Beneteau holds its own Sydney boat show

Sydney agents Flagstaff Marine and Chapman Marine, as well as The Multihull Group staged the event over three day (16-18 October) with the Beneteau Group's latest releases available for inspection.

Both power and sail craft were on display, as well as state-of-the-art luxury sailing catamarans, giving potential buyers plenty of choices.

The invitation-only event enabled Flagstaff to meet COVIDSafe guidelines with a safe, easy to reach event for buyers.

Visitors numbers were monitored hourly, with hand sanitiser and masks in plentiful supply.

Flagstaff's founding director, Graham Raspass, said he couldn't be happier with the way the day all turned out.

After the hugely disappointing cancellation of the Sydney, the Beneteau showcase was a huge morale boost for staff.

Making up the display were a number of significant new Beneteau models, including the Excess 12-metre sailing cat.

Excess is a new brand developed off the existing Beneteau Lagoon line but with more emphasis on sailing performance.

With outside helm position on each stern quarter and a powerful T-top rig, the Excess 12 is designed to give a more responsive sailing experience.

Also on show was the Lagoon 42 sailing catamaran, a boat that has more emphasis on live-aboard comfort but retaining good sailing performance when the wind is up.

On the power front, Beneteau again showed why it's now a major force in this market sector, featuring innovative and well-priced sports cruisers.

The biggest powerboat on display was the Antares 11, featuring twin 300hp Mercury Verado outboard engines and an enclosed cabin.

Featuring chic European styling, the Antares 11 delivers amazing living space enhanced at anchor by a cockpit that folds out on the starboard side to form a large deck over the water.

Joining this power line-up was Beneteau’s latest Gran Turismo model.

The Gran Turismo 32 offers the innovation of a covered helm with walkthrough access to the bow, and a for'ard guest sun-lounge. The Beneteau GT 32 also delivers an extra comfortable rear lounge/dining area aft with sun-lounge.

Powering the Gran Turismo 32 are twin 350hp Mercury Verado four-stroke outboard engines, but a built-in joystick makes it really easy to dock.

For about $463,000 the Beneteau Gran Turismo looks a perfect craft for Sydneysiders wanting to enjoy the harbour this summer.

Offering a more open-air approach was the Beneteau Gran Turismo 32’s near-sister, the Beneteau Flyer 10 bowrider.

The Beneteau Flyer 10 is fitted with a fibreglass hardtop, and retains the same comfortable below-decks cabin as the GT, with a bathroom and two double berths.

Powered by twin 300hp Mercury Verado outboard engines, the Flyer 10 is also fast and well priced with a ready-to-go package from around $435,000.

The Beneteau boat show also introduced Sydney to the Beneteau Swift Trawler 47.

This sturdy ocean-going motor yacht is made for couples who want a craft they can handle themselves yet can still host friends and family, with twin guest cabins and the master stateroom with en-suite.

Beneteau has refreshed its popular Oceanis sailing line with new designs that add some distinctive differences.

The new Oceanis 30.1 and Oceanis 40.1 on show at the weekend have lost their targa arches, and the hulls now feature a more aggressive topside flare above the chines to make them not only faster, but roomier below.

The master suite in the bow of the Oceanis 40.1 is amazingly roomy, with cabin space seeming to belong to a much larger yacht.

The Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 will also impress buyers with a base sail-away price of around $440,000.

Last year saw Beneteau return to the club racing scene with a new First line of sailing racer/cruisers. It's a decade since Beneteau exited this market but the French brand obviously feels it's now time to return.

On show was the brand new Beneteau First 27, a cutting edge-design with a very hard-chine hull form that's very different to previous Beneteau models.

This light displacement craft has a swing keel to suit trailing, although more for haul-out and storage on a hardstand than towing behind a vehicle.

The Beneteau First 27 on display had the full black-carbon sail/spars kit and cost about $205,000, however a more family-friendly cruising version with Dacron sails and galley will start from around $175,000.

Beneteau will also offer the First 27 as the First 27 SE, a stripped down version with a bulb keel instead of a dagger. The race-bred First 27 SE lacks cockpit benches and windows on the coachhouse, and a sail locker replaces the galley stove.

The Beneteau First 27 SE also features a carbon-fibre mast and boom, as well as a square-topped sail for extra drive.

The star of Flagstaff Marine’s show was a glamorous dark blue Beneteau First 53. This racy-looking cruising sailboat is a real head-turner with a low deckline topped by a black carbon mast soaring 26 metres into the sky.

With twin helm wheels and a huge expanse of teak decking, the Beneteau First 53 looks like she should be docked at a Mediterranean port such as Porto Cervo or Cannes-St Tropez.

That's not so surprising given she is very much an Italian creation. Hull and rig are by Roberto Biscontini of America’s Cup fame, and the deck/interior styling is by Italian Lorenzo Argento.

Argento penned some of those amazing flat-deck Wally yachts, so it’s little wonder the Beneteau First 53 has similar clean deck lines with hardly a halyard or line in sight.

The Beneteau First 53 is a cutting-edge yacht, with twin rudders and a neat dinghy garage within the wide transom.

Below, the Beneteau First 53 is all class with an ultra-modern and spacious entertaining area, and three luxury cabins with ensuites.

Concealed lighting and light timber hues strike the right balance for a modern cruiser, and the fixed bowsprit will suit the modern style of racing with asymmetric kites and Code O sails.

An under-deck jib furler also makes for an easy transition between racing and cruising. With a sail-away price from around $1.3 million the Beneteau First 53 is a very affordable entry into the ranks of glamour yachts.

For more information, visit www.flagstaffmarine.com.au.