Beneteau Antares 7

Starship Beneteau

Antares is one of only two red supergiant stars bright enough to be seen in the night sky and, for years, sailors would steer by it. Tiller in hand, ice on the beard, herring in the hold, they would look to the heavens and follow the twinkling red giant, whose diameter is 700 times greater than our sun, back to the safety of their home port and hurriedly unload their still-kicking catch.

A leader rather than a follower, French boatbuilder Beneteau has a new Antares 7 that is a star of a different kind. The boatbuilder has taken the best of nautical tradition and added avant-garde styling to create a truly global boat. You get a cabin with wheelhouse for escaping cold weather, a decent cockpit for everything from doing lunch to wetting a line, a new-generation diesel engine with common rail injection, shaft drive for low maintenance, and now quite snazzy lines.

No longer building boats for only the European market, Beneteau has souped up its fishing craft to appeal to world markets including those Down Under. From the fetching Antares range to the tricky Trawlers, the French boatbuilder is winning plenty of hearts in the process.

To meet world demand it has ramped up production to about 1800 powerboats a year while still making some 2200 yachts. In the Antares cabin cruiser range, there are eight models designed, cleverly I should add, for multipurpose boating. Following the Antares 7 test here, will come a 6 and 8.8 sistership with similar sweet lines.

But as I've said before, if you like boating year-round, as I do, then the key thing is the wheelhouse. If you're not fond of maintenance then the diesel motor with shaft drive makes perfect sense, too. And a boat like this, even with a near $150,000 price tag, is ideal for leaving on an affordable swing mooring. Hit it with hose, scrub the seagull calling cards away, and you're ready to cabin cruise.

BUILT TO LAST
Construction of the hull and deck is sandwich, with balsa core, moulded structural internal GRP liners for stiffness and, in the cabin, leads to a smart easy-clean finish. The decks are topped with diamond-pattern non-skid, the cockpit is a self-draining number, and the deck gear from stainless steel fairlead to bowrail and aft cleats is up to the task.

Though there are engine options up to 200hp, it would be hard to imagine a more modern kicker than the Volvo Penta D3 160hp diesel engine spinning a four-blade prop through a 2.48:1 Volvo gearbox on the demo boat. Weighing just 215kg, the compact in-line five-cylinder motor has electronic common rail fuel injection for smoke-free and frugal operation (think 20lt/h at cruise) with, I should add, quite amazing acceleration at both top and bottom ends.

The Volvo Penta is designed for low maintenance, being freshwater cooled and with an EVC control for electronic engine monitoring. Access is gained by lifting a moulded hatch, which incorporates a permanent aft-facing seat, on a gas strut. There's foam insulation to help cut noise, and direct access to the fuel filter and plastic seawater strainer.

To top up the header tank or check coolant levels you open a second hatch in the cabin and, in so doing in winter, enjoy the quasi heater. Another hatch alongside harbours the boat's 100lt water bladder, yet another leads into the boat's battery, while the lazarette is home to the 220lt polypropylene fuel tank.

Local Beneteau powerboat agents JW Marine were in the process of fitting a second battery for the optional aftermarket bowthruster on the this Antares 7 displayed at the Sydney International Boat Show. Additional options included a boarding platform, A65 Raymarine chartplotter/depth sounder, Shorepower kit and ‘shoe' for prop protection so you can kiss a sandbank or let the boat dry out without worrying about bending a blade.

All Antares 7s imported here are fitted at factory level with a windlass for push-button anchoring (though from the bow only), a 12V galley fridge and single-burner alcohol hob, CD player and marine toilet. The latter item needed to be fitted with a holding tank on the demo boat, but put it all together and, in this cute cabin cruiser, there was nothing but a bottle of Beaujolais left wanting.

CONVERTIBLE COCKPIT
Though it's difficult being all things to all people, Beneteau has invented a clever modular seating arrangement for the cockpit of its Antares 7. The test boat arrived with a series of moulded seat boxes with upholstered tops in an L-shape configuration. Along with the permanent seat on the engine box you could seat four to six for lunch.

There were two table options: the smaller oval moulded table with drink holders that's otherwise mounted in the cabin, and an oversized rectangular table for more serious entertaining. Add an aftermarket Italian awning and a crowd could dine al fresco, and in shade. Without such an awning, the big table can be relocated to create a sunpad for two. All the lift-out seat bases double as storage bins as well. 

But if fishing is more your thing, no worries, you can remove the seating in minutes to create an unfettered non-skid cockpit. And though they weren't fitted, there are optional underfloor fish or bait boxes as options. Standard inclusions include teak gunwales, hawse pipes with underdeck mooring cleats, two plastic rodholders, and a transom door. 

Keen anglers might find a way to fit more rodholders, perhaps a livebait tank and an aftermarket saltwater deckwash. The tiller steering will come in handy when trolling and, if you're really into it, there's the option of a second set of cockpit controls. Though there's no freshwater transom shower, the pullout galley hose is long enough to reach back to the cockpit for an après-swim rinse.

The cabin sits on the centreline, so it's a symmetrical layout, though the specifications call it asymmetrical due to the walkway on the starboard side being slightly deeper. Either way, there are handy handrails on the cabin top, a sturdy bowrail and, with opening pulpit, you can set down or pickup agile crew over the bow.

The windlass and remote in the anchor locker assist with anchoring and, even in rocky conditions, I thought it reassuring to reach the bow. Add the boarding platform, swim ladder and broad cockpit, and the Antares 7 is an all-over accessible boat that, thanks to the clever convertible seating arrangement, is adaptable to most needs and markets.

CABIN CAPERS
Compared with some of its competitors, the cabin of the Antares 7 is an upmarket affair with a comparatively high quality fitout, a great sense of headroom at the helm, clear sight lines and plenty of amenities for day boating or, if you felt so inclined, overnighting aboard.

Full marks for the twin helm seats, so a couple can cruise together, and the opening side windows that prevent stuffiness. Though compact, the helm had a nice timber wheel, spread of Volvo engine gauges, basic throttle, optional Maxpower thruster and chartplotter/sounder, fuel gauge and 12V accessory plug, plus a handy recess for storing personals.

Twin wipers came to the rescue during the rain squalls, while the CD player might be called on during longer cruises. At rest, the moulded portside galley beckons, with Waeco 12V fridge, sink with cold water, dedicated pegged crockery and cutlery nooks, bottle and glass storage per all French boats, and alcohol stove for boiling a billy or making crepes.

Should you wish to dine below, there's room for four around the dinette that converts to a double bed using a lift-out infill board stowed in the head and the backrest cushions. The moulded white cabin liner, moabi timber joinery and blue upholstery look the goods, while the separate timber head has a manual pump loo (holding bladder to be fitted). There's also storage under the bunks and, good thinking, a fishing-rod rack so you can carry at least three outfits aboard. All bases covered.

CABIN CRUISING
Needless to say, the Antares 7 proved just the ticket on a Sydney day that looked more like, well, the Atlantic. Though we called off a test sail, we jumped aboard the little Beneteau with glee, retreating to the wheelhouse, timber wheel in the hand, wipers waving, while cruising at a handy clip around a typically bumpy harbour beset by ferry wash.

Troll speed of 7.3kts was clocked at 2000rpm, above which the semi-planing hull eased on the plane almost imperceptibly. At 2250rpm the boat is planning at just 8.1kts, at 2500rpm it ploughs along at 9.3kts, and 3000rpm returns a handy, though, slightly harsh low-speed cruise of about 14kts.

I thought noise levels weren't too imposing at 3250rpm, where the Volvo Penta D3 smoothed out and propelled the boat to 16.3kts while using 20 litres of diesel per hour. The boat jumped some more with a lean on the throttle, holding 18.5 to 19kts at 3500rpm.

Top speed was 22 to 23kts, but the boat bobbles around a bit over the rough stuff. Suffice to say, it is at the aforesaid cruising speeds that the Antares 7 is most obliging.

With the bowthruster countering the natural tendency of the single shaft driven boat to walk to port in reverse, this is a nimble little cabin cruiser at high and low speeds. And thanks to great sight lines, wipers and a cabin, we didn't need to look to the heavens to see where we were going. A handy all-rounder that can do a bit everything really very well.