Almost all brokers list boats with the understanding of a 10% commission. As brokers, we have a way of seeing if the boat is listed as an open listing or a central. If a boat has a central listing, even if the seller sells it to his brother, he owes commission. The buyer never pays commission.
If the listing broker sells the boat themselves, then they get the entire 10% commission. If another broker brings the buyer, then the brokers split the commission 50/50 if the boat is under $100,000, or outside the state of Florida. If the boat is listed with a Florida broker and is over $100,000, the commission split is 60/40, with the 40% going to the listing broker. This is the reason that brokers get licensed in Florida even if they practice in other states. If the selling broker (the broker with a buyer) brings his buyer to Florida, the split is 50/50, although technically the state says that any person not in Florida cannot earn any commission in Florida without a license. Technically this only applies to boats over 32′ because the State of Florida classes the license as a “Yacht” broker’s license, and classify a yacht as over 32′.