Boot Düsseldorf was the place where Beneteau, a French shipyard celebrating its 140th year anniversary, showed off its strength with an impressive lineup of 22 yachts. The world’s biggest indoor boat show marked the Germany debut of the Antares 12, following its world premiere at the Cannes Yachting Festival last September and its US bow at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in late October.
The new flagship of Beneteau’s weekender line has been gaining attention for several reasons, not least because its overall length of 13m makes it 2m or well over 6ft longer than the former series-flagship, the Antares 11, which was the range’s first model to offer the option of a flybridge.
Antares 12 features an overall size of 42ft7in and a 12ft5in beam. You can only get it by clicking here Available with a Flybridge. Furthermore, its size and design mean it’s starting to move into Swift Trawler territory.
The Antares 12 is a world away from the smaller Antares models, whose sizes are more in line with the series’ first generation of boats in the 1970s, which were designed by Andre Beneteau, grandson of company founder Benjamin Beneteau and brother of ‘Madame’ Annette Roux.
Beneteau claims that the Antares 12 standard version comes with two 400hp Mercury Verado V10 engines, which are a class first and offer 200hp of additional power over the Antares 11
The Antares 12 is able to fit up to three outboards. This means that owners can upgrade their boat with triple 300hp Mercury Verados V8s for a total of 900hp.
The skipper can drive from either the saloon or the flybridge, while technology includes the option of a Seakeeper gyro and Groupe Beneteau’s Seanapps system, which keeps owners connected to their boat.
RAISING POWER AND OUTDOOR SPACE
The Antares 12 has a similar drop-down starboard bulwark that descends with the touch of a button. It presents a waterside deck, complete with an integrated ladder. This balcony neatly connects the cockpit to sea.
In its raised position, the bulwark has a small door on the side that can be used to board. Aft on the starboard-side, guests can access the boat from a door that is located behind the transoms.
Antares 12 is almost one foot wider than Antares 11, and you can see this when you board the cockpit. There, a large L-shaped sofa wraps itself around the port side and the aft. The adjustable table is foldable for outdoor dining or can be covered with cushions and lowered in order to create a large, comfortable sunpad.
Cockpit stairs on the starboard side lead to the large flybridge, which Beneteau has described as ‘best in class’.
On the port side, the upper deck has a J-shaped dinette. On the starboard side, just forward of the steps, is a wet bar – not present on the 11 Fly – that contains a grill and refrigerator.
The helm is located forward, and has a Garmin display. To port, the companion seating includes a bench and cushions. The backrest can be folded down and forward to create a sunpad. A bimini can cover the entire flybridge.
There are a couple steps at the helm to access the foredeck. It’s another fun outdoor zone and has a three-man integrated sunpad with an adjustable backrest.
A small table or a sofa can be created by folding the forward section up and backwards. A sunshade is another option to protect.
ELEVATED STYLE IN INTERIOR
Two ways are available to enter the interior. Most obvious is from the cockpit through the three large glass doors. The middle door, the port door and the centreline hallway can all be moved to the left.
There’s a bit of a ‘wow’ factor as you enter the saloon, which has good headroom and lots of natural light from big windows including sliding windows to port. While the Antares 11 comes with an L-shaped L-shaped, the Antares 12, has a C shaped sofa. Each end features an adjustable backrest so that it can be converted into a cockpit-facing couch and the other end to companion seating.
The foldable, height-adjustable table can be enlarged to accommodate six or more diners. The table can be lowered, covered with cushions, and used as an extra bed to accommodate one or two guests.
The galley occupies the majority of the starboard-side and begins aft, with large fridge/freezer drawers beneath a countertop. Various boat controls can be found on a panel above.
A central galley with a convection oven, cooktop and cutlery storage is located in the middle of the unit. The sink, bin, and storage are all forward, and drawers are further forward. The galley has plenty of overhead cabinets, as well as a shallow, large storage area to store plates and glasses. The galley has its own added attraction for guests, as it’s also home to the retractable television.
The helm seat has an adjustable backrest and comfortable access for the two Garmin screens. It also provides easy access to both the side deck and controls through the 5ft sliding door.
The central staircase leads down to the lower level, where three cabins are accessible through a hallway. Beneteau says that Antares 12 has the only three cabins in its class, including two with en suite bathrooms.
The bow master suite is bright and spacious due to the long hull windows and skylight. There are shelves on both sides of the bed, and there are lockers over each hull-window.
The VIP cabin, which has twin beds, can be converted into a large double.
The modular third room can be configured as either a double or single berth, with the second mattress being used as a couch backrest. The third room can also be used for storage or a dayroom. Beneteau offers even a refrigerator in this room.
Beneteau hasn’t only increased the size of the Antares flagship. The exterior areas have been given a more luxurious finish, and the flexibility has increased. Meanwhile, the interior is revealing a new emphasis on storage that was inspired by Swift Trawler. All this increases the amount of time you can spend on board and on the Antares 12, that’s only a good thing.
www.beneteau.com
The original version of this article appeared on yachtstyle.co
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