One
Why a Professional Broker Will Change the Way You Hunt for Yachts for Sale in Texas There is something absolutely electric about that first moment you step onto a dock in Kemah, isn’t there? The salt air is hitting you, the rigging is doing that rhythmic “tink-tink-tink” against the masts, and the Texas sun is…
Almost New” is the New “Brand New
Why “Almost New” is the New “Brand New”: Finding Hidden Gems in the Houston Yacht Market It is officially that time of year again! The sun is hanging out a little longer over Clear Lake, the breeze in Kemah is starting to feel exactly right, and if you are anything like us, your brain is…
Choosing A Yacht Broker
The Little Difference: Why Your Choice of Broker is Your First Real Adventure You’ve probably spent the last three nights, okay, maybe the last three months: scrolling through every single listing for yachts for sale in Texas. You’ve got fifteen tabs open, your coffee is cold, and you’re starting to see fiberglass patterns when you…
The “Perfect Weekend”
The “Perfect Weekend” Blueprint: Why Your Next Yacht is the Key to Unlocking the Texas Coast Here at Little Yacht Sales, we’ve noticed something special about this particular spring. Maybe it’s the way the glorious Texas sun is hitting the waves lately, or maybe it’s just that collective “Spring Break” energy vibrating through Kemah, but…
Memorial Day Weekend from Kemah: Three Cruises You Can Actually Pull in 2026
Memorial Day Weekend from Kemah: Three Cruises You Can Actually Pull in 2026 Memorial Day weekend is five Fridays away. Let that land for a second. Here at LYS, we’ve been watching the calendar creep up on us, the marina is getting a little busier every Saturday, and the “what are we doing over Memorial…
Spring Commissioning: Your Roadmap to a Stress-Free Boating Season in Texas
Now, we don’t want to overhype it, but have you looked at the calendar lately? It is already March 5th. Here in Kemah and the greater Houston area, that means we’re about five minutes away from the “official” start of the season—though let’s be honest, in Texas, we boat pretty much whenever the humidity stays…
Trawlers vs. Sailboats: Which is the Perfect Texas Coastal Cruiser?
Trawlers vs. Sailboats: Which is the Perfect Texas Coastal Cruiser? So you’re standing on the dock in Kemah, looking out at Galveston Bay, and you’re asking yourself the million-dollar question: trawler or sailboat? When it comes to Trawlers or Sailboats: Which is the Perfect Texas Coastal Cruiser, the choice isn’t straightforward. We get it. Our…
Spring 2026: Why This is the Best Time to Find Your Dream Cruiser in Texas
If you’ve been scrolling through listings for sailboats for sale in Texas or checking out yachts for sale in Texas over the past few months, now is the moment to stop browsing and start acting. Spring 2026 is shaping up to be one of those rare windows where everything just aligns perfectly for buyers. And…
Kemah vs. Galveston: Where Should You Keep Your New Yacht?
So, you’ve found the perfect yacht (or you’re about to, maybe one of those boats for sale in Kemah TX we’ve got listed. Now comes the question that keeps a lot of new Texas yacht owners up at night: Where the heck should I keep this thing? After our team’s combined 150 years of working…
The Kemah Quick-Start Guide: Buying a Yacht and 10 Things to Know Before Your Sea Trial
So you’re thinking about buying a sailboat or yacht in the Kemah area? Smart move. Kemah sits right on the doorstep of Galveston Bay, Clear Lake, and some of the best cruising grounds on the Texas Gulf Coast. We’ve been helping folks find their perfect boats for sale in Kemah TX for years (our team…
New League City Ordinance Targets Liveaboards!
The city council of League City, Texas, in an effort to curb the derelict boats being abandoned on Clear Lake, has enacted an ordinance targeting people living on boats. The overly broad scope and virtually unmeetable requirements place boat owners and liveaboards under undue scrutiny while doing absolutely nothing to achieve the stated goal. Read…
There is a new Inflatable Life Jacket out there!
Reprinted from an email sent to LYS from The Boat Galley. They have neat boating information and products. Read more and subscribe here: https://theboatgalley.com/ A better Life Jacket? We get a lot of emails at LYS but this one is of particular interest because life jackets are essential on boats and if you could get one…
Cruising the Lower West Coast of Florida Marco Island to St Petersburg
Cruising the west coast of Florida. Marco Island to Anna Maria Island. South to North. The west coast of Florida is well known as some of the easiest cruising grounds. In fact, the “offshore” breeze coming off the land ensures the seas are generally flat. The depths are deep close to the shore so it…
Using West Pass to Get to Galveston outside of the ship channel
Clear Lake to Galveston by not going up the Houston Ship Channel. Use West Pass instead. More information below. Everyone wants to go by boat from Clear Lake or Galveston Bay to Galveston, but did you know there is an easier safer way to do it rather than just hit the boaters cut, get the…
Your Anchor’s Rode –Useful Info
(Above picture is a beautiful Fleming 55 anchored in the turquoise waters of the Exumas.) The Anchor Line All of the gear, taken collectively, that lies between a boat and her anchor is called the Rode – whether it is synthetic fiber like nylon), chain, or a combination of the two. Twisted Nylon Nylon, in…
Super deal on 2023 Beneteau Center Console 29′ Space Deck 9 Model. Over $35K below Dealer Costs. Don’t wait!
This is a terrific deal for someone. A VERY lightly used demo, less than 20 hours. Priced to move it at well below $100K under retail and over $35K below the actual dealer costs. Fish, Cruise, Swim, Dive, Entertain and still have a nice cabin to stay in with A/C and a fully enclosed head.…
April 4th LYS Newsletter. Reductions in prices and new Listings!
Read this weeks Newsletter https://conta.cc/4j3YRE8 Get the latest updates on New Listings, Reductions in Asking prices ! Sign up for our newsletter https://littleyachtsales.com/email-newsletter-sign-up/
We Are The 1%
For those of you who don’t know Bob Bitchin’ you are missing out. Bob is an Icon in the industry. He’s a biker, a cruiser, an author and just all around interesting guy. The below was in his latest newsletter. If you haven’t subscribed, find more about Bob here https://bitchinattitude.com/ and also subscribe to his…
You’ll need to move fast to get this special 2004 Mainship 400
One of Kent and Liz Little’s ex personal boats, this one just completed the Loop to the folks who bought it from us. She is in Florida re listed with a cobroker we work with but we could help you with it. We know this one well as we did 90% of all the upgrade…
The Trawler Talk; Transitioning from Sail to Power
I have been, always will be a sailor at heart but when my wife and I sold our Catalina 350 about 5 years ago and I came across a local 2004 Mainship 40 that was a bit of a project, I bought it and started a refit. $160K+ later it’s a nice boat. We moved…
How to do a Restaurant Boat Run around Clear Lake
Besides the usual boating, cruising and fishing, where is there to go by boat around Clear Lake? Sometimes you want to go to lunch or dinner or hear some live music. My family’s favorite place to have lunch was on the boat! Our boat had the best water view of any of the local restaurants…
Kemah Boat Crawl is April 12th !
We’re have an area wide boat dealer open house on April 12th from 9am to 5pm at Select dealerships around the area. This is a great opportunity to come down to Clear Lake and get on an enormous amount of boats in one day. See what you like and don’t like and meet Little Yacht…
It’s the best time of the year for boating in Texas-Spring!
Spring is here and with it the perfect temps for getting the winter dirt off the boat and get out there. The humidity is low, and we don’t need the a/c yet. It’s time to get out there and enjoy the weather. So, what is there to do? It’s a good time to plan an…
