Beneteau's new babies

Beneteau released two new Oceanis yachts and a completely new range of budget-priced yachts at the Paris Boat Show in early December.

Called the Cyclades, the new range will be made up of 39ft, 43ft and 50ft boats which will sit under the current Oceanis cruiser models.

Beneteau is obviously targeting the charter market and the less expensive European yachts (read Bavaria) with the new range.

The first boat off the line and onto the market was the 43-footer on show in Paris. The boat is a beamy twin-steer yacht with heaps of room and an emphasis on simplicity. Easy to sail and easy to clean and maintain seem to be the ethos of the Cyclades.

The yachts take their name from a group of islands of varying sizes scattered over the waters of the Aegean.

According to the most likely tradition, they owe their name to the notional circle which they appear to form around the sacred isle of Delos.

The Cyclades 43 is a big yacht which was developed in conjunction with the huge Sunsail and Moorings charter operations and, indeed, we did see a oorings-branded Cyclades 43 during a visit to the Beneteau factory.

The interior features a three-cabin three-head layout which, while not quite austere, is certainly not as luxurious-feeling as an Oceanis.

Fewer opening hatches, a different headlining, a parquetry-style composite cabin sole and fewer electronics indicate where the savings have come from.

On deck, the changes are again evident. No traveler system, outboard chainplates and no teak decking are indicative of the different tack Beneteau has taken with this yacht.

The cockpit is huge and great for entertaining, and there's easy access from the transom and a big central table. The decks are wide and uncluttered with all lines leading aft.

The genoa is smallish at 110 per cent and resides on a Profurl roller-furler. Lazy jacks take care of the 44.5sqm main.

A vertical electric windlass adorns the bow and there's a substantial anchor locker leading to a twin roller fairlead.

The Cyclades 43 is a big boat. With a 4.43m beam and a 1.9m draught it displaces 9580kg and is powered by a 54hp Yanmar engine.

You can expect to pay around $360,000 for a Cyclades 43 which compares favourably to, say, a Beneteau Oceanis 42.3 which retails for around the $424k mark.

Oceanis Heavyweight
The biggie of the Oceanis range is the new 523 which will hit the market at around $800k.

This is an interesting boat in that it has the option of a forward skipper's cabin with ensuite, which is completely separate from the rest of the boat. The cabin is accessed via a forward hatch with a ladder leading down. It also acts as a watertight bulkhead in the event of a major collision.

The rest of the boat is pure luxury: a massive owners' cabin forward has an ensuite with its own full shower stall, as well as office facilities. The two aft cabins also have full ensuites.

The saloon is huge as well and the settees can seat 10 in comfort.

The galley is as fully-equipped as one would imagine, including microwave and optional dishwasher plus heaps of storage for every luxury.

On deck, there's two big Harken 66 primary winches with electric option flanking the cockpit which has a big teak table with built-in fridge. There's plenty of room for your crew of 10 in the cockpit and all around the outside of the boat. Wide decks are a feature as is the huge transom which sports a dive locker and liferaft storage.

For manoeuvrability, a bow thruster is standard.

Water storage capacity of 950lt, fuel capacity of 450lt with an option of another 200lt ensures a long passage shouldn't be a problem.

343 Oceanis
Beneteau also released the new Oceanis 343 cruising yacht at the Paris show. The 343 is a lovely little boat with an interior nearly as big as the old 361. The 343 sports a large aft cabin with a window to the trasom and handy access to the big cockpit locker from below.

There's an L-shaped galley with a two-burner stove and a single sink. Good storage abounds for a boat of this size including a front-opening fridge.

The saloon has a folding table and two curved settees, one of which incorporates an aft-facing nav station.

Performance is said to be lively for a 34ft cruising yacht.

The Beneteau 343 is expected to retail for around $245k.