( CNN ) -- As China 's super rich grow ever richer they need new toys to play with . Now , some are betting that superyachts will be the next big thing for those Chinese millionaires wanting to show off their bling . `` There 's no question that Chinese have the appetite and the deep pockets for a thriving yacht culture , '' says Traugott Kaminski , China CEO for upmarket yacht firm Sunseeker -- which was one of the first to enter the then almost non-existent market back in 2003 . Now the company says it is about secure a deal worth up to $ 33 million , selling five yachts to a mainland Chinese customer . And with recent figures showing that Asia 's economic giant has over 875,000 millionaires there could plenty more orders to come . There 's certainly ample room for growth . According to figures cited by state media , there are about 1,300 private yachts in China . This compares to 17 million privately owned recreational boats in the United States , the world 's biggest yacht market , according to industry publication International Boating Industry . But where some see China as a yacht-seller 's paradise , others are more cautious . `` In 2010 China only imported about 100 yachts -- that 's not a lot when you consider the country 's wealth and population , '' says Bart Kimman , Dutch CEO of Asia Yacht Services , a Hong Kong brokerage firm tailored to the growing Asian market . While Kimman stresses that demand has certainly increased from next to nothing only two years ago , he believes that the Chinese market is still strangled in a net of prohibitions . He argues that modern yachts need modern marinas , with properly trained staff -- `` But who wants to invest millions in a high-tech marina , '' he asks , `` only to find out that you have to rebuild the whole thing because of an obscure regulation ? '' A 42 % tax on imports of foreign yachts is also proving prohibitive , he says . `` OK , so a rich guy is a rich guy , but if he wants to buy a $ 5 million toy and he 's facing the prospect of paying another $ 2 million in tax ... he 's going to think twice ! '' Dr. Keyu Jin is an assistant economics professor at the London School of Economics . She says trailblazing Chinese trend setters will need to take up yachting before it really takes off . `` How do you jump-start a hobby ? '' she asks . `` It 's like European wine in China -- in the beginning no one drank it , then a very few people started drinking a particular French brand , now finally there is a big market . It 's a herd mentality . '' she says . Jin adds that there are cultural barriers that may delay the yachting revolution . `` While some of China 's rich are happy to spend their money on lavish things , others have a more traditional view about ostentatious displays of wealth , '' she says . `` 'Big trees attract more wind ' is the old saying , and the Confucian view that the more conspicuous you are the more risks you put yourself into still acts as a sort of restraint for many . '' She adds : `` Unlike Brazil -- another emerging market for yachts -- Chinese people do n't like beaches much , they do n't like the sun and they 're not interested in getting a tan . '' But Kaminski is fully undeterred . `` Sure , Chinese will use the boat differently to their counterparts in the West , '' he says . `` In my dealings there is a greater emphasis on the safety and stability , and our customers prefer a hard-top roof to shield them from the sun . Karaoke rooms are also very popular -- this is all just a matter of different tastes . '' According to the Sunseeker CEO , the Chinese market will eventually be bigger than the whole European market put together . `` You can not expect this in five years -- there are still these problems with infrastructure and so on , '' he says . `` But once these issues are solved -- which they will be -- then the floodgates will open . ''
Some boat makers betting yachting is next big thing for China 's super wealthy . Score: 6 Complex legislation and high import taxes could hinder growth of yachting . Karaoke rooms popular with Chinese yacht owners , says boat firm CEO .