Renting them out is called chartering! They are owned through companies and often VAT can be reclaimed and there are many tax deductables in the running costs, including the crews. A company that can afford to buy a yacht must be making vast taxable profits and the yacht is a way to eat into the profits.

Although they can be chartered out as they are actually a business, there is huge, manufactured, over supply which means it rarely happens so again, they are making a loss, again reducing tax liability.

There are teams of specialist accountants and brokers behind each super yacht as well as crew recruiters and management companies controlling operations. It's a very expensive business and their shelf life is surprisingly short, often going in for multi-mullion refits that can take up to 2 years, every 5 to 10 years or when they get sold on.