Beneteau Antares 11 Fly Review

Meet the flagship of Antares outboard cruiser series from Beneteau with a full-size flybridge – Antares 11 Fly.

After trying it out for ourselves, we at topRik team explain what features impressed us the most, describe the behavior of yacht at the sea, try to understand who this yacht is aimed at. All with appropriate photos, video reviews and quotes from other yachting media sources for comparison.

Here it is – in all its glory. Doesn’t it remind you of something you already saw? The somewhat bulky hull, lots of safety railing, simplicity both in design and philosophy. Well, of course – boats of Antares range are pretty much younger siblings of Beneteau Swift Trawlers and the Antares 11 Fly leads the way, being the flagship of the range. It is 11 meters in length, driven by two Mercury outboard motors (the boat we tested got 300 HP ones), has a surprisingly large flybridge and excellent amenities on board.

Right away you can see how much sportier this yacht feels compared even to Swift Trawlers: it looks like an arrow, flying straight at the target. And such comparison is fully justified: 30 knots for this yacht are just the cruising speed. The fly gives the yacht an especially slick look, looking almost like a spoiler of a Formula 1 car, the ribs of the hull don’t allow it to stray from the course, while also adding to the sleek visuals.

And yet, there’s no compromise on large windows, high ceilings and reliable railing either. And the reason is, this boat is actually meant for families. Yes, even though you get excellent speed, turns and stability (more on that later), you also have comfortable social areas at the cockpit, bow and saloon, surprisingly well-equipped galley, spacious cabins and even such conveniences as a separate beach side platform or air conditioning in the cabins.

Now let’s bring to the light all the most interesting features during our virtual tour around the yacht.

Features of Beneteau Antares 11 Fly

Maximum Speed and Fuel Consumption

Review of Antares 11 Fly by topRik Team

Surely, it doesn’t take long after you board it to understand how spacious this yacht, but looking at it from afar we were somewhat worried: can Beneteau full this off at all? Try and cramp trawler features on category B yacht at this price and size?

First Impressions

Well, to our surprise, the features we saw didn’t feel cramped into it all – it seems like there were always meant to be in here. First thing you see as you approach it from the pier are the two hearts of this vessel. Depending on the model and options chosen, you will get different outboards, but they will be installed at the same space – in between two small aft platform, which you can use to get on board or to maintain the mighty engines.

Usually, we spend more time at the transom, but there’s really not much to say here, other than, based on our experience, Beneteau uses the best engines known to date for their boats, Mercury 250 HP being the standard and Mercury 300 HP recommended for full experience.

See that rail on the starboard side? It is connected to a separate platform that, when lowered, creates a personal beach spot, perfect for swimming or just relaxing near the water.

To understand where we go next, here’s a good overall view: right after stepping on one of the platforms, we go to the cockpit area, mostly covered in nice cool shadow.

Here’s what you will see right after you climb the stairs:

Ladder to the flybridge doesn’t look flimsy at all, wood everywhere under your feet, incredibly spacious sofa for 11 meters of length – so far so good. The door is divided into 4 sliding parts, which allows the owner to completely unify cockpit and saloon. We like how you always have something to hold on to and its difficult to imagine a man overboard situation, since you are just tucked inside this cockpit, like in a little fortress. And here’s the layout of this entire deck:

Imagine taking multiple steps inside the cockpit and turning back – this is what you would see:

Now, in this official photo there’s no table, but we had one on our boat – you can see the recesses for it in the flooring. We found the table to be sturdy, even though not very big. It is just enough for a family meal at fresh air. By the way, entire cockpit can be protected from all sides with covers in case of bad weather.

Let’s check out the bow next, but leave the flybridge for later, like dessert.

Very practical and reliable: stainless-steel protection around the perimeter, sunloungers with soft-top above, easy access to the windlass at the front. Since the layout is asymmetric, we arrived here using starboard sidewalk, which is much wider than port one – we actually wouldn’t recommend to use that other one at all due to how narrow it is.

Inside the Saloon/Wheelhouse

If you read our reviews of much larger yachts, you might be spoiled already by expecting a galley, fridge, microwave, etc. But think about it: designers had an 11-meter hull (not a catamaran!) to fit in necessary home amenities and also trying to avoid making the boat too heavy, so it is capable of high-speed cruising.

Well, after seeing this I’m sure that engineers at Beneteau are not overpaid at all – they get an A-minus from me on this difficult task. The table unfolds to provide space for 6 people, the windows provide stellar lighting, sofa is large and convenient and the cook has two stoves, 70-liter fridge, optional microwave and a large sink to work with. Add to that hot water, cupboards and drawers, a TV in the corner – and you feel just like home. And what’s with that “minus” you might ask? Well, I’m picky: just a little bit more storage space would be nice in here.

Overall, this place feels amazing. And feels even better as you approach the skipper’s post with a comfortable leather chair at starboard and a folding seat to port:

Continuing associations with sports cars, the helm on Antares 11 Fly looks like a racing wheel, with buttons and control also far from traditional ones.

You have your regular necessities, like throttle lever and such, but the interesting part here is the Mercury JPO joystick – this thing will singlehandedly get rid of all the troubles when if comes to maneuvers during docking/undocking. It is more common at boats costing half a million, but here you get it just like that. Beneteau loves to provide you with as much info as possible, so the Garmin chartplotter and various SmartCraft indicators will always tell you the full story when it comes to your yacht’s condition (better read the manual first though).

To starboard you have access to the side deck, so you don’t have to come back to the cockpit in order to get to bow area.

Lower Deck

Before we climb down, let’s look at the overall layout, so you don’t get lost.

The entrance to the bow cabin is right opposite the stairs, and even the doors are understandably low-width ones, the ceilings are remarkably high, considering the boat’s price tag and combination of features provided.

This is where you will rest on your weekend trips if you go for Antares 11 Fly. Sure, the photo is taken on a wide lens and is very flattering, but watch the video reviews we provided further and you will see that this bow cabin is actually really spacious, allowing you and your special other go for a good stretch in the morning without restraints. Because of the hull angle at the bow, some extra steps at both sides of the bed were added for convenience.

There’s no shortage of storage space: cupboards, overhead drawers and huge locker will allow you to take as much baggage as you need on a trip.

To the left of the stairs, you have a bathroom with stylish sink, big window with a curtain, Jabsco soft flush toilet and shower with seating space.

Other spaces are executed in same high-end style, such as aft VIP stateroom with dedicated air conditioning, large windows and interesting storage design.

This is a great place for your guests, children, passengers (if you managing a charter business). Just the idea of having air conditioning on this vessel is quite shocking, but Beneteau delivered yet again.

You’ll Believe You Can Fly

Now it’s time for that dessert – we return to cockpit and climb the ladder to flybridge. After all that we saw on board already, we were a little surprised to see this picture:

And we are not talking about the convertible seats or that coffee table. You actually get a full second helm station, this time executed in chrome with more traditional looking helm. The functionality is the same, but the views are completely different. The boat we tested had an awning, protecting us from hot sun, which is not depicted in here.

At the Sea

Whether you control the boat from here or from the wheelhouse, it just listens to your every move. Every turn turns out just as you wanted it and you can get up to 37 knots of speed, which pretty wild for a boat with such comfort on board.

Now, since the boat is very streamlined, you might need to fight the sea a little bit at high speeds, but takes very little time to get used to it. Besides, you better cruise at 30 knots max, and maybe even 20-25 if you don’t want the fuel to run out fast. It’s not the kind of boat that can last 1000 miles, but 200 miles will be no problem.

If you are looking for a boat for the Great Loop, you will never need more performance than this boat provides (and it is actually quite an overkill with 300 HP engines).

Advantages

We consider the price tag the main advantage of this boat actually. Hear us out: sure, the price of a high-end sportscar might not seem low to most, but here you get something much more than just a vehicle. This is an outboard cruiser with amazing amenities on board for its size and stellar performance, with quiet engines, lots of space for family and guests, as long as full-fledged galley! Right now, it is one of the best deals on the market for those who like Swift Trawler’s no-nonsense approach, but are unwilling to hit their wallet too much. Sure, Antares is more limited than a trawler, but the discount is heavy enough to justify the limitations.

Safety and comfort on board are also incredible here: you can leave the kids to themselves here thanks to high railing, reliable door mechanisms and rounded corners everywhere. And if you want to throw a party, you have enough room for a dozen, with after party and overnight stay. Of course, long-range cruisers have more features on board, but again, for this size and price you surely get a lot of them.

And when it comes to performance, thanks to reduced size and outboards, this boat is agile and precise in its movement, with Mercury joystick easing the maneuvers. You can go from one marina to another during the weekend and will not even need to refuel, even as you are travelling at 30 knots. Such performance is unachievable for models three time more expensive, just because of the sheer size of Swift Trawlers, so that’s one area where this boat wins for sure.

Reviews of Beneteau Antares 11 Fly from Professionals

Of course, presenting only our own opinion would make this review at least somewhat biased. That’s why we offer to check out these reviews from other yachting media journalists and see for yourself what the overall picture is.

John Ford Article

Right away John calls this cruiser “zippy” – that word fits the boat perfectly. He describes Antares flagships as more appealing to general audience compared to more niche GT 32 because of cruising and staying overnight orientation.

The hull and deck are infused with end-grade polyester with balsa core. 50° bow entry, flattening to 14.5° at the transom, allows for great performance. Overall, the boat looks very sporty and low-profile even with the flybridge. Cabin is offset to port, so starboard sidedecks are wider, and your movement will be a little bit limited along the portside deck.

Quad-fold door leads into the saloon, big enough for 11 people. The cockpit has high ceilings and, in author’s opinion, the feature of starboard platform is also cool. As for storage, the reviewer’s boat had a 4kVA diesel generator installed in the storage space under cockpit, but still quite some space was still available for other equipment.

And important feature of this boat is the overnight nature of it: you can even stay here for a week if needed. Air-conditioning, large island beds, escape exits, lots of headroom and many other amenities are mentioned in this review.

When it comes to driving, John Ford reports that getting 13 knots is easy, and at 4000 RPM you can slowly cruise at 17 knots at 80 liters per hour consumption, which gives you 153 nautical miles of range. If you push to 5000 RPM, you can reach 28 knots, but staying at 80 L/h rate would be more preferable. The journalist’s impression of the boat was similar to ours: driving Antares Fly 11 is an intuitive and predictable process. With two Mercury V8 Verados 300 there was no cavitation when the engines trimmed down, and when chines bit in, the lean into turns feels just right.

John Page Williams Article

Captain Williams starts the review stating that Beneteau combined nimbleness, speed and versatile layout of a dayboat with comfortable cruising features on board.

Indeed, this boat was made taking into account the habits of yachtsmen living in USA and Canada, who use boats for day trips and weekend cruises with their family. If you are looking for long cruises, Swift Trawler would be a better fit, but boats of Antares range with outboards will cover shorter trips just fine (at lower price we might add).

Inspired European design allows for great lighting inside, provides sharp forefoot to cut the sea surface and two-stage flared bow with reserve buoyancy for safety in heavy seas. This boat can be used with winds up to 46 miles per hour and seas 13 feet high, making it a CE category B.

The reviewer also arrived at a happy medium of 4200-4500 RPM and speeds of 26-33 miles per hour, particularly enjoying 4400 RPM at 30 miles per hour, which gives the boat 220 miles of range. No spraying on the windshield in calm waters, easy dockside maneuvering thanks to the joystick, and with reverse chines you can drift broadside to motion without problems.

Interiors are optimized towards family life, with quite diesel generators, great social areas at all decks and providing passengers with roomy cabins for relaxation and sleep.

Gary Reich Article

The reviewer points out that this outboard cruiser is about openness and playtime, fit for short trips or longer cruises like the Great Loop.

First launched in Europe, this range conquered North American market short after and Antares 11 models specifically were made to bridge the gap of weekender with increased size and range. The space on board is optimized well enough to create a really large cockpit while also providing easy access to the water. Opening the door to the well-lit and ventilated saloon creates a single-level entertainment area with the cockpit. The visibility at the helm is excellent and you always have access to side deck from here.

Standard option for engines is 2 x 250 HP Mercury FourStroke, but the Beneteau themselves expect most clients to purchase 2 x 300 HP Mercury engines. Thanks to flared bow spray is reduced and modified V-hull cuts the seas easily.

Overall, it is made for customers, who like the practicality of trawler, but are not ready to go full out on an actual trawler. It is much more robust than a regular weekender though. It will also fit those, who are looking to downsize from their larger cruiser into something simpler.

Video Reviews of Beneteau Antares 11 Fly

One of the best ways to understand any boat is to see it in action. Here we gathered the best videos on Antares 11 Fly we could find on YouTube.

First, the review by Beneteau America, brief explanation of the main characteristics and amenities with some high-quality footage on board:

Next, we have another quick walkthrough, mainly showcasing the interiors of the yacht:

More thorough and detailed tour around Antares 11 Fly, also focusing on living areas:

BoatTube specializes in no-commentary footage of interiors, no exception this time too:

Short, but spectacular demonstration of this nimble yacht on the water:

Conclusion

When you are choosing a boat, it is very important to avoid information noise and buzz words and just focus on what you need. You should buy this boat, if you are:

• a family guy, who wants the best for his wife and kids on a weekend trip and is not interested in taking them on a journey around the globe;
• practicality afficionado, not respecting much bells and whistles, looking for a reliable boat with pleasant living conditions on board;
• fan of speed and maneuverability: you just hate it when the boat is slow, doesn’t listen to your helm, takes a long time to accelerate – with Antares 11 Fly you will have no such issues whatsoever;
• careful with your finances and only willing to spend on something you actually are going to use on a trip;
• charmed by the simplicity of outboard motors (like we were).

If you recognize yourself in these points, make sure to check out additional options from the manufacturer – the yacht we reviewed can be modified and upgraded in many ways to fit your needs.

One more thing – eventually, this boat could become something that your kids will remember with bittersweet nostalgia after they grow up. It might become the symbol of their innocence and youth for them, it might house the happiest moments of their life, even if they don’t think about it now at all. It is quite a high bar for a boat to meet, and only you can decide whether it succeeded in that – we told you everything we know about it, but the rest is up to you. Good luck!

Where to Buy Beneteau Antares 11 Fly at a Bargain Price

Here at topRik we try our best to negotiate the best price for any available boat based on current market situation: with ups and downs of the industry, inflation, hidden fees from dealers and many other issues it is no easy task to pull off on your own. Our team will brainstorm the most optimal solution for you, considering your budget and boat configuration requirements.

Speaking of configuration, we have a price calculator for Antares 11 Fly on our sales page, which you can use to get a full picture when it comes to the overall cost of additional features and conveniences. Be sure to contact us if you have any questions or are unsure what a specific option does or why you whether you need it in your particular case – our support team consists of practicing yachtsmen, who will provide you will clear answers and free consultations.

You might also have problems with finding everything you need in the additional equipment list from the manufacturer, presented in the calculator. Things like fenders, chairs, batteries and chargers, safety gear, kitchen utensils, dinghies, DIY products like antifouling paint, repair kits and plumbing parts – you can get all these products right here, also with free consultations.

The process is simple: choose what you want and forget about any problems, as our team will get things in order, taking care of documentation according to international and local law, logistics and hauling, checking the ordered products for malfunctions and quality issues. You can choose to either control the entire process or just buy and forget, either way you are going to receive what you ordered in short time and without unpleasant surprises.

Our business is closely linked with the already well-established SimpleSail – “multitasking” company, providing services such as yacht training (official partner of IYT), maintenance and repair, charter management. We try to apply our best habits, learned in practice over the years, when processing your orders and providing any additional service.

You can chat with our support team through feedback form, using the Contacts section, call the phone number above or send a message to [email protected]. We will address your problems as soon as we can.