Beneteau Flying 12m

In my travels I've stumbled across the occasional dinner table expert who wonders how I can sustain my interest in boats. "You test so many, surely they all start looking the same?" they ask.

Well, no. Boats like this funky French-made Beneteau Flyer will stir even the most dulled senses. Take fresh avant-garde styling, a practical yet exciting deck design, add consideration for human factors and good ergonomics, with a good dose of what the French call joie de vivre - literally translated as joy of living - and you have a recipe for excitement.

In fact, this contemporary Flyer 12M is surely one of this up-and-coming French powerboat builder's best models so far.

Beneteau has risen to stellar heights here in just two years. Its boats are arousing interest from ex-yachties and old salts that have apparently seen it all before, as well as new converts swayed by the fresh styling.

Where to start? How about with the arrangement? A shaft-driven express cruiser with a hardtop and electric sun/moon roof is where we're at these days. Think all-weather protection and, with its wide sliding glass saloon door, think indoor/outdoor entertaining. I didn't have to try hard to imagine myself living it up in summer or, for that matter, cruising in the depths of winter in the cosy saloon with a coffee in hand.

You should also think of the Flyer 12M as a couple's boat. A lot of thought has gone into making the decks safely accessible for crew charged with casting or retrieving mooring lines, swinging fenders or helping kiddies around the side. Beginning with a moulded step in the cockpit, the wide walk-around decks are easily negotiated and recessed below teak-topped toe rails, with grabrails and a sturdy bowrail with intermediate wire or lifeline.

Meanwhile, there's an accommodating below decks plan that obviously caters for more than just a day out. You get two big cabins each with double beds and two heads - what I consider the perfect layout for staying away with friends or family. And with the galley up in the saloon, you can entertain while being part of the action. The cockpit and integrated swim platform cater for a penchant for outdoors living.

This boat has a hull designed especially around just one particular motor, the electronic common-rail Volvo D6 diesels - or a pair of them, actually. On the boat I drove, the motors were coupled to shaft drives for low maintenance. But if you prefer you can have Volvo's IPS drives as a $50,000 upgrade. Either way, the hull is super efficient with prop pockets lowering shaft angles, aggressive chines, and a very fine entry.

As a sign of its sweet design, the latest retracting Volvo trim tabs supplied with the boat were virtually superfluous. The Flyer 12M travels nicely out of the box in nominal or natural trim, which I always take as a sign of a sweet hull. And despite having an internal helm - the boat is available as a flybridge version too - it runs flat with unfettered vision out of the surrounding safety glass windscreen. 

ASCENT
Interestingly, Beneteau's powerboat arm has gone from having little representation in Australia just a few years back to opening dealerships in just about all states. This bodes well for the prospective boat buyers that demand more than just a badge. After-sales and at-call service is important these days.

With 55 powerboats sold nationally in the last two years, the JW Marine dealerships ought to now be practiced at delivering boats and back-up service. And with global boating trends seeing powerboat ownership striding ahead of yachting, the Beneteau powerboat yard is set for plenty more support.

Engineering-wise, the boats are built to CE Certification for 10 in Category B Offshore (wave height up to four metres and winds to Beaufort 8); 12 people in Category C Inshore; and 14 in sheltered waters. In other words, the Flyer 12M can play the part of both passage-maker and chariot.

Capacity-wise, there is a generous 1200lt of fuel and a handy 320lt of water. Thus, couples can weekend away and, if they're water conscious, perhaps spend as long as a week on the anchor. The 135lt holding tanks mean you shouldn't have to run outside the heads or to the pump-out every couple of days.

The boat had a generator for 240V on-call power and air-con is now being bundled with the boat. Although enclosed hardtop boats do have a tendency to get hot and stuffy, this one's saloon was very well vented with not only the sunroof but also side-opening windows. Below, there were lots of opening ports in a layout that had shades of the same designer interior as seen on Beneteau's yachts.

The hull, meanwhile, is built from the reverse recipe employed by most powerboat boatbuilders. Beneteau has balsa-cored running surfaces (and decks) and solid GRP sides, with a fully moulded structural inner skin. The vee-shaped hull with tunnels exhibits good lateral lift, but the so-called tulip bow is the key to the boat's ride.

Riding level ensures the big, sharp forefoot cuts a swath through which the rest of the boat follows. The design is said to be the result of hydrodynamic research by Beneteau and, in my experience, performance and ride comfort are real strengths of this badge.

ENGINE ROOM AND UTILITY SPACES
As usual, I began my assessment with the engineering. There are three cockpit hatches: two lead into the lazarette and one ranged forward into the engine room. There are two additional hatches in the saloon floor over the motors and two more internal hatches on the accommodation level to access the motors' fly wheels and, moreover, their belts.

In the lazarette I found the 4kVa Onan EQ series electronically controlled generator with a split underwater discharge and above-water gas outlet in a sound shield. Well away from the indoor living areas, it sounded nice and quiet when I fired it up. There was good access to the generator's sea strainer, coolant reservoir and, behind the sound shield, the dipstick. Besides the steering gear, there was room for stowing a deflated duckie, watertoys and watersports gear in tubs.

I wasn't so thrilled to find some unfinished end grain marine plywood on some non-structural mounted brackets, however.

For day-to-day engine checks you can step through the central cockpit hatch and down a small aluminium ladder. You will find room to scamper between the Volvo engines, check water separators and fuel filters, but there's little room to access the outboard sides of the motors. I suspect to dip the oil and, if needs be, top-up the engines' header tanks, you will need to open the hatches in the saloon floor, which can be accessed after rolling back the carpet and moving some portable furniture.

 The aft plywood engine room wall is a mounting point for major circuit breakers - the boat comes with battery charger and separate house and engine start batteries are located in the lazarette - but there is no aft watertight engine room bulkhead. Not that this is a boat in which you will be reversing and taking green water onboard at sea, however.

Forward of the engine room, I found a plumbing room under the steps leading down from the saloon - you can mount the optional washer-dryer here - that's also accessible through a hatch in the second cabin. It's a huge space filled with just the water heater, holding tank, water pumps, and colour-coded plumbing lines. You can actually crawl inside, which is great for servicing, and there's room to store things.

However, some of that space could be used to better effect somewhere else. Full marks for clearly labelling all the through-hull fittings and seacocks and, I noticed, Beneteau uses double hose clips.

The boat's engine exhausts are underwater, ensuring this is a wonderfully quiet cruiser, aided by generous sound-insulation in the engine room.

Smoothness also comes from the balanced four-blade props and the engine installation. Oh, and Volvo's D6 motors have always proven obliging to me.

ON DECK
The Flyer 12M welcomes you aboard via its full-length, buoyant and accepting non-skid boarding platform, which has room for you to sit and eat, or even perch on a deck chair. There was a handheld hot/cold shower, an aft boot in which to stow emergency safety gear, and room for wet stuff, dive gear, plus fenders in a recessed locker. The swim ladder was an optional push-button electric number. Very cool.

The transom door to port opens on a clever cantilevered mechanism and, once aboard, the cockpit reveals itself to be big enough for a round table and four chairs. The supplied rear lounge can seat four, but the best part is that it converts into a daybed or seriously sumptuous sunlounge for two or more. And the conversion is a snap.

The amenities centre to port included the must-have icemaker and electric griddle, all built in and nicely out of the way, with a handy storage recess opposite. You might even add a little aftermarket canopy to create a shaded al fresco lunch setting.

Bow to stern access is brilliant on the Flyer 12M. Moulded steps lead from the cockpit to generous walk-around decks and a flat foredeck where, with fluffy beach towels, you could lie in comfort on another sunpad area. The designer cleats, stylised logos, engine vents and red hull added to the eye candy. Amidships lockers with deck fillers also have room for a fender each side.

There are drinkholders, which could be bigger to accommodate bottles, and the boat came with a windlass, self-stow anchor in a stainless steel bowsprit, and big chain locker that lets you forget about having to stack the chain when weighing anchor.

On deck, the Flyer is both crew and family friendly.

CRUISING SALOON
A big sliding glass door leads into the saloon, which is surrounded by yet more glass, through which views extend back outdoors from the boat's U-shaped lounge to starboard. With two stools you can actually seat six people before the removable dinette.

The dinette concealed a bottle locker and, well, just about everywhere I looked there were provisions for storing wine. Very French, indeed. There was also handy storage under the helm seat in a drawer or cupboard, and ventilation was in yet greater supply via opening side windows and an overhead sunroof.

 Headroom has been considered throughout the Flyer 12M and, despite its rakish lines, there's a wonderful sense of light and space indoors. This is aided by the use of white-moulded headliners, light straw-coloured upholstery and light and bright Mukali veneered plywood joinery.

Speaking of which, the entire portside of the saloon is one continuous joinery cabinet concealing the boat's galley, cooking amenities and storage. Such is the strength of the cabinetry that I used the forward end of the bench opposite the helm as an impromptu seat while playing the part of co-pilot. The pull-out bottle and spice rack beneath is a nifty detail.

Besides a catacomb of cupboards and drawers, including pantry, pot and loose appliance lockers, I found an 80lt 12/240V fridge and European appliances including a microwave oven (possibly convection) and two-burner De Dietrich halo ring stove. There were also twin sinks and plenty of food prep space at the right height to easily assemble meals for eager mouths at the dinette or on the same level back outdoors. In short, I thought it a handy galley.

SLEEP CITY
More than a day boat, the Flyer 12M has terrific accommodation with comfortable double beds in two cabins and a cheery ambience. The en suites are positively groovy. If an en suite can be a highlight, then the one off the master cabin in this boat stars.

In some ways the satin timber floors reminded me of a yacht rather than a high-speed powerboat. Though the timber would be easier to sweep clean compared to carpet, the inspection hatches in the floor rattled around as we crossed boat wake and wind waves at speed. Softer mounts on the timber panels would doubtlessly suppress the noise.

Off the foyer, which you reach down three steps from the saloon, and to starboard is the guest's cabin with headroom and dressing space at the entrance where there's a timber-lined hanging locker. The double bed measures 1.9m by 1.4m, and trick reading lights and a 240V outlet, opening port and hatch for natural ventilation are nearby.

The dayhead/guest's en suite was a compact number with no separate shower, just a handheld faucet sink rose, and a manual pump toilet, which is a bit much on a half-million dollar powerboat. But that wouldn't be hard to change and the styling, with frosted blue glass bowl and all the trick bathroom fittings, was chic. There was an opening port but no extractor fan in case of rain.

The master suite was just superb, with full headroom, an island double bed, hanging locker, storage in surround cupboards, a big drawer for bedding, and even a dedicated timber dresser with mirror. There was a lot more storage under the split mattresses, and the overhead hatch with blind guarantees good ventilation and a sleep-in.

Now to that en suite. It was one huge, continuous, moulded, easy-clean compartment with blue-frosted glass washbasin and matching shower screen, a very generous shower stall with headroom, and opening ports. The loo was a quiet-flush electric number. And, due to the skylight, there was plenty of natural light. It was a great head and perhaps reflective of the female owner of Beneteau, Madame Roux - a stylish matriarch.

DRIVING STATION
The helm opposite the galley, behind the windscreen to starboard, boasts a comfortable two-person bench seat so couples can cruise together. With circumambient views, the skipper can see the portside corners of the boarding platform when parking, providing the transom door is left open. And the level ride ensures the views forward are clear at all speeds.

 Though there isn't room to stand at the helm, it's comfortable to be seated before the dash. I could reach across and adjust the stereo, work through the Volvo engine-monitoring gauge to access fuel consumption, operate the fitted Raymarine autopilot and E120 combination GPS/radar, and monitor the twin fuel tank gauges.

The dash was fitted with Volvo analogue engine gauges and a rudder indicator, but it was the sports wheel, fingertip-controlled EVC engine shifts, and Maxpower bowthruster that made driving a joy. We decamped from the marina and gad about and fairly flew down the waterway into the teeth of a roaring northerly, while wind poured through the sunroof and the side windows.

Side on to the wind, some spray lashed the boat, but you would expect that in such a tempest. So, we closed the side windows; the overhead sunroof prevented any stuffiness and the wipers kept the windscreen clear. The transom-hull rudders and perky Volvo D6 motors combined to offer a sporty drive and the hull is certainly efficient, as evidenced by an amazing low-speed plane of 9.3kt at 1550rpm.

From here the boat rises to cruise speeds of 23 to 24kt at 2800 to 3000rpm, where the motors use 88lt/h for a safe working range of about 290 nautical miles from the 1200lt fuel supply.

But at 3200rpm and 25.6kt for 104lt/h fuel consumption and a 270 nautical mile range, it seems to slot into the groove, with the turbos sounding happy and the boat running smoothly and quietly. We could have a conversation without yelling. Top speed was 29.3kt, though Beneteau quotes 30kt, which the boat probably does lightly laden with a clean hull and run-in motors.

Clever, chic and practical, the 12M is Beneteau's best flyer yet. It's not a handful to drive, instead snappy on the pegs and sharp when sitting still. While capable of cruising, it's simple enough that you will take it out often for joy rides. And it's the kind of boat that makes me glad to be part of the global boating industry. Same old, same old? Au contraire!

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